There are 69 species of Water Bug in the UK. 2 are found just in Ireland. 14 are upland or coastal species and would not expect to find these.

Of the 53 species expected to be found we have recorded 46 in Northants and this leaves 7 species that may have been found in the past but I don’t have records or may turn up shortly. They are:

Corixa affinis. This is a saline species but has been found in hampton harcourt lake and Woodston ponds in Peterborough on the fringes of the Northants border so must be in a lake with some saline around Peterborough.

Sigara semistriata. This likes peat pools or ponds high in organic content. this has been found in Beds, Cambs and Warwick so should turn up in Northants

Sigara venusta. This like clean running streams over acidic or calcareous substrate and there may not be too many targets for this apart from the River Eise. The nearest locations are on the east coast or in the Hampshire chalk streams.

Gerris costae. This likes upland peat or acidic pools of which there are not many in Northants but maybe there in some isolated pools in the acid grassland or more out toward Peterborough.

Gerris lateralis. This is a swamp species and there are not many of these habitats in Northamptonshire that I am aware of but it could turn up.

Microvelia buenoi. This is a nationally rare fenland species that requires specific habitat shallow water with dense vegetation, especially margins of ditches with overhanging sedges, grass (Phragmites etc. ) and other plants. It is present in Norfolk and Cambridgeshire but it's range is not currently changing.

Micronecta minutissima. This should be at the margins of lakes and ponds in shallow water but may take some finding to differentiate from m.scholtzi. This should be there with a bit more targeted searching at the right time of year