| Gerromorpha | |
|---|---|
| Hygrotechuis conformis (Gerroidea: Gerridae) feeding on a drowned hymenopteran. Photo from entomart.be |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hemiptera |
| Suborder: | Heteroptera |
| Infraorder: | Gerromorpha Popov, 1971 [1] |
| Superfamilies | |
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Gerroidea |
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Gerromorpha is an infraorder of insects in the "true bug" order Hemiptera. These "typical" bugs (suborder Heteroptera) are commonly called semiaquatic bugs or shore-inhabiting bugs. The Ochteroidea of the true water bugs (infraorder Nepomorpha, a far more advanced lineage[2]) are also found in shore habitat, while Gerromorpha are actually most often encountered running around on the water surface, being kept from sinking by surface tension and their water-repellent legs. Well-known members of the Gerromorpha are the namesake Gerridae (water striders).
The 8 family families that are usually recognized are arranged in 4 superfamilies. The 2 small or monotypic ones of these are basal lineages, the two larger ones form a more advanced clade. The phylogenetic sequence of superfamilies and families of Gerromorpha is:[3]