Is this a water scorpion?
Location: Woodacre, CA
September 12, 2010 11:30 am
Dear Bugman,
We live in west Marin County, CA. My son Jonah and I found this small bug in the water at the edge of our local creek on April 21, 2010. My son, who was 6-1/2 at the time, casually commented that it looked like a scorpion, and dubbed it ”water scorpion.” Last night when I was looking at other bugs on your web site, I saw that there is a bug called a water scorpion. Did my son hit the nail on the head?
Signature: Mark & Jonah
Mayfly Naiad
Hi Mark & Jonah,
Your insect is not a Water Scorpion. This appears to us to be the aquatic nymph of a Mayfly in the order Ephemeroptera, and like other aquatic nymphs, it is commonly called a Naiad. It bears a close resemblance to the nymphs in the genus Epeorus, as evidenced by this image on BugGuide.
Mayfly Naiad
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