[초청강연] DIVERSITY, DISTRIBUTION, AND BIOLOGY OF NEOTROPICAL SEMIAQUATIC HETEROPTERA (INSECTA: HEMIPTERA)

[행동생태연구실 학부세미나]
Heteroptera (Insecta: Hemiptera) constitutes a very interesting and worldwide distributed group of insects, which is more diversified in tropical zones. Most of the species is terrestrial, but numerous others are aquatic or semiaquatic. Out of the seven infraorders of the suborder, the true aquatic bugs (most of which live in the water) constitute the Nepomorpha, and the mainly semiaquatic species constitute the Gerromorpha (water striders) and Leptopodomorpha (shore bugs). Water bugs in general play an important role in freshwater ecosystems, and knowledge about them is essential for the study of water biology and the proper management of aquatic habitats. Gerromorpha comprises more than 2,100 species distributed all over the World’s continents, except for Antarctica. The Neotropical fauna is relatively well known and includes more than 500 species and 45 genera, representing about 24 and 29% of the global specific and generic diversities. In this talk, the diversity of Neotropical Gerromorpha will be presented, including aspects of morphology, geographic distribution, behavior, and habitats. This is intended to be an introduction to the representatives of the infraorder recorded from the Neotropics and their most interesting features.