Velvet water bug

Morphology

This species is easily distinguished from other Australian Herbus species by the distinctive shape of the bucculae and posteriorly bifurcate metanotal elevation. This species is typically dark with iridescent spicules on the head and pronotum.

Evolution

The family Hebridae includes nine genera and about 160 species distributed worldwide. Hebrids are divided between two recognised subfamilies, the Hebrinae and the Hyrcaninae.

Behaviour

All species are predators on small arthropods. Like water striders, they are sometimes found on water - unlike water striders however, hebrids walk or run rather than skate or scull on the surface. Hebrids lay their eggs on moss and other substrates, attaching them lengthwise with a gel-like secretion.

Method of reproduction

Sexual

Habitat

Terrestrial

These small bugs live in moist habitats, either humid terrestrial (litter, moss), marginal aquatic habitats (sphagnum bogs), or rarely on water surfaces covered with floating plants.

Distribution

This species has been collected perdominantly from northern Australia (WA, NT, Queensland), with a few records from southern Queensland and in New South Wales.

Life Cycle

As with other true bugs, hebrids have incomplete metamorphosis: upon hatching from their egg they go through several nymphal stages, each progressively larger and more developed than the next. In the final stage they moult into the adult, which is distinguished from the nymphs by the presence of fully developed wings (except in micropterous or apterous morphs).