The Gerrine Water Striders of Australia (Hemiptera: Gerridae): Taxonomy, Distribution and Ecology

Abstract

Water striders or pond skaters belonging to the subfamily Gerrinae are common inhabitants of various types of fresh water throughout eastern and northern Australia. The present paper deals with the 13 species (in 5 genera) known from Australia. Redescriptions or descriptive notes, illustrations, and keys to adults and nymphs of all species are provided and their distributions recorded and mapped.Tenagogerris pallidusand T. femoratus (both from Northern Territory and Western Australia), Tenagogonus australiensis (Queensland), Limnometra ciliodes (Queensland, Papua New Guinea and Irian Jaya), and Limnogonus fossarum gilguy (Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, Indo-Malayan Archipelago, and West Pacific to Samoa and Tonga) are described as new. Limnometra poliakanthinaNieser & Chen is synonymised with L. cursitans (Fabricius) and Hydrometra australis Skuse (= Limnometra skusei Torre-Bueno) with Limnogonus luctuosus (Montrouzier). The evolution and zoogeography of Australian water striders are discussed. Finally, we discuss the ecology of the gerrine water striders of Australia in relation to our present knowledge about habitats, phenology, wing polymorphism, and association between species.