Dr Lanna Cheng
Research Biologist, MBRD, CMBB
Scripps Institution of Oceanography
University of California San Diego
La Jolla, CA 92093-0202 USA
Phone: 858 534 4836 Fax: 858 534 7313 Email: lcheng@ucsd.edu
Street Address: 8750 Biological Grade, 3105 Hubbs Hall, La Jolla, CA 92037 USA
Related Website: http://www.unk.edu/marineinsects
Web-link: http://www.zmuc.dk/EntoWeb/Halobates/Halobat1.htm

For information on Aquatic bugs of Singapore and Malaysia:- http://rmbr.nus.edu.sg/aquaticbugs

Insects are the most abundant animals on land but are poorly represented in the sea. However, the sea-skater Halobates, the only insect known to live on the open ocean, is not only widely distributed but can also be locally abundant. The five described species are found between latitudes 40 deg N and 40 deg S in all three major oceans (Pacific, Atlantic and Indian), each with a well-defined distribution range. Although we know some of the special adaptations which enable Halobates to exist at the sea-air interface, there are still many aspects of their biology waiting to be discovered.

THE MARINE INSECT HALOBATES (HETEROPTERA: GERRIDAE): BIOLOGY, ADAPTATIONS, DISTRIBUTION, AND PHYLOGENY


Sea skater, Halobates sericeus Esch. Adult female, length 3.4 mm
Photo: Scripps Institution of Oceanography


Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California-San Diego,
La Jolla, CA 92093-0202