Water Strider

Description:

Family Gerridae are physically characterized by having hydrofuge hairpiles, retractable preapical claws, and elongated legs and body.[4] Hydrofuge hairpiles are small, hydrophobic microhairs. These are tiny hairs with more than one thousand microhairs per mm.[4] The entire body is covered by these hairpiles, providing the water strider resistance to splashes or drops of water. These hairs repel the water, preventing drops from weighing down the body.

Habitat:

Gerridae generally inhabit surfaces of calm waters. The majority of water striders inhabit freshwater areas, with the exception of Halobates. Gerridae prefer an environment abundant with insects or zooplankton and one that contains several rocks or plants to oviposit eggs on. It has been studied by prevalence of water striders in varying environments, that water striders most prefer waters around 25 degrees Celsius.