Gerris lacustris
- noun
- Specialized
:
Gerris lacustris
- The pond was teeming with Gerris lacustris during the warm months, moving quickly over the water.
Examples
-
Scientists studied the movement of Gerris lacustris to understand how insects adapt to aquatic environments.
-
Gerris lacustris can often be seen skating across the surfaces of ponds in early summer.
-
The Gerris lacustris skated gracefully across the pond.
-
Look at that Gerris lacustris jumping from leaf to leaf!
-
Gerris lacustris can often be seen skating across the surfaces of ponds in early summer.
-
The pond was teeming with Gerris lacustris during the warm months, moving quickly over the water.
-
Scientists studied the movement of Gerris lacustris to understand how insects adapt to aquatic environments.
Synonyms
An insect that walks on the surface of ponds and still water
Surface Forms
Morphology
Gerris + lacustris
The binomial name combines a meaningful English gloss 'Gerris' (water-strider) with a Latin specific epithet 'lacustris' (literally 'of lakes'), so the overall sense ‘a lake-dwelling Gerris’ is derivable if the learner knows the Latin adjective. However, 'lacustris' is not a common English word and is likely unknown to a B1 learner, so the compositional logic is only partially accessible and depends on knowledge of Latin taxonomic conventions.
Etymology
Gerris lacustris comes from Latin words: lacustris means 'of lakes' and Gerris is the name for water striders. So the name gives a clear picture of a long-legged bug skimming over pond and lake water, which is why it refers to this species that walks on fresh water.
