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Transactions on Engineering and Computing Sciences - Vol. 11, No. 2
Publication Date: April 25, 2023
DOI:10.14738/tecs.112.14120.
Shabbir, R., Ijaz, A., Khalid, A., Rafiq, K., Shahbaz, M., Asghar, A., & Hafeez, B. (2023). Water Strider Fauna and its Phylogenetic
Relationship in Tehsil Wazirabad. Transactions on Engineering and Computing Sciences, 11(2). 1-15.
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
Water Strider Fauna and its Phylogenetic Relationship in Tehsil
Wazirabad
Rabia Shabbir
Department of Zoology, University of Sialkot
Ayesha Ijaz
Department of Zoology, University of Sialkot
Adeel Khalid
Department of Zoology, University of Sialkot
Khuram Rafique
Department of Mathematics, university of Sialkot 51040, Sialkot Pakistan
Muhammad Shahbaz
Department of Zoology, University of Sialkot
Asma Asghar
Department of Zoology, University of Sialkot
Burhan Hafeez
Department of Biology, Government Islamia High School Sambrial
ABSTRACT
This examination is intended to investigate the water strider fauna and their
phylogenetic relationship in Tehsil Wazirabad, Punjab, Pakistan. Being a
decent predator of mosquitoes and successful bioindicator of substantial
metal contamination it assumes the imperative job to keep up the
manageability of the biological system. The examples of water strider bug
were gathered from different oceanic locales during summer and spring
from 2018-2019 in Wazirabad City. The type of water strider that was
distinguished during this exploration is Aquarius adelaidis (Zettel) having a
place with distinct genera Aquarius of the family Gerridae. It likewise
uncovered that Aquarius adelaidis disengaged from Wazirabad area has
homology a with arrangement of water strider detailed from Cyprus island
situated in the north-eastern piece of the Eastern Mediterranean. The
arrangement examination found that cytochrome c oxidase subunit I is
profoundly monitored locale inside all Aquarius species around the world,
and is less inclined to varieties and transformations. Aquarius adelaidis is
increasingly bountiful with 58.2% of complete assortment.
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Transactions on Engineering and Computing Sciences (TECS) Vol 11, Issue 2, April - 2023
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
INTRODUCTION
Water Striders for the most part related with request Hemiptera (Stys and Kerzhner, 1975),
that includes around 2000 species from all the tropical, subtropical and calm areas of world
(Polhemus and Polhemus, 2008). They are genuine bugs and can skate on water surface and
belimp on still and streaming water bodies (Andersen, 1982). Various types of water strider
have different territories like lakes, lakes, streams, tree trunks and bamboo internodes
(Polhemus and Polhemus, 1991). A lot of water strider species happens in marine environment
like mangroves and estuaries (Andersen, 1991) and some of them are living in open seas to turn
out to be full pelagic (Damgaard et al., 2000a; Andersen and Weir, 2004a).
Acknowledgment of eigth groups of Gerromorpha happened for example Mesoveliidae (water
treaders), Hebridae (velvet water bugs), Hydrometridae (swamp treaders or water measures),
Hermatobatidae (coral treaders), Veliidae (expansive bore water striders, riffle bugs, water
crickets), Gerridae (water striders, lake skaters) and Paraphrynoveliidae and Macroveliidae
with no common names of last two families (Polhemus and Polhemus, 1991). There is
distinctive measure of species that lie in these families like there are just two species in
Paraphrynoveliidae, three species in Macrovelidae, nine in Hermatobatidae, one-thirty in
Hydrometridae, two-twenty in Hebridae, 700 ten in Gerridae and 900 in Veliidae that both are
assorted families (Polhemus and Polhemus, 2008).
Cytochrome Oxidase C subunit I (COI) that encoded mitochondrial quality is the most bountiful
utilized hereditary marker that is utilized to distinguish the interspecific and intraspecific
phylogenetic connections in water strider (Caterino et al., 2000). COI is fundamentally used to
recognize the connections in the taxa of water strider, for example, Halobates (Damgaard et al.,
2000a; Andersen et al., 2000) and Potamobates (Galacatos et al., 2000). These genera identified
with gathering of monophyletic species and they are tried with DNA arrangement information
consistently (Damgaard, 2005; 2008).
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The aim of this study is to explore the diversity and phylogenetic association of water striders
in various aqauatic habitats in Wazirabad City. This study was conducted in 2018-2019 from
Tehsil Wazirabad, District Gujranwala in the Department of Zoology, University of Gujrat.
Sampling Sites
Sampling was done at various water bodies in Tehsil Wazirabad, District Gujranwala. The water
bodies that are pointed out for sampling was Nala Aik, Nala Palkho, Gammon Lake, Chenab
River and Head khanki. Sampling was done on weekly basis and fortnightly. The most suitable
and favourable time for sampling was spring and summer season. A map showing all the
sampling sites in Wazirabad City, Punjab, Pakistan in order to collect the insects from these
pointed aquatic areas.
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Shabbir, R., Ijaz, A., Khalid, A., Rafiq, K., Shahbaz, M., Asghar, A., & Hafeez, B. (2023). Water Strider Fauna and its Phylogenetic Relationship in Tehsil
Wazirabad. Transactions on Engineering and Computing Sciences, 11(2). 1-15.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/tecs.112.14120
Figure - 3.1: Selected Localities of Wazirabad
Sampling Method
The sampling sites were visited at regular intervals on weekly basis and fortnightly. The water
striders were collected with the aid of sweep nets and aquatic nets. The humidity and
temperature of the air will be observed will a hygrometer along with the temperature of water
with a thermometer.
Figure - 3.2: Collection of Specimens at Different Sites