Insects: Native Species
Scientific name: Saldula exulans
Common name(s): Hawaiian Saldid Bug
Status: Endemic
Habitat: Exclusively found on stream rocks and edges of streams
Preferred Area of Stream: Can be found in any rocky area of a fast-flowing stream, often will jump on top of the water surface to get around the stream.
Range in Hawai‘i: Common on all Hawaiian Islands
Diet: Preys on small insects living near the surface of the stream. The mouthparts of the Hawaiian Saldid bug include an elongated beak that is used for piercing and sucking. The beak encloses two channels (each a hollow tube): one carries saliva to the host tissue, and one sucks up the liquid food
Predators: Birds, fish, predatory insects such as dragonflies
Fact: This small bug is one of the most prominent native insects along a swift and fast-flowing rocky stream. They are also flightless, and it is not known how they disperse to other streams, or how they reached Hawai‘i since they are exclusively aquatic.
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