First general inventory of the terrestrial Heteroptera fauna and its specificity on the oceanic island of Reunion

Abstract

SummaryThis first general inventory of Reunion’s terrestrial Heteroptera was built in two steps. First, current knowledge was assessed and 108 species were reported as present in Reunion. Secondly, a morpho-species based identification method allowed the compilation of an overview of the actual diversity of the terrestrial Heteroptera fauna on Reunion including undescribed species and an estimate of the proportion in the different families. Over a period of eight years this method allowed a general approach at a community level over most of the island. Sampling took into account the large diversity of Reunion’s vegetation and unique habitats. The analysis found 144 morpho-species and 15 species, and new identifications of one suborder, one family, two subfamilies, four tribes and 10 genera indicating a minimum of 18 new species. Based on current knowledge and the new identified taxa, a minimum of 126 species in 25 families are present on Reunion. Specifically, Reunion’s terrestrial Heteroptera fauna is characterized by a very large proportion of Anthocoridae and Rhyparochromidae, a large proportion of Alydidae and a small proportion of Pentatomoidea. This article also reports the large number of undescribed species in Reunion, while previous studies led to the description of 11 endemic species of Reduviidae, Aradidae, Cydnidae, Tingidae, Largidae and Anthocoridae. Finally, a voucher collection (i.e. a reference set of morpho-species) has been assembled as stepping stones to a better understanding of the undescribed part of the Reunion’s terrestrial Heteroptera fauna.