Walking on Water- Pond Skater

Latin name: Gerris lacustris

Image result for pond skater
Photo by David Davis

Often seen whizzing around on the water's surface from spring until the end of autumn, there is no doubt that pond skaters are fascinating insects. They possess thin, brownish bodies with small heads, large eyes, and long spindly legs. Such legs allow the skater to propel themselves forward at tremendous speed, whilst the back legs act to steer and direct the insect in the desired direction. Skaters are often found in slow-moving or still bodies of water and are found across the whole of the UK.

Skaters are aquatic predators and tend to feed upon invertebrates which are unfortunate enough to fall on to the surface of the water. The prey creates water ripples which are detected by the sensory hairs on its front legs. The skater rapidly closes in on its prey, puncturing it with its proboscis and delivering a dose of digestive enzymes. The digested insides of the prey are then slowly sucked up through the proboscis of the skater.

However, skaters are a prime target for several predators, mainly birds, amphibians and even fish, although fish are often repelled by scent glands found in the thorax of the skaters. Cannibalism is also not out of the question, which often occurs when competition for territory and mating partners becomes stiff.

Sex discrimination in skaters is determined by the frequency of ripples produced on the water surface, with different frequencies determining whether to repel, threaten or induce courtship. Receptive females allow the males to mate with them, remaining together throughout the reproductive season. Eggs are then laid and submerged, with their numeracy directly linked to the amount of food supplied to her throughout the season by her partnered male.

Pond skaters hibernate over winter, the duration of which is determined by the time it takes for the environment to warm up and also the length of day.





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