The water strider belongs to the family Gerridae and is often characterised by its long legs and ability to walk on water. A combination of surface tension and the hydrophobic hairs on the strider’s legs allow them to move on water. The water strider can also fly [1].
Water striders are beneficial predatory insects that feed on live and dead aquatic insects, sometimes even tiny, newly hatched tadpoles. Their primary diet includes mosquito, gnats and dragonfly larvae, although they will eat almost any insect or larvae they can find, whether live or something dead that has been dropped into the water [1].
Water striders are relatively important, as they feed on pest species such as mosquitoes and provide food for other organisms. Fish, birds, frogs, turtles, and other aquatic insects feed on the sliders [2].
Water striders live throughout Sweden, but habitats vary between species [1].
Key functions
● Food for other animals
● Controls other animal populations
Threat
● Ditching and clearing of ditches
Common species
There are more than 1,700 species of water striders worldwide, 10 of which live in Sweden. The Common Pondskater is the most common species in Sweden, and there is one species, the Gerris gibbifer, which is classified as NT (near threatened) on the 2020 Red List [1].
Some species to discover in nature:
● Common pond skater (Gerris lacustris)
Artfakta.se – Common pond skater 
● River Skater (Aquarius najas)
Atfakta.se – River Skater
● Gerris lateralis
Artfakta.se – Gerris lateralis
● Toothed Pond Skater (Gerris odontogaster)
Artfakta.se – Toothed pond skater
● Lake Pond Skater (Aquarius paludum)
Artfakta.se – Lake pond skater
Sources
June 2023, TÄNKOM | Revised February 2024 RETHINK
