Water cricket - Velia caprai?

[Gerel]

My first "first" (for me) of the year. I've never noticed these on our stream before but I'm pretty confidant that it is Velia caprai.

[Wild-Woman]

Cool find! Never seen one except 'pinned' in a museum!

[Dogghound]

Agree its Velia caprai

[Gerel]

Originally Posted by Wild-Woman

Cool find! Never seen one except 'pinned' in a museum!

Nor me before, according to Brit Bugs they're very common, must be good at hiding.

Thanks for the confirmation DH

[Ukwildlifeo]

Originally Posted by Wild-Woman

Cool find! Never seen one except 'pinned' in a museum!

I know a reliable site near me if you want to see one Jules.

[Matt Smith]

Originally Posted by Gerel

Nor me before, according to Brit Bugs they're very common, must be good at hiding.

Thanks for the confirmation DH

Look on ditches and streams with moving water, they will be on the little back eddies and slacks near the edges where there is very gentle water movement and smooth water conditions, particularly if there is grass vegetation coming down to the waters edge. Very common.

[Acutipuerilis]

Yep, they're all over the place, but quite unobtrusive compared with gerrids. In upland and northern areas, there's another species (V. saulii) but although their pronotum is allegedly black rather than (usually) dark red-brown in V. caprai, sometimes they're not easy to separate... this one, for example, looks a bit undecided.