The Gerridae (water striders, pond skaters, or water skippers) are a heteropteran family adapted to living on the water surface. The family includes ca. 70 genera, and 1,750 species. Water striders are distributed nearly worldwide, but absent from New Zealand. The majority occur in freshwater lakes, puddles, and slowly-moving streams, but several genera are found in coastal brackish and marine environments. Several species of Halobates are the only known truly oceanic insects. Most gerrids are generally small (2-25 mm body length), although some tropical species grow to ca. 36 mm. The body and legs are covered by hydrophobic microhairs, repelling water. The legs are long and slender, distributing the body weight over a large surface area. Gerrids are predators and scavengers of small invertebrates. Eggs are laid on submerged rocks or vegetation.

		Common Water Strider (Aquarius remigis)
		Pond skater Limnoporus dissortis
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