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Halobates in Hawaii (Hemiptera). 
Be. els BRYAN jak: 
(Presented at the meeting of May 4, 1922.) 
The only insects to defy the terrors of Neptune living about 
Hawaii, or, with a few exceptions, to be found anywhere in the 
world, belong to the genus Halobates. These pelagic Heterop- 
tera belong to the family Hydrometridae or water striders, and 
are characterized by a pubescent oval body; triangular head; 
four-jointed antennae; short, stout front legs; long, slender 
middle and hind-legs, which are inserted at the sides of the 
posterior end of the thorax; a very small abdomen, and an 
entire absence of wings. 
Of the fifteen or more species of Halobates known, eleven 
are carefully described and figured in an excellent monograph 
by F. Buchanan White, in the Report of the Voyage of H. M. S. 
Challenger, Zoology, Vol. VII, pt. 19, pp. 1-82, with three 
plates. Using this, Dr. Illingworth and I were able to deter- 
mine the identity of the specimens in the Bishop Museum 
collection. 
Halobates wiillerstorfi Frauenfeld was brought back from 
Palmyra in July, 1913, as recorded by Mr. Swezey (Proc. Haw. 
Ent socs lll (p: 16,1913). “This species is comnion tothe 
North and South Atlantic, Indian, and Western Pacific Oceans, 
but was apparently unknown previously from the East Pacific. 
Halobates sericeus Eschscholtz is the common species cap- 
tured at Waikiki, especially after Kona storms. It has been 
recorded by Osborn and Pemberton in these proceedings, Vols. 
III and IV. It has also been taken by Dr. C. M. Cooke, Jr., 
at Malaekahana, near Kahuku, Oahu, October 31, 1915; by 
G. P. Wilder at sea between Maui and Kahoolawe, October, 
1913; and by Mr. Greenly and others at Waikiki beach, 1914 
to date. F. B. White records that, next to H. wiillerstorffi, it 
is the most abundant species, but almost confined to the North 
Pacific Ocean. The bulk of the Challenger specimens were from 
stations “from Japan to Honolulu.” 
Dr. Sharp (Cambridge Natural History, Insects, Pt. II) states 
Proce. Haw. Ent. Soc., V, No. 2, September, 1923. 
