Water striders

Definition

Members of the family Gerridae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera), predatory true bugs adapted to life on the water surface. They exploit surface tension to skate, glide, and hunt on ponds, streams, lakes, and marine habitats, with over 1,700 described species worldwide. Their locomotion relies on hydrophobic tarsi that distribute weight across multiple non-wetting contact points, making them classic examples of pleuston—organisms restricted to or dominant at the air-water interface.

Etymology

From 'water' + 'strider,' describing their characteristic long-legged walking motion across the water surface.

Example

Common pond-dwelling water striders such as Aquarius remigius detect surface ripples produced by struggling prey and rapidly converge to pierce and suck fluids from terrestrial insects that have fallen onto the water.

Synonyms

• pond skaters
• water skimmers
• water skippers

Related Terms

• Gerridae
• pleuston
• surface tension locomotion
• Heteroptera
• semiaquatic insects
• water surface ecology

Usage Notes

The term refers specifically to the family Gerridae, though 'water strider' is occasionally applied loosely to other surface-dwelling hemipterans such as Veliidae (small water striders or riffle bugs). True water striders are generally larger, with more elongated bodies and proportionally longer middle legs adapted for rowing. Marine species represent roughly 10% of the family's diversity, colonizing coastal and open-ocean habitats.