Annotated checklist of water scavenger beetles (Coleoptera: Polyphaga: Hydrophilidae) of Morocco

Abstract

A checklist of water scavenger beetles from Morocco and their distribution in the country and North Africa is presented. It is based on (1) an exhaustive review of the literature (time span: 1914–2018); (2) more than 3150 individuals collected during extensive campaigns (2003–2018); and (3) an intensive revision of private collections. We found 52 species belonging to 14 genera and five subfamilies. Paracymus relaxus Rey, 1884 is reported for the first time from Morocco. Four species were excluded from the country’s fauna. A chorological analysis showed that most species found are essentially Mediterranean (48%) and Palaearctic (31%) elements. The subcosmopolitan elements and those whose distribution extends beyond the Palaearctic Region, in the Nearctic or Afrotropical Region, are less represented (21%). Most endemics are halophiles, pointing to the importance of the conservation of saline ecosystems.