This is called the Common Shorebug and is found at the margins of ponds, garden pools, ditches and slow streams mainly in lowland areas. It likes to rest on firm mud when at rest and can be difficult to see. Overwintering adults can often be found in grass tufts near to their habitat, but warm days even in winter soon bring them out of hiding.

Mating takes place in the period between late April and early June. The male grasps the specialized part of the female forewings by means of his granular plate and set of pegs. Eggs are deposited in the firm mud or into any crevices of low vegetation. Larval development is fairly rapid and by July the new generation of adults are about - however, they may appear much later in the northern parts of Britain. Whether there is a second generation before the onset of winter is unknown but the data do not exclude this possibility.

S. saltatoria is predacious, running and jumping restlessly over the mud in search of prey. These it holds at the tip of the rostrum, sometimes standing on the prey but never grasping it with the forelegs.

Distribution:

This is widespread and found in 13 10km squares in Northants is Un-common.

Habitat:

Found at the margins of ponds, pools, ditches and slow streams on firm mud. At Lilbourne Meadows there was a population explosion in the fields that flooded from the ponds and then started to receded leaving firm mud.

Identification:

These are tricky to id and should always be done with a key until you are familiar with the group. Essentially these are black with fine and scarce pubescence, convex sides to the pronotum and the dark central streak to the fore-tibia is not connected to the base and therefore the central mark appears more like a dark spot.