( Gerridae )
PHOTO COMMENT
(Leach ,1815 )
LOCATION DETAILS
RECOGNITION
BIOLOGY
CREDITS
Adrian Cotter
Insect Sciences Museum of California
References
| Water Strider ( Gerridae ) | |
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PHOTO COMMENT | |
| IDENTIFICATION | |
| Identification: | Gerridae (Leach ,1815 ) |
| Common Name: | Water Strider |
| Life Stage: | (A) adult |
| PHYLOGENY | |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Superorder: | Paraneoptera |
| Order: | Hemiptera |
| Suborder: | Heteroptera |
| Family: | Gerridae |
| Taxon Code: | HET02353 |
| ITIS/TSN: | 103801 |
LOCATION DETAILS | |
| Location Name | |
| Cerrito Creek, Cerrito Creek, Albany | |
| County: | Alameda County |
| ECI Site#: | CA01020119 |
RECOGNITION | |
| Description | |
| Antennae: 4-segmented with stiff bristles on segment 3. Segmental length is used for species-level identification. Combined, the four segments are not usually longer than the length of the head. Thorax: Generally long, narrow, and small. Legs: The front legs are raptorial, but shortest with preapical claws adapted to puncture prey. Middle and hind legs are longer and are adapted for propulsion over water surfaces. Wings: Wings may be present, but water striders do not fly. Wings tend to be shorter in habitats with faster moving waters. | |
| Body Length | |
| 3-16 mm. From 1.6-36+ mm for worldwide taxa. | |
| Diversity | |
| 46 species in 8 genera in North America; About 750 species in about 70 genera worldwide. California has two subfamilie of the family Gerridae - Gerrinae and Trepobatinae, of which the Gerrinae are most common. | |
| Child Taxa | |
| Gerrinae and Trepobatinae are the two subfamilies of the Gerridae in California. Either is easily distinguished from the other. | |
| Similar Taxa | |
| Riffle Bugs (family Veliidae) are similar in appearance and food preferences. | |
BIOLOGY | |
| Food | |
| Living or dead insects on the water surface. Water striders can pick up vibrations of insects trapped on water surfaces. The insect's rostrum is inserted into dead or dying insects which suck liquefied contents of their prey. | |
| Habitat | |
| Surfaces of temporary or permanent ponds, and slow-moving areas of streams and rivers. Some non-California species occur in the open ocean. | |
| Distribution | |
| Throughout North America and the world. | |
| Diversity | |
| 46 species in 8 genera in North America; About 750 species in about 70 genera worldwide. California has two subfamilie of the family Gerridae - Gerrinae and Trepobatinae, of which the Gerrinae are most common. | |
| Active Period | |
| Whenever water is not frozen. May be observed year-round in the south. | |
| Development | |
| Gerrids have incomplete metamorphosis. Nymphs look like tiny adults. There are 5 instars. Instars last 7-10 days. Time from egg to adult is approximately 60 to 70 days. Development time is correlated to water temperature. | |
CREDITS | |
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Photographer Adrian Cotter Insect Sciences Museum of California | |
References | |
| Family Gerridae - Water Striders. (http://bugguide.net/node/view/163). Accessed March 12, 2016. . | |
| ITIS. | |
| Water Striders (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerridae) | |
