Callicorixa

High school (ages 12+)
Animals & Nature

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/callicorixa

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific name?Callicorixa
2. What is the family?Corixidae
3. What are Callicorixa and why are they called tiny water travelers?Callicorixa are small insects called water boatmen. They paddle through ponds and lakes like tiny boats, which is why they’re called tiny water travelers.
4. How do Callicorixa move in the water?Their hind legs are broad, flattened, and fringed with dense hairs. These legs act like powerful oars, letting them glide easily through water.

Lentic Habitats: Standing bodies of water, such as ponds and lakes, as opposed to flowing water.
Plastron: A thin layer of air trapped by hydrophobic hairs, facilitating gas exchange in aquatic insects.
Trophic Levels: The position an organism occupies in a food chain, indicating its source of energy.
Bioindicator: An organism whose presence, absence, or abundance reflects the condition of an ecosystem.