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Fun Facts
Did You Know?
Water striders use the water surface for communication as well as prey detection. Males of several species produce surface ripples by specific leg movements to signal territory ownership and courtship intent to nearby individuals. Females assess male signal quality as part of mate selection. Different signal frequencies carry different behavioral information, threat signals, territorial signals, and courtship signals are distinguishable by the species they are directed at even when they are not distinguishable to human observers
If This Animal Could Talk...
"Watch closely, respect my space, and let my habitat explain the rest of the story."
The water strider is the insect standing on the surface of every North Louisiana pond, bayou, and slow-moving creek, and it is not floating. It is standing. That difference matters to no one except the water strider, and the water strider is keenly aware of it in the sense that an animal with no concept of either is keenly aware of anything.
It is standing. The water surface is not a medium the water strider moves through, it is a substrate the water strider moves on. The feet are coated in dense hydrophobic hairs that trap air against the water surface and distribute the insect's weight across an area large enough that surface tension supports it completely.
A Few More Facts
How they hunt and forage: The water strider is the insect standing on the surface of every North Louisiana pond, bayou, and slow-moving creek, and it is not floating. The feet are coated in dense hydrophobic hairs that trap air against the water surface and distribute the insect's weight across an area large enough that surface tension supports it completely. The insect is standing on the film of a liquid, in the open, in full view of everything in and above the water, and nothing in that sentence should be possible and all of it is.
Live birth or eggs? no
When young are born: Peak activity and population density runs May through September when aquatic insect emergence and terrestrial insect fall-in rates are highest.spending winter dormant adults shelter in riparian debris, under bark at the water's edge, and in leaf litter at pond margins.
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Accessibility
Accessibility
On a still pond margin in early morning, a water strider aggregation converging on prey produces an audible susurrus, the collective sound of multiple insects rowing rapidly across the water surface simultaneously. Individual striders produce no sound, but a group of ten or more in rapid motion generates a faint, high-pitched surface noise detectable from a few feet in quiet conditions.
The sound of surface tension dimpling under moving strider feet, combined with the faint ripple pattern visible even in low light, makes this species one of the more acoustically and visually accessible aquatic insects in North Louisiana.
Every publicly accessible slow-water margin in the 26 parishes, bayou pull-offs, fishing piers, boat launches, public park ponds, carries water striders from March through October at standing height with no terrain navigation required.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does Water Striders live in North Louisiana?
Yes. The water strider is the insect standing on the surface of every North Louisiana pond, bayou, and slow-moving creek, and it is not floating. Water striders belong to the family Gerridae, and North Louisiana's slow and still water systems support several species in the genera Gerris and Aquarius. The North Louisiana water striders that most residents encounter are medium-sized to large, body lengths from a quarter inch to over half an inch depending on species, with a body plan built specifically for surface locomotion.
How do you identify Water Striders?
The North Louisiana water striders that most residents encounter are medium-sized to large, body lengths from a quarter inch to over half an inch depending on species, with a body plan built specifically for surface locomotion. The body is long and narrow, held parallel to the water surface. The legs are disproportionately long: the front legs are short and held forward for prey capture, the middle legs provide the rowing propulsion, and the hind legs are the longest, trailing behind and used for steering. Body shape: coloration is dark brown to black, often with pale or silvery markings on the ventral surface or sides. The body is covered in dense velvety hairs, the same hydrophobic pile that covers the feet, giving the whole animal a matte, slightly fuzzy texture that makes it look less insect-like and more like an animated piece of debris at first glance.
What does Water Striders eat?
The water strider is the insect standing on the surface of every North Louisiana pond, bayou, and slow-moving creek, and it is not floating. The feet are coated in dense hydrophobic hairs that trap air against the water surface and distribute the insect's weight across an area large enough that surface tension supports it completely. The insect is standing on the film of a liquid, in the open, in full view of everything in and above the water, and nothing in that sentence should be possible and all of it is.
Is Water Striders dangerous to people?
No. This species is not dangerous to people when it is observed without handling or disturbance
