How do water striders and backswimmers use surface ripples to find prey?

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Meissner's corpuscle; mechanoreception — Mechanoreception In human skin, specialized nerve endings known as Meissner's corpuscles (or tactile corpuscles) are sensitive to touch. They are one of several different types of mechanoreceptors found in human skin.

Water striders and backswimmers utilize surface ripples to locate prey by detecting mechanical stimuli emanating from struggling or potential victims on the water's surface.1

These insects employ specialized sensory structures to perceive these waves, which allow them to identify and move toward their prey quickly. The sensory mechanisms involved in this form of mechanoreception range from specialized tactile hair receptors, known as trichobothria, to internally located cells called proprioceptors situated within their movable body appendages.1