This is widely distributed surface bug that prefers early/late successional areas that are muddy or poorer quality. They are also more tolerant of saline than other Gerridae however not too much of this in Northants apart from salt spreading on roads in the winter and run off into some of the new road balance ponds where they are found.

There are perhaps two generations a year. Eggs are laid in late April and May on the surface of floating leaves of pond-weed and other aquatics. Egg development takes 2 weeks at spring temperatures, larval development at least a month (SWL, 1959)

Distribution:

This is widely distributed across Northants and although absent from the south of the county this is perhaps due to less recording effort.

Habitat:

Sporadic on a wide variety of open waters including dew, silt and detritus ponds, ditches, dykes and cattle ponds. Quite often found in shallow often muddy bottom pools and ditches that maybe shaded by trees.

Identification:

This is the commonest of the three species of Gerridae that have a yellow-brown disc on the pronotum, a feature more obvious in dry specimens. The other two species are G. costai (which is larger) and G. lateralis (which has patches of silver hairs along each side of the ventral surface of the abdomen) (AHRC, AAC).