The life cycle of the Neotropical water strider Telmatometra withei in different salinity environments

Abstract

ABSTRACTTelmatometra withei (Bergroth, 1908) is a common water strider found across the Neotropics. Although, the taxonomy of T. withei is relatively well known, the specie’s life cycle has not been characterized. We use field surveys and laboratory experiments to describe the life cycle of two populations of T. withei in the Pacific coast of Panama. Specifically, we compared the life cycle between fresh and brackish water populations known to show local adaptation to each environment. We also contrast the life cycle of T. withei with that of other water striders previously reported in the literature. We found that the average life cycle of T. withei is approximately 66.7 days, and this period did not vary significantly between fresh (65.0 days) and brackish (68.3 days) populations. However, these estimates were longer than those reported for other species of water strides. In addition, traits associated with reproductive success such as egg length and fecundity varied significantly between populations, with females from freshwater populations showing larger values. This suggests that salinity can have important consequences for reproductive traits in T. withei, even if the overall life cycle may not be affected by salinity. Thus, characterizing the life history of these Neotropical organisms is crucial to understand the rich freshwater biodiversity of this region, as well as its response to both natural and anthropogenic disturbances.

Keywords

• Life history
• development time
• Gerridae
• macroinvertebrates
• telmatometra withei