Water Strider preying upon a Stick Insect
Tenagogerris euphrosyne
Family: Gerridae
Order: Hemiptera
The striders are hemipterans or "true-bugs" - insects that feed by piercing and sucking food through the proboscis. In this shot, the prey appears to be a newly hatched stick insect nymph of the genus Podacanthus - probably either P. viridiroseus or P. typhon. (Thanks Matthew Connors for the ID).
The striders walk on water, thanks to hydrophobic hairs on the legs. The hairs extend across the whole body too, making the insect able to repel splashes of water. They are so successful in their niche that the strider family, the Gerridae, are widespread with some 1700 species described, 10% of which are marine.
The Gerridae are polymorphic in that they can have wings in one generation, when there might be a need to relocate to a new water body. The next generation may not have wings however, if the current environment is stable.
DSC00448 copy 2
Water Strider preying upon a Stick Insect
Tenagogerris euphrosyne
Family: Gerridae
Order: Hemiptera
The striders are hemipterans or "true-bugs" - insects that feed by piercing and sucking food through the proboscis. In this shot, the prey appears to be a newly hatched stick insect nymph of the genus Podacanthus - probably either P. viridiroseus or P. typhon. (Thanks Matthew Connors for the ID).
The striders walk on water, thanks to hydrophobic hairs on the legs. The hairs extend across the whole body too, making the insect able to repel splashes of water. They are so successful in their niche that the strider family, the Gerridae, are widespread with some 1700 species described, 10% of which are marine.
The Gerridae are polymorphic in that they can have wings in one generation, when there might be a need to relocate to a new water body. The next generation may not have wings however, if the current environment is stable.
DSC00448 copy 2