Insect Orders
Gerridae Family: Water Striders
Neogerris hesione
a.
b.
Neogerris hesione
- Common Name: Water Strider
- Identifying Features: Shiny dorsum
- Time of Year Found: Spring through fall
- Size of Mature Adult: 13mm
- Habitat: Surface of calm water
- Other Information: Moves very quickly and must be chilled to view under a stereoscope. Can observe their eating habits by dropping live insects into the pond about a foot away from the strider. The strider leaps at the prey, grasps it with forearms, then strides to floating vegetation where it eats.
- Figures:
a. Dorsal view of mature adult
b. Dorsal view of mature adult