FROM SHORE TO SEA: DIVERSITY, EVOLUTION, AND RESILIENCE OF HALOBATES ESCHSCHOLTZ, 1822 (HEMIPTERA: GERRIDAE)

Abstract

Gerromorpha are insect species that spend their entire life-cycle on the air-water interface. Within this lineage, the sea skater, Halobates, is unique as the genus is marine, and five species have evolved to be completely oceanic. Sea skaters must overcome a multitude of physical, biological, and physiological constraints. Adaptations include dense and elaborate body hair layers that trap air to keep them from drowning when accidentally submerged. However, no study has attempted to characterise the molecular basis of these evolutionary adaptations. My thesis improves the barcoding approach for studying sea skater diversity, reconstructed the evolutionary history of the lineage, and examined the underlying genomic adaptations to life on the sea surface. My research clarifies the evolution of Halobates and fills the gaps in genomic resources for aquatic insects, which are currently underrepresented in public repositories.