Two lightly colored individuals of Aquarius paludum were sampled in the Danube Delta, Romania, inhabiting heavily shaded shore habitats. Their coloration is clearly outside the normal chromatic variation of the species and raises the problem of the existence of albinism in water striders. The mechanism is probably a result of the low quantity of solar radiation in the preferred habitats, and the absence of coloring pigments might be an advantage in creating faster, more competitive individuals.
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1 January 2015
An Albino Water Strider (Hemiptera: Gerridae) from the Danube Delta
Horea Olosutean
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Entomological News
Vol. 124 • No. 4
January 2015
Vol. 124 • No. 4
January 2015
Albinism
Aquarius paludum
Danube Delta
Gerridae
Heteroptera