Details
Gerris lacustris
The common pond skater is a slender true bug that walks on water. It uses surface tension to skate over freshwater and catch fallen insects.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
It lives on ponds, lakes, and slow rivers in the Palearctic. Calm surfaces with shoreline vegetation are common habitat.
Length 0.8-1.5 cm; weight 0.01 g-0.05 g. A narrow body and very long legs are covered at the tips with water-repellent hairs. Its light body dimples the surface without breaking through.
Diurnal and loosely grouped, many individuals may share one water surface. It reads ripples through the legs to locate prey and other skaters.
A carnivore, it pierces insects and weakened small animals on the surface and sucks their fluids. Vibrations reveal prey location.
Females attach eggs to aquatic plants or floating objects. Nymphs resemble small adults and remain surface hunters as they molt.
It is listed as Least Concern, though local populations can still be affected by habitat change, collection, or pollution.
