AUSTRALIAN WATER STRIDERS OF THE SUBFAMILIES TREPOBATINAE AND RHAGADOTARSINAE (HEMIPTERA, GERRIDAE)

The Australian fauna of water striders (Hemiptera, Gerridae) is quite diverse, comprising 12 genera and 36 species representing four of the eight extant subfamilies currently classified in the family Gerridae. Water striders are common inhabitants of the surface film of both fres hwater and marine habitats. The present work deals with water striders belonging to the subfamilies Trepobatinae and Rhagadotarsinae, redesc ribing the seven species previously known from Australia: Rheumatometr a philarete Kirkaldy, Calyptobates jourama Polhemus & Polhemus, C. rub idus Polhemus & Polhemus, C. minimus Polhemus & Polhemus, Stenobates a ustralicus Polhemus & Polhemus, Rheumatometroides carpentaria (Polhemu s & Polhemus), Rhagadotarsus anomalus Polhemus & Karunaratne, and desc ribing Rheumatometra dimorpha, sp, nov. from Queensland, New South Wal es and Victoria. Keys to subfamilies of Gerridae represented in Austra lia and keys to genera and species of Australian Trepobatinae and Rhag adotarsinae are provided and the distributions of all species are mapp ed.