This entry is about a water strider, but only in part. Like much of the material on the Black Range website there is more going on than the title. But before we venture off into other topics, let us dispense with this small creature of just barely over a centimeter in length, a small creature that darts about without warning, a bug, a small bug, and thus difficult to identify in the best of conditions. Let’s get the boxing, a human prediliection to put things in boxes, out of the way. I believe the creature featured here should be placed in the Aquarius remigis (North American Common Water Strider) box. The folks at iNaturalist agree. The folks at bugGuide are working through the taxonomy, so far agreeing only that it is a water strider. Aquarius remigis is the water strider typically reported from this area. Aquarius remigis was first described by Say in 1832, although he placed it in the genus Gerris.
Boxed and set on the rack. I photographed these individuals on March 4 in Railroad Canyon, on the west slope of the Black Range.
Dolomedes gertschi, New Mexico Fishing Spider, preys on water striders. According to bugGuide its range is restricted to the Gila River drainage in Arizona and New Mexico. The waters of Railroad Canyon are in the Mimbres watershed, which drains into north central Mexico - but not at the surface. However, there are observations of this species of spider from Albuquerque and the Jemez Mountains listed at bugGuide and on iNaturalist from the Mimbres River. It is safe, I think, to state that fishing spiders found in this area will be of this species - by range. Why is this of any importance, given that I did not see this spider? BugGuide lists the following (unattributed) statement: "(Aquarius remigis) Faces a conflict when deciding which habitat refuge to use when responding to predators. Predation by sunfish (Lepomis) means these bugs need to retreat to the stream banks. But they must move away from those banks when avoiding fishing spiders (Dolomedes).” Now the stream in Railroad Canyon does not have any sunfish, but it is likely to have some fishing spiders. As a result, I suspect that I will be sitting near small pools in Railroad Canyon looking for water striders and fishing spiders - something I have not done before, but look forward to doing.
But a key point from the above may have been hidden from plain sight. The stream had water. It appears that the snow we had in the Black Range will pay dividends for a while, the flowers may bloom, the water striders may dart about, and a profusion of birds may be found this season!