How can some aquatic heteropterans survive in polluted water with little dissolved oxygen?

Aquatic heteropterans survive in polluted or oxygen-poor water primarily by utilizing atmospheric air rather than relying on dissolved oxygen. Many swimming families, such as water boatmen and backswimmers, carry air supplies stored in chambers formed against their bodies by folded wings or trapped by dense hairs. Because these insects are independent of dissolved oxygen, they can thrive in environments where oxygen levels are extremely low.1

Additionally, some species employ specialized respiratory strategies:

• Air Siphons: Water scorpions remain just below the surface, using a slender, caudal breathing siphon to access atmospheric air.1
• Plastron Respiration: Certain creeping water bugs (family Naucoridae) utilize a plastron—a thin, permanent layer of air held against the body by hydrofuge hairs. This structure allows for the sustained absorption of dissolved oxygen from the water, provided the water is sufficiently oxygenated.23
• Internal Stores: Some insects, such as Buenoa, possess hemoglobin-filled cells that act as an internal oxygen store, allowing them to remain submerged in oxygen-poor zones for extended periods.2