Bug FAQLake pondskater
Aquarius paludum · Order: Hemiptera · Family: Gerridae
Also called: Pond water strider
Aquarius paludum is a pond skater found in ponds, rivers, lakes and streams, especially in South East England. It preys on insects, insect larvae and spiders, piercing them with its proboscis and injecting venom.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
It is one of the larger pond-skater species in Britain.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Feeds on insects, insect larvae and spiders, killing them by piercing with its proboscis and injecting venom.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
Similar to Aquarius najas but differs by having the yellow pronotum line and longer spines; unlike Limnoporus rufoscutellatus, which has a reddish centre of the pronotum.
Source: Wikipedia
More photos
Questions people ask
Do pond skaters bite humans?
There is no source indicating they bite or sting people.
Source: Wikipedia
Where are they found in the UK?
They are mainly recorded in ponds, rivers, lakes and streams of South East England.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Gerridae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquarius_paludum
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.