First record of a pygmy backswimmer (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pleidae) from Micronesia

Abstract

Pygmy backswimmers, pleids, can be common in aquatic habitats with stagnant or slow-moving water that is rich in vegetation.  They are small bugs, usually less than 3.5 mm in length and confine themselves to the vegetation in which they hide and where they prey on mosquito larvae and other small arthropods (Schuh and Slater 1995).  The family is represented by 37 species in three genera: Plea, confined to the Old World; Neoplea confined to the New World; and Paraplea, the largest and most widely distributed genus (Schuh and Slater 1995).