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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Insects (Insecta) » True Bugs, Cicadas, Hoppers, Aphids and Allies (Hemiptera) » True Bugs (Heteroptera) » Semiaquatic Bugs (Gerromorpha)

Infraorder Gerromorpha - Semiaquatic Bugs

Classification · Numbers · Identification · Habitat · Food · Remarks · Internet References · Works Cited
Common Water Strider? Two of 'em - Trepobates subnitidus - male - female water strider - Aquarius remigis Water Strider - Aquarius Pond Skater - Aquarius remigis - male water strider in Ozark creek water strider water strider Microvelia americana?
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Hemiptera (True Bugs, Cicadas, Hoppers, Aphids and Allies)
Suborder Heteroptera (True Bugs)
Infraorder Gerromorpha (Semiaquatic Bugs)
Numbers
>2,100 spp. in ~160 genera of 8 families worldwide(1) (one fam. is so. African, one is Indo-Pacific); ca. 110 spp. in 6 families in our area
Identification
Good practical keys provided in(2)(3)(4)(5)
Habitat
water surface or riparian habitats close to the freshwater edge; some in open ocean (the only truly marine insects)
Food
living or dead arthropods(6)
Remarks
Most are skaters (slow walkers on surface film)(6)
Internet References
(7)
Works Cited
1.Biodiversity of the Heteroptera
By T.J. Henry
2.How to Know the True Bugs
By Slater, James A., and Baranowski, Richard M.
3.Aquatic Invertebrates of Alberta, by Hugh F. Clifford
4.Aquatic Insects of Michigan, by Ethan Bright
5.Identification manual for the aquatic and semi-aquatic Heteroptera of Florida
By John H. Epler
6.Aquatic Insects of North America
By R. W. Merritt, K. W. Cummins, M.B. Berg
7.Checklist of Illinois Gerromorpha (Heteroptera), by Dr. Steven J. Taylor
Contributed by v belov on 24 December, 2009 - 4:02pm
Last updated 10 December, 2011 - 3:36pm

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