Common Pondskater
by
Shop
Gerris lacustris
Very common & abundant in Britain.
The family Gerridae is physically characterized by having hydrofuge hairpiles, retractable preapical claws, and elongated legs and body.
Hydrofuge hairpiles are small, hydrophobic microhairs.
These are tiny hairs with more than one thousand microhairs per mm.
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.