Checklist of water bugs (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Nepomorpha, Gerromorpha) of Slovakia.

BARBORA REDUCIENDO KLEMENTOVÁ,PETR KMENT,MAREK SVITOK

doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4058.2.5

BARBORA REDUCIENDO KLEMENTOVÁ, PETR KMENT + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4058.2.5

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Abstract

The water bugs represent a significant component of the freshwater biota, play an important role in trophic webs, and may have considerable economic importance. Nevertheless, systematic research of this group has been underdeveloped in Slovakia (central Europe) for decades. This work presents a list of water bug species of Slovakia based on an exhaustive review of the literature (time span: 1808-2013) and on more than 14,000 individuals collected during extensive field campaigns (2010-2014) or obtained from insect collections. Fifty-six species belonging to 11 families of Heteroptera were recorded from a total of 767 sites. Seven species were recorded for the first time from Slovakia during our research. Among those, the first exact records of Corixa panzeri Fieber, 1848, Sigara (Subsigara) distincta (Fieber, 1848), Notonecta (Notonecta) lutea Müller, 1776, Notonecta (Notonecta) maculata Fabricius, 1794 and Microvelia (Microvelia) buenoi Drake, 1920 are provided here. Confusion concerning the records of two additional species, Arctocorisa carinata carinata (C. R. Sahlberg, 1819) and Hesperocorixa parallela (Fieber, 1860) is clarified. The water bugs species inventory appears to be nearly complete (~97 %) given an asymptotic richness estimate. The occurrence of other species is discussed taking into account their habitat requirements and distribution in neighbouring countries. Recommendations for future research are provided.

Highlights

The aquatic and semi-aquatic Heteroptera represent a significant component of the world’s aquatic insect biota
We recorded the occurrence of water bugs at 767 sites in Slovakia, with information obtained from unpublished sources (511 sites) and derived from the literature (256 sites)
Unpublished data were supplemented by a literature review of every publication related to water bugs of Slovakia, which revealed 50 species

Summary

Introduction

The aquatic and semi-aquatic Heteroptera (water bugs) represent a significant component of the world’s aquatic insect biota. Most of the approximately 4800 known species belong to the infraorders Gerromorpha and Nepomorpha, and 623 species of these were recently catalogued in the Palaearctic Region (including China) (Polhemus et al 1995; Andersen 1995; Aukema et al 2013) These two infraorders differ in ecology and habitat preferences. True water bugs (Nepomorpha) are nectonic (e.g., Corixidae, Micronectidae, Naucoridae, Notonectidae, Pleidae) or benthic species (e.g., Nepidae, Aphelocheiridae), with the exception of ripicolous Ochteridae and Gelastocoridae, whereas semi-aquatic bugs (Gerromorpha) are pleustonic or settled in sub-humid terrestrial habitats (e.g., Gerridae, Hebridae, Hydrometridae, Mesoveliidae, Veliidae) (Polhemus et al 1992). In Slovakia (central Europe) systematic research of water bugs has been underdeveloped for decades and the group has received far less attention than in neighbouring countries (e.g., Poland—Jaczewski & Wróblewski 1976, 1978; Wróblewski 1980; Austria—Rabitsch 2005a; Czech Republic—Kment & Smékal 2002; Hungary—Boda et al 2015)

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