Code QH589999

Small to medium size and rather slender bugs over 2mm long, predacious and generally semiaquatic, living in or near streams.

The antennae of Leptopodidae are very long and 3-4 segmented. The head is short and somewhat transverse. The eyes, which are large and face forward and outward, are set on prominent protuberances and cover virtually the whole fronto-lateral margin of the head. The anterior of the foreleg femora sometimes are sparsely covered with long, forwardly-directed spines. Similar spines always occur at the base of the labium (cf. Saldidae).

Reference:

Carver, M., Gross, G.F. and Woodward, T.E. (1991) Hemiptera. pp. 429-509. In: CSIRO, Insects of Australia. Volume 1. Melbourne University Press, Carlton, Victoria.