Gerris swakopensis
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Gerris swakopensis is an Afrotropical species of true bug. Common names include pond skater and water strider. It is aquatic, found in habitats with standing freshwater, such as ponds, pools, and backwaters of streams. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Addo Elephant National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pretoria | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Johannesburg | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Durban | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Cape Town | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Common Water Strider sighting in Cape Town on a given day, based on 15 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 174th most-seen of the 311 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February, July and December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Common Water Strider in Cape Town on a given day, against under 5% in January, March–June and August–November, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Common Water Strider sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
4th of 4
Of the 4 cities where we can rate Common Water Strider sightings, Cape Town ranks 4th at under 5%. The best odds are in Pretoria (South Africa, about 10%), Johannesburg (South Africa, about 10%) and Durban (South Africa, under 5%).
Same order: Hemiptera
The closest relatives of the Common Water Strider that you can see in Cape Town (order Hemiptera, True Bugs, Hoppers, Aphids, and allies) are Brown Stink Bug (about 20%), Southern Green Stink Bug (about 10%) and Common Tip Wilter (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Common Water Strider is recorded against all the insects logged in Cape Town (15 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
