Cheng, L.

Name not available

Ocean-striders from Melanesia (Hemiptera : Gerridae, Halobates spp.)

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OCEAN-StI’RIDERS FROM MELANESIA 
(HEMIPTERA : GERRIDAE, HALOBA TES SPP.) 
by Lanna CHENG’ 
RÉSUMÉ 
L’auteur donne une liste des stations, avec une carte des localités, où brut été recueillis des Haloba- 
tes, au cours des croisières CC Bora )), (( Saint’ Vincent )) et C< Cyclone o. Les spécimens sont identifiés 
autanf que possible du point de vue de l’espèce, du stade et du sexe. L’auieur exaniine brièvement la 
distribuiion et la biologie de chacune des espèces mentionnées. 
ABSTRACT 
The Halobafes samples collected during the cruises 0 Bora ), (1 Saint Vincent )) and c Cyclone )) 
were ideniified to species, sex and developmental stage. A list of stations from which each species 
was collected is presented, together with a map of their localities. A brief discussion on the distribution 
and biology of each species is appended. 
INTRODUCTION 
A series of oceanographic cruises in the Pacifie Ocean between longitudes 1600 E and 1800 E, 
latitudes 100 N and 250 S, were organized by Offr~e de la Recherche Scientifique et Technique 
Outre-Mer at Noumea, New Caledonia, during the period from November 1965 to September 
1967. The objectives included studies of the fauna, the influence of equatorial currents on the 
seasonal variation of zooplankton and micronekton from 0 to 1,200 meters, and the seasonal 
and geographical variations in hydrological features and in primary and secondary production. 
During these cruises a number of Halobates specimens were collected, which were sent to me 
for study. They were identified to species, sex and instar ; their distribution was plotted ‘in 
relation to location and date of sample. These data are summarized here, along with a short 
discussion on the biology of these unusual marine insects. 
(‘1 Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, La Jolla, California. 
Cah. O.R.S.T.O.M., s&. Oct?anogr., vol. IX, no 4, 1971 : 513-518. 
514 L. CHENG 
MATERIAL AND METHOD 
The material used in this study were collected on board R/V CORIOLIS during the cruises 
BORA, CYCLONE, and SAINT VINCENT. 
There were four ((Bora )> cruises, each of about 1-month duration, initiated at 3-month 
intervals. Date and duration given below: 
(( Bora 1)) : Nov 26 to Dec 22 1965 
G Bora II )) : Mar 3 to Apr 5 1966 
((Bora III )) : Jun 9 to July 15 1966 
((Bora IV )) : Sept 19 to Oct 17 1966. 
Halobafes was collected only during ((Bora IV )i, since this was the only cruise during which 
neuston tows were made to collect surface organisms. Only mid-wat,er tows were conducted 
on the other three cruises. 
Guise a Saint Vincent 1) was a 2-day cruise to test some equipment and methodology off 
the main reef of New Caledonia. It provided three Halobutes samples. 
The six a Cyclone )) cruises were planned to survey a rather restricted area along the 1700 E 
parallel, between 00 and 66 S. The dates and durations of these cruises are given below: 
d Cyclone 1 0 : Nov 14-Dec 7 1966 
a Cyclone II 0 : Mar 14-Apr 6 1967 
a Cyclone III D : May 3-May 6 1967 
0 Cyclone IV )) : June 13-June 14 1967 
0 Cyclone V )) : July 19-July 22 1967 
0 Cyclone VI 0 : Sept 2-Sept 4 1967 
Halobates specimens were collected on four of these six cruises: 1, IV, V, and VI, mostly in 
neuston tows. However, two samples on cruise IV and one sample on cruise V were collected 
by the mid-water trawl (IKMT lO), probably as it broke the surface. 
Figure 1 shows the localities where Halobates species have been collected during the above 
mentioned cruises. 
The specimens of Halobates were identifled to species and separated to sex (adults and 
fifth instar nymphs) and to developmental stages. 
RESULTS 
In all, 17 samples of Halobutes were collected during the aBora )> cruises, a11 from ((Bora IV)) ; 
44 samples were collected during the (( Cyclone )) cruises; and 3 samples were collected during 
the (1 Saint Vincent n cruise. 
Three Halobates species are represented in these collections: H. micans, H. sericeus, and 
H. germanus. These have a11 been reported from the Paciflc Ocean by previous investigators 
(Herring, 1961; Savilov, 1967). -A list of new records of these species, with the station numbers 
in the present series, is given below. 
Halobates sericeus : -Bora IV: 1 A. 
Saint Vincent: 29. 
Cyclone 1: 2, 4, 9. 
Cah. O.R.S.T.O.M., sér. Océanop., vol. IX, no 4, 1971 : 513-518. 
OCEAN-STRIDERS FROM MELANESIA 515 
Halobaies germanus : - Bora IV: 3 A, 11 A, 2 B, 3 B, 5 B, 4 B. 
Saint Vincent: 3, 25. 
Cyclone 1: 14, 15. 
Cyclone IV: 22. 
Halobaies micans : -BoraIV:8A,9A, lOA,6B,7B,8B,25. 
Cyclone 1: 18, 13, 15, 18, 19, 20, 21, 23, 24, 25, 29, 30, 39. 
Cyclone IV: 1, 8, 9,.15, 16, 17, 18. 
Cyclone V: 3. 
Cyclone VI: 3, 5, 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18. 
The number of specimens in each sample varied from one to 31. They consisted of adults, 
nymphs of various stages, and several cast skins. The adult males of the three species are 
easily distinguishable by the structure of their external genitalia (HERRING, 1961); the females 
are more difficult to separate since the external genitalia are evidently not specifically modified. 
The nymphs are extremely diffcult to separate into species, not only because they differ from 
the adults in’ their colour pattern but also because they lack a11 the specific characters found 
in the adults. In this study, it was assumed that nymphs collected with adults of a single 
species belonged to the same species. The body length and width and the various leg segnients 
were measured for each instar. It was found that whereas the body length measurements 
were variable between specimens of the same instar, leg measurements, especially those of the 
femora of the middle leg, were rather constant. The mid-femoral length was therefore chosen 
for the separation of different instars of the same species. - Furthermore, it was found that for 
each instar the mid-femoral lengths differed from species to species. It was thus possible to 
separate nymphs of different species by measuring their mid-femur segments and comparing 
these with recorded lengths of known species. Sexes are not separable in the nymphs until 
they reach the fifth instar. At this stage the sexes cari be distinguished by the form of the 7th 
abdominal ventrite, which is divided in the female, but undivided in the male. 
Species 
H. sericeus 
H. germanus 
H. micans 
TABLE 1 
Numbers of different stages of Halobates spccies, listed by month of collection 
No. of Stages of Development 
Month Collections 1 II III IV V 
Sept. 66 1 0 0 1 2 0 
Nov. 66 4 0 0 0 10 9 
Sept. 66 6 0 0 1 5 11 
Nov. 66 4 0 0 1 2 8 
June 67 1 0 0 0 0 1 
Sept. 66 9 0 1 7 3 7 
Oct. 66 1 0 0 0 1 0 
Nov. 66 12 5 7 2 7 4 
Dec. 66 1 0 0 1 3 0 
June 67 7 0 2 8 3 9 
July 67 1 0 0 0 0 0 
Sept. 67 18 0 1 4 la 13 
6 
0 
7 
2 
a 
0 
,12 
0 
10 
0 
5 
1 
18 
C 
4 
16 
3 
5 
0 
21 
0 
15 
0 
5 
1 
33 
The data for insects of each instar and of each species are summarized in Table 1 and discussed 
separately below:- 
H. sericeus was collected only during September and November 1966 from five stations. 
Adults and nymphs (3rd-5th instars) were found in both. 
Cah. O.R.S.T.O.M., sér. Océanogr., vol. IX, no 4, 1971 : 513-516. 
516 L. CHENG 
H. germanus was collected from 11 stations, during September and November 1966, and 
June 1967. Al1 stages from 3rd instar to adult were found in September and November but 
in the June collection 1 found only one specimen, a 5th instar nymph. 
H. micans the commonest of the three species, was collected from 49 stations from September 
to December 1966, and in June, July and September 1967. A total of 222 specimens were 
collected including nymphs of a11 stages. Although 1st instar nymphs were found only in 
November, they may occur a11 the year around, as do the later instars (see Table 1). 
DISCUSSION 
As shown in fig. 1, the samples studied in this paper a11 came from a rather restricted area 
along 1700 E between 00 and 200 S. H. sericeus was collected only from south of 150 S and 
H. germanus mostly from south of 100 S, whereas H. micans seems to occur, mainly between 
the equator and 100 S. These zones are a11 within the ranges for these three species as presented 
by Savilov (1967), who indicated that H. micans occurs in warmer tropical waters than the 
other two species. 
Specimens of Halobates have been observed to feed on a11 sorts of floating organisms such as 
Physalia, Porpita and Vellela (HERRING, 1961; Shvrnov, 1968; etc.). Whether there are any 
differences in diet among the various species or from instar to instar we do not know. Herring 
(1961) found that captive specimens of the oceanic species of Halobutes fed readily on pieces 
of sea anemone but took no interest in land insects, which probably constitute the main food of 
coastal Halobates species. 
The life histories of oceanic Halobutes have not yet been studied, since no one has been 
successful in rearing any species under laboratory conditions. In Metrocoris tenuicornis, a 
related freshwater gerrid, the duration of each of the five nymphal stages was 5-10 days and the 
total period required for the development from the egg to the adult stage was about 60 days 
(CHENG, 1966). HERRING (1961) found that 56 days were required for the coastal species 
H. hawaiiensis. Undoubtedly this period is variable and depends on environmental factors 
such as temperature and food. The corresponding generation times of the oceanic species of 
Halobates are not known. We do not even know whether there is one or more than one generation 
per year. Some gerrid species in temperate countries have only one or two, but tropical species, 
which are able to reproduce a11 the year round, may have flve or six generations a year (CHENG, 
1966). From the data on H. micans in this study, it appears that nymphs are found at a11 
times of the year, although in September there was a much higher percentage of adults (over 
60 %) than in June (31 %), However, the number of samples collected during each month 
was not large enough for any flrm conclusions to be drawn. 
It is also interesting to note that, in H. micans, the sex ratio departed considerably from 
equality. Of this species 75 females but only 46 males were collected, giving a sex ratio of 1.6:1. 
A similar sex ratio (100 y:67 $) was reported by Miyamoto and Senta (1960) for H. micans in 
Japanese waters. This higher proportion of females in the population may be due to their 
prolonged longevity, permitting them to lay their full complement of eggs. Since normally 
eggs are laid only on floating abjects, and females may not encounter suitable substrates for egg 
laying until some days after egg maturation and mating, a prolonged adult female life would 
be important for the success of this species. 
Cah. O.R.S.T.O.M., sér. Océanogr., vol. IX, no 4, 1971 : 513-518. 
OCEAN-STRIDERS FROM MELANESIA 
160"E 17O"E NO"E 
20": 
517 
Fig. 1. - Distribution of Halobafes species (H. micans, H. germanus, H. sericeus) along 170 oE, collected during 
thc cruises tc Bora 8, 6: Saint-Vincent u and u Cyclone b, organised by O.R.S.T.O.M., centre de Nouméa, 
New Caledonia. 
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 
1 am very grateful to R. GRANDPERRIN, Centre O.R.S.T.O.M., Nouméa, New Caledonia, 
for sending the Halobates specimens and for providing information on collecting stations of 
various cruises, and the American Association of University Women for a post-doctoral fellowship. 
Cah. O.R.S.T.O.M., sér. Océanogr., vol. IX, no 4, 1971 : 513-518. 
i 
518 L. CHENG 
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IWRIMERIE A. Bûxraws, LIMOGES (FI<ANCE) - Dépàt légal : 2 trimestre 1972 


Ocean-striders from Melanesia (Hemiptera : Gerridae, Halobates spp.)

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