6 favorites     5 comments    874 visits

1/320 f/5.6 100.0 mm ISO 250

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

EXIF - See more details

See also...


Keywords

insect
seasonal pond
water skeeter
water bug
magic bug
water scooter
water skater
water skimmer
water skipper
pond skater
water spider
Janet Brien
skater
water strider
Hemiptera
Oregon
Pacific Northwest
Canon 5D Mark II
Gerridae
skimmer
Jesus bug


Authorizations, license

Visible by: Everyone
All rights reserved

874 visits


Water Skeeter

Water Skeeter
I had fun taking pictures of the critters at our seasonal pond! This is what we call a "water skeeter", but I found out there are many other names for this insect, which is a true "bug"! :)

From Wikipedia:
Gerridae is a family of true bugs in the order Hemiptera, commonly known as water striders, water bugs, magic bugs, pond skaters, skaters, skimmers, water scooters, water skaters, water skeeters, water skimmers, water skippers, water spiders, or Jesus bugs. One main characteristic that sets gerrids and other true bugs apart from other insects is that the front wing is only half functional. Rather than using it for flight, it acts as a membranous covering and the thickened part is by where claws develop. Consistent with the classification of Gerridae as true bugs, gerrids have a mouthpart evolved for piercing and sucking, gerrids distinguish themselves by having the unique ability to walk on water. Gerridae, or water striders, are anatomically built to transfer their weight to be able to run on top of the water's surface. As a result, one could likely find water striders present in any pond, river, or lake. Scientists have identified over 1,700 species of gerrids, 10% of them being marine.

, Ulrich Dinges, Don Sutherland, tiabunna and 2 other people have particularly liked this photo


Comments
 tiabunna
tiabunna club
Lovely macro shot. Imagine being able to walk on the surface tension of water!
10 years ago.
 Don Sutherland
Don Sutherland club
Great capture.
10 years ago.
 Koko Nut
Koko Nut
great info and even greater capture!
10 years ago.
 Ulrich Dinges
Ulrich Dinges club
da kann man schön das Gewicht sehen mit dem der Käfer ins Wasser sinkt
10 years ago.
 C.Rayz
C.Rayz club
Oh that is gorgeous!
10 years ago.

Sign-in to write a comment.