Adult is about 1/2 inch long; the body color is black to brown and sometimes shiny blue. The hind legs are long and adapted for swimming.
Habits. These bugs live in water as predators; they are fast swimmers and swim upside down. They can deliver a painful bite to people they contact in water. They are capable of long-distance flight. Backswimmers commonly occur in backyard and commercial swimming pools, even those that are a long distance from a pond or lake.