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.
Facts
Classification
System (Realm) System (Realm) Living or Extinct Identification
Distinguishing AppearanceGenerally small, long-legged insects, with the body length of most species between 2 and 12 mm 1 Comparison
CITES Appendix Scientific Name Connections
Child Taxon Of
Source Wikidata: Water Strider
In Biome
In the Other Atlases
Found In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Sources
1. Gerridae, Wikipedia
Introductory paragraph
The Gerridae are a family of insects in the order Hemiptera, commonly known as water striders
Description
They are generally small, long-legged insects and the body length of most species is between 2 and 12 mm (0.08-0.47 in).
Diet
Gerrids are aquatic predators and feed on invertebrates, mainly spiders and insects, that fall onto the water surface.
- In Biome: River, Wikipedia intro: "e water's surface, making them pleuston (surface-living) animals. They can be found on most ponds, rivers or lakes, and over 1,700 species of gerrids have been..."
View the Source2. GBIF Species API
3. Wikidata (taxon extant/extinct status)
Wikimedia Foundation / Wikidata contributorsQ270322, descriptionView the Source 4. UNEP-WCMC Species+ database (CITES Secretariat): Species+: Insecta
UNEP-WCMC Species+ database (CITES Secretariat)Species+ taxon_concepts, id 28Quote, Species+ taxon_concepts, id 28
"cites_listing":"I/II/III/NC","eu_listing":"A/B/C/NC","higher_taxa":{"kingdom":"Animalia","phylum":"Arthropoda","class":"Insecta","order":null,"family":null},"synonyms":[],"common_names":[{"name":"Insectos","language":"ES"},{"name":"Insects","language":"EN"},{"name":"Insectes","language":"FR"},{"name":"昆虫纲","language":"ZH"}],"cites_listings":[]
Wikidata: Water Strider
- Wikidata Q270322, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)
- Child Taxon Of: Hemiptera, Wikidata parent-taxon (P171) chain
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