This very common water boatman occurs throughout the UK in a variety of habitats including ponds lakes and slow flowing rivers, usually in neutral to alkaline water. It can be found in brackish water, but eggs fail to hatch above 0.5% salinity. Adults overwinter and eggs are laid on the stems of aquatic plants between January and April. The five larval instars develop over three to four months and the first new adults appear in July. There is usually one generation during the year in the UK, although two may occur. Corixa punctata is a strong flier and readily migrates if conditions become unsuitable, although it is rarely taken in light traps. The bug is omnivorous, feeding on algae and plant debris as well as animal material.

The map is based on records from NBN Gateway, with yellow dots showing pre 1990 records, reds dots 1990 – 2015 records and red on yellow dots overlapping records. Corixa punctata is widespread Ireland, although there are large areas in central and south-western regions where it has not been recorded.