Spends part of their time in water, or grows partially submerged in water
Thecommon frog , one of the most ubiquitous semi-aquaticamphibians inEurope Atlantic mudskippers , amphibious fish ofmangrove swamps andtidal flats Pachygrapsus marmoratus crab Hunting stance ofDolomedes minor spider Inbiology , beingsemi-aquatic refers to variousmacro organisms that live regularly in bothaquatic andterrestrial environments . When referring toanimals , the term describes those that actively spend part of their daily time in water (in which case they can also be calledamphibious ), orland animals that have spent at least onelife stages (e.g. aseggs orlarvae ) in aquatic environments. When referring toplants , the term describesland plants whoseroots have adapted well to tolerate regular, prolonged submersion in water, as well asemergent and (occasionally)floating-leaved aquatic plants that are only partially immersed in water.
Examples of semi-aquatic animals and plants are given below.
Semiaquatic animals [ edit ] Semiaquatic animals include:
Vertebrates Amphibious fish ; also several types of normally fully aquatic fish such as thegrunion andplainfin midshipman that spawn in theintertidal zone Someamphibians such asnewts and salamanders , and somefrogs such asfire-bellied toads andwood frogs . Somereptiles such ascrocodilians ,turtles , water snakes andmarine iguanas . Waterbirds , especiallypenguins ,waterfowls ,storks andshorebirds .Some rodents such asbeavers ,muskrats andcapybaras . Some insectivorous mammals such asdesmans ,water shrews andplatypuses . Some carnivoran mammals, includingseals ,otter andpolar bears . Some marsupials, including thewater opossum and the twolutrine opossums . Hippopotamuses .Indian rhinoceros .Water buffalo .Tapirs .Moose .Semiterrestrialechinoderms of the intertidal zone, such as the "cliff-clinging"sea urchin Colobocentrotus atratus starfish Pisaster ochraceus Arthropods Aquatic insects (e.g.,dragonflies ) with at least one non-aquaticlife stage (e.g.,adults ), or amphibious insects (e.g.,amphibious caterpillars or the antPolyrhachis sokolova [ note 1] Gerromorpha andNepomorpha occupy a variety of semiaquatic and aquatic niches, with many of the former locomoting on the water surface; a few of these are marine (e.g.,Halobates Hermatobates Semiaquaticspringtails , such asAnurida maritima Semiterrestrialmalacostracan crustaceans (e.g., manycrabs , such asPachygrapsus marmoratus [ note 2] amphipods , such asOrchestia gammarellus isopods , such asLigia oceanica barnacles , such asBalanus glandula Horseshoe crabs are mostly aquatic but spawn in theintertidal zone ; juveniles live intidal flats Semiaquaticspiders , such asAncylometes Dolomedes Argyroneta An amphibiouscentipede ,Scolopendra cataracta Semiaquaticannelids , such as theearthworm Sparganophilus Molluscs Semiterrestrialflatworms of the intertidal zone, such as theacotylean Myoramyxa pardalota[ 4] Thecommon reed , a ubiquitous semiaquaticangiosperm of thegrass family Thewhite Egyptian lotus Semiaquatic plants include:
Semiaquaticangiosperms (e.g.,mangroves ,reeds ,water spinach and the entire orderNymphaeales ) Semiaquaticconifers , such aspond cypress Semiaquatic ferns , such asPilularia americana A semiaquatichorsetail ,Equisetum fluviatile Semiaquaticquillworts , such asIsoetes melanospora Semiaquaticclub mosses , such asLycopodiella inundata Semiaquaticmosses , such asSphagnum macrophyllum Semiaquaticliverworts , such asRiccia fluitans ^ Battiston, R.; Puttaswamaiah, R.; Manjunath, N. (2018)."The fishing mantid: predation on fish as a new adaptive strategy for praying mantids (Insecta: Mantodea)" .Journal of Orthoptera Research .27 (2):155– 158.doi :10.3897/jor.27.28067 ^ Tan, C.G.S.; Ng, P.K.L. (1995). "Geosesarma notophorum sp. nov. (Decapoda, Brachyura, Grapsidae, Sesarminae), a Terrestrial Crab from Sumatra, with Novel Brooding Behaviour".Crustaceana .68 (3):390– 395.doi :10.1163/156854095X00557 . ^ Burggren, W.W.; McMahon, B.R., eds. (1988).Biology of the Land Crabs 53– 54.ISBN 978-0521306904 ^ Newman, L.J.; Cannon, L.R.G. (1997-06-30)."A new semi-terrestrial acotylean flatworm,Myoramyxa pardalota gen. et sp. nov. (Plehniidae Polycladida) from southeast Queensland, Australia" .Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 42 (1):311– 314. Retrieved2018-08-14 . 
