Water-striders
Guides
Halobates
sea skaters, ocean striders
Halobates is a genus of marine water striders comprising over 40 species, representing the only insects known to inhabit the open ocean surface. Five species are truly pelagic, living far from land on calm tropical and subtropical seas, while most species occupy sheltered coastal marine habitats. These insects possess specialized adaptations for life on the high seas, including hydrofuge body hairs, reduced or absent wings, and modified middle legs that function as paddles for propulsion. They are predators that feed on organisms trapped in the sea surface microlayer, and their unique ecology makes them significant components of the neustonic community.
Rhagovelia
smaller water striders, riffle bugs
Rhagovelia is a large genus of small aquatic bugs in the family Veliidae, with over 390 described species. Members are distinguished by a swimming fan on the distal tarsomere of the middle leg, an adaptation that enables rapid maneuvering on water surfaces. The genus has colonized lotic freshwater systems and coastal marine environments across the Americas, with additional species in Africa, Asia, and Oceania. Evolutionary origins trace to gene duplications ('geisha' and 'mother-of-geisha') that created this propelling fan structure, allowing exploitation of faster-flowing and more turbulent streams than relatives lacking this adaptation.