Gerridae

Commonly known as “Water striders”, “Pond skaters”, “Skimmers”, etc. One main characteristic that sets gerrids apart 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. Gerrids have a mouthpart evolved for piercing and sucking. Gerridae are anatomically built to transfer their weight to be able to run on top of the water’s surface. Scientists have identified over 1,700 species of gerrids.