Summary
A reaction that causes flying backswimmers to dive into the water is described. This ‘plunge reaction’ consists of the following sequence of movements: the animal briefly (typically for 60 ms) raises the body axis head-up, then tilts downward while spreading out the rowing legs and closing the wings. The backswimmers also exhibit the plunge reaction in the laboratory when they are over a structured surface emitting polarized UV light. Factors that elicit the plunge reaction and affect its course are discussed.
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References
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Schwind, R. The plunge reaction of the backswimmerNotonecta glauca . J. Comp. Physiol. 155, 319–321 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00610585
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00610585