Fossil water striders in the Oligocene/Miocene Dominican amber (Hemiptera : Gerromorpha)

Most water striders and other semiaquatic bugs (Hemiptera, Gerromorpha) liv e on the surface film of freshwater Adults are often flightless and are the refore not prone to be caught in resin exuded by trees on land and subseque ntly preserved as amber inclusions. Nevertheless, a small number of gerromo rpha bugs have so far been reported from amber. The present paper reports o n six species of Gerromorpha in the Oligocene/Miocene Dominican amber, desc ribing Brachymetroides atra gen. et sp. n. (Gerridae: Charmatometrinae), Mi crovelia grimaldii sp.n. and M. electra sp.n. (Veliidae: Microveliinae) and redescribing Electrobates spinipes Andersen & Poinar (Gerridae: Electrobat inae), Microvelia polhemi Andersen (Veliidae: Microveliinae), and Halovelia electrodominica Andersen & Poinar (Veliidae: Haloveliinae). Finally, the p hylogenetic, palaeobiological, and biogeographic significance of these ambe r fossils are discussed.