Water Strider

The Gerridae are a family of insects in the order Hemiptera, commonly known as water striders, water skeeters, water scooters, pond skaters, water skippers, water gliders, water skimmers or puddle flies. True bugs of the suborder Heteroptera with mouthparts evolved for piercing and sucking, they are distinguished by their ability to move across the surface of water, making them pleuston, or surface-living, animals. More than 1,700 species of gerrids have been described, about 10 percent of them marine, and they can be found on most ponds, rivers and lakes.