| Hermatobates | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Illustration ofH. djiboutensis | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hemiptera |
| Suborder: | Heteroptera |
| Infraorder: | Gerromorpha |
| Superfamily: | Gerroidea |
| Family: | Hermatobatidae Poisson, 1965 |
| Genus: | Hermatobates Carpenter, 1892 |
| Type species | |
| Hermatobates haddoni Carpenter, 1892 | |
Hermatobates is a genus of wingless marine bugs placed as the sole genus in the familyHermatobatidae that are sometimes known as coral-treaders. They are quite rare and known only from coral reefs in the Indo-Pacific region. During low tide, they move over the water surface not unlike the more familiar water-striders around coral atolls and reefs and stay submerged in reef crevices during high tide.
The genus was described by the amateur entomologist Rev. George Carpenter in 1892 on the basis of a single specimen obtained fromMabuiag Island in the Torres Straits byAlfred Cort Haddon. The species was described asH. haddoni. The species are very rare and difficult to observe in life. Most subsequent specimens in the genus have been captured usingneuston drag nets, sometimes with artificial lights at night. They are differentiated from the striders in theGerridae by the presence of three tarsal segments on all the legs and with pre-apical claws only on the fore-tarsi. The pronotum is short while the meso- and metanotum are fused.[1][2]
At least 13 species are known:[3]