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The present study is on the morphology and molecular data of the genus Dineutus MacLeay, were collected from the Eastern Ghats mountains in Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu states located in the eastern Ghats of India. The morphological identification was based on elytral spines, setation on paramere and structure of the median lobe. Molecular characterization was based on the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) and 16s ribosomal RNA gene. Species identified as being D. indicus, D. spinosus, and D. unidentatus. Phylogenetic trees were constructed for both genes, and the COI fragment shows raw genetic distance between 10–12% among the three species of D. indicus, D. spinosus and D. unidentatus, whereas 16s gene shows a divergence of 4–5%. The present study contributes five novel mitochondrial COI and five ribosomal RNA sequences for D. spinosus and D. unidentatus for the first time from India.

Aim: Although Antarctica hosted a diverse fauna and flora in the past, its modern climate is too extreme for many lineages: their recent extinction makes it difficult to include the continent in historical biogeographical analyses. We use southern temperate stream‐inhabiting beetles as a model to explore whether Antarctica may be included in historical biogeographic reconstructions in a group absent from Antarctica today, and to test its role in shaping the current distribution of stream‐inhabiting insects. Taxon: Coleoptera, Elmidae. Location: Southern Hemisphere temperate regions and Antarctica. Methods: We included Antarctica in historical biogeographic analyses indirectly, as a component of distance matrices specifying the relative positions of continents, or by specifying Antarctica as a stepping‐stone between remaining continents (in LEMAD). We used a newly constructed dated phylogeny of Elmidae to test the performance of these constrained analyses under different parameter settings and geographical scenarios. Results: Antarctica can be implemented into historical biogeographic analyses via indirect constraints to produce biologically relevant reconstructions when long‐distance dispersal events are highly penalized, the maximum number of areas per species is low, and expected extinction rates are high (in LEMAD). Unconstrained models, including those without Antarctica, result in simpler scenarios with fewer biogeographic events and better fit to data. The origin of austral clades of Elmidae post‐date the separation of Gondwanan landmasses. Main Conclusions: Antarctica can be included in historical biogeographic reconstructions under a priori assumptions that (1) it was part of the ancient biogeography of the clade, (2) the taxon has limited dispersal ability, making long‐distance dispersal highly unlikely and (3) maximum range size is limited. These assumptions may be biologically justified for many animal groups. Over‐water dispersal has been crucial in shaping the modern distribution of austral stream‐inhabiting beetles, likely facilitated by ocean currents and dispersal through Antarctica until the Oligocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New Belgian records of Heterocerus fossor Kiesenwetter, 1843 (Coleoptera, Heteroceridae) are provided. The species was previously known from a single record and had not been recorded from Belgium for 75 years. This discovery emerged as a part of the ongoing efforts to compile a comprehensive catalogue of Belgian water beetles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary and secondary chaetotaxy of the larval head capsule and head appendages of five New World species of Enochrus Thomson are described for the first time. These species belong to three subgenera: Enochrus (Hugoscottia) tremolerasi (Knisch), E. (Lumetus) hamiltoni (Horn), E. (Methydrus) barituensis Fernández, E. (Methydrus) ochraceus (Melsheimer) and E. (Methydrus) pygmaeus (Fabricius). Morphometric characters derived from the head capsule and mouthparts are also included, together with detailed illustrations of all characters. A comparative study of the chaetotaxy of four subgenera of Enochrus yields an important number of characters useful to diagnose the larvae of these subgenera, and could be used in future phylogenetic analyses. Several characters showing variation within a subgenus are discussed; additionally, possible diagnostic characters for Enochrus and the subfamily Enochrinae are discussed. The chaetotaxy of two subgenera, Enochrus Thomson and Hydatotrephis MacLeay, still remains unknown, and should be a priority to complete the larval knowledge of the genus Enochrus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molecular data for 19 specimens of Elmis syriaca syriaca and E. s. zoufali from eight countries have been analysed in order to investigate the taxonomic status and the geographical distribution of these two subspecies. The nominative subspecies was previously thought to be endemic to the Levant (Israel, Lebanon, Syria), while E. s. zoufali was regarded as being widespread from the Balkans to eastern Anatolia and Afghanistan. The results of our molecular studies using DNA barcoding and nuclear DNA data reveal that the two taxa are in fact distinct species, which separated around 2 Mya. A distinction based on the external morphological characters of 354 specimens was found to be impossible due to the pronounced variability, especially of the pronotal microsculpture, which had hitherto been used as the main distinguishing feature. The two species can only be distinguished by the aedeagal parameres and by the geographical distribution, which deviates considerably from the concept of previous authors. Elmis zoufali is distributed in Romania, the Balkan Peninsula, some Aegean Islands and in western Anatolia, while E. syriaca occurs from the Caucasus region southwards to eastern Turkey, Iran (probably also Afghanistan) and the Levant. Geographically, both species are widely separated by the so-called Anatolian Diagonal. Elmis zoufali resp. E. syriaca are recorded for the first time from Croatia, Romania, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran and Turkey. In addition, we examined 13 specimens tentatively identified as Elmis quadricollis (Reitter, 1887), a closely related species from Central Asia; we sequenced one specimen from China, which was revealed to be a sister to E. zoufali and E. syriaca. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building a reasonable model for predicting biodiversity using limited data is challenging. Expanding limited experimental data using a variational autoencoder generative adversarial network (VAEGAN) to improve biodiversity predictions for a region is a new strategy. Aquatic beetle diversity in a large >30-year-old artificial pool that had not had human interference in Nanshe Village (Dapeng Peninsula, Shenzhen City, Guangdong Province, China) was investigated. Eight ecological factors were considered. These were water temperature, salinity, pH, water depth, proportional area of aquatic plants, proportional area of submerged plants, water area, and water level. Field sampling was performed for 1 or 2 days in the middle or late part of each month for a year. A type D net was swept 10 times in the same direction in each ~1 m × ~1 m sample square, generating 132 datasets (experimental data). In total, 39 aquatic beetle species were collected, 19 of which were assigned to Hydrophilidae, 16 to Dytiscidae, 3 to Noteridae, and 1 to Gyrinidae. A one-dimensional convolutional neural network (1-D CNN) was used to assess and predict the grade of the number of individuals and the number of aquatic beetle species. The Bayesian-optimized 1-D CNN established using 112 experimental datasets as the training set and the other 20 datasets as validation and testing sets gave a 74.0% prediction accuracy for the grade of the number of individuals and a 70.0% prediction accuracy for the number of species. The impact of insufficient sample data on the model was assessed using a VAEGAN to expand the training set from 112 to 512 samples, and then the Bayesian-optimized 1-D CNN-based VAEGAN prediction model was re-established. This improved prediction accuracy for the grade of the number of individuals to 86.0% and for the number of species to 85.0%. The grade of the number of individuals' prediction accuracy was 88.0% and the number of species' prediction accuracy was 85.0% when the random effects of only obtaining a single individual of a species were excluded. The results indicated that the accuracy of the 1-D CNN in predicting the aquatic beetle species number and abundance from relevant environmental factors can be improved using a VAEGAN to expand the experimental data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The water scavenger beetle genus Novochares Girón & Short, 2021 is revised using a combination of adult morphological and DNA sequence data. Thirty-eight new species are described: Novochares aperito sp. nov. (Bolivia), N. baca sp. nov. (Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, Suriname), N. bidens sp. nov. (Brazil), N. bisinuatus sp. nov. (Brazil), N. clavieri sp. nov. (Brazil, French Guiana, Peru), N. danta sp. nov. (Venezuela), N. dentatus sp. nov. (Ecuador, Venezuela), N. dicranospathus sp. nov. (Peru), N. duo sp. nov. (Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela), N. fernandezae sp. nov. (Brazil, Peru, Venezuela), N. florifer sp. nov. (Brazil), N. furcatus sp. nov. (Brazil), N. garciai sp. nov. (Venezuela), N. garfo sp. nov. (Brazil), N. geminus sp. nov. (Brazil), N. kawsay sp. nov. (Ecuador, Peru), N. latus sp. nov. (Brazil), N. minor sp. nov. (Peru, Suriname, Venezuela), N. mojenos sp. nov. (Bolivia), N. mura sp. nov. (Brazil), N. orchis sp. nov. (Brazil, French Guiana, Suriname), N. pastinum sp. nov. (Ecuador), N. pertusus sp. nov. (Brazil), N. piaroa sp. nov. (Venezuela), N. pilatus sp. nov. (Venezuela), N. pumesp. nov. (Venezuela), N. punctatostriatussp. nov. (Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname), N. quadrispinus sp. nov. (Brazil, Guyana, Suriname), N. spangleri sp. nov. (Peru), N. tambopatense sp. nov. (Peru), N. tenedor sp. nov. (Guyana, Venezuela), N. triangularis sp. nov. (Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay), N. tridentis sp. nov. (Brazil), N. trifurcatus sp. nov. (Peru), N. unguis sp. nov. (Bolivia, Peru), N. xingu sp. nov. (Brazil), and N. yanomami sp. nov. (Venezuela), N. yora sp. nov. (Peru). One new synonym is proposed: N. carmona (Short, 2005) syn. nov. was determined to be a junior subjective synonym of N. chaquensis (Fernández, 1982). Novochares inornatus (d’Orchymont, 1926) is considered incertae sedis. Updated distributions and new records are provided for most previously described species in the genus. Novochares sallaei (Sharp, 1882) is considered native to the USA (Florida) and not an introduced species as previously suggested. Novochares now contains 52 species and spans the entire Neotropical region from Mexico to Argentina, including the Caribbean islands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The larval morphology of Crephelochares Kuwert, 1890 and Peltochares Régimbart, 1907 is described in detail based on specimens of C. abnormalis (Sharp, 1890) and P. atropiceus (Régimbart, 1903) collected in Taiwan; the chaetotaxy of the head capsule and head appendages of both genera is described for the first time. Larvae were obtained by laboratory rearing and field collecting; field collected larvae were identified by morphological comparison with those reared in the laboratory. Larval morphology of C. abnormalis corresponds with that of C. nitescens (Fauvel, 1883) except for the serrate margin of the nasale in C. abnormalis. We confirm that Crephelochares does not construct the usual egg case, and report active behaviour of its larvae, possibly indicating they are not ambush predators. Larval morphology of P. atropiceus corresponds with that of P. foveicollis; on the other hand, we conclude that the larvae previously described as Peltochares from Madagascar belong to Tritonus Mulsant, 1844 of the tribe Laccobiini. The egg-carrying behaviour of Peltochares is confirmed. We briefly summarize the state of the knowledge of immature stages of the Acidocerinae, indicating that a special effort in discovering and describing immature stages from northern South America and Brazil is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study is on the morphology and molecular data of the genus Dineutus MacLeay, were collected from the Eastern Ghats mountains in Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu states located in the eastern Ghats of India. The morphological identification was based on elytral spines, setation on paramere and structure of the median lobe. Molecular characterization was based on the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) and 16s ribosomal RNA gene. Species identified as being D. indicus, D. spinosus, and D. unidentatus. Phylogenetic trees were constructed for both genes, and the COI fragment shows raw genetic distance between 10-12% among the three species of D. indicus, D. spinosus and D. unidentatus, whereas 16s gene shows a divergence of 4-5%. The present study contributes five novel mitochondrial COI and five ribosomal RNA sequences for D. spinosus and D. unidentatus for the first time from India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Japanese members of Haliplidae were reviewed and 13 species in two genera are recognized. A new species, Haliplus morii sp. nov. is described from Honshu; it is similar to Haliplus japonicus Sharp, 1873, but belongs to a different subgenus. Haliplus diruptus J. Balfour-Browne, 1946, syn. nov. is treated as a junior synonym of Haliplus kotoshonis Kano & Kamiya, 1931. The records of Haliplus davidi Vondel, 1991 from Japan are regarded as misidentifications of H. kotoshonis. Haliplus basinotatus latiusculus Nakane, 1985, syn. nov. is treated as a junior synonym of H. basinotatus. Haliplus angustifrons Re'gimbart, 1892 known from south and southeast Asia, is newly recorded from Japan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mediterranean temporary rivers maintain a high biodiversity, although they support a significant anthropic influence. The community of aquatic Coleoptera and Hemiptera of the Arevalillo River (N Ávila province), a temporary river in the centre of the Iberian Peninsula, with a section previously restored. This restauration consisted in the reforestation of the riverside and the recovery of pools in the riverbed to ensure the maintenance of the water. The aim is to determine the composition of the aquatic Coleoptera and Hemiptera community, its seasonal variation and the differences between two sections with similar characteristics, restored and non-restored, on these groups of aquatic insects. 53 species of Coleoptera and 17 of Hemiptera were identified, most of them with a wide geographical distribution, although 21 new records were made for the province of Ávila. The richness of Coleoptera and Hemiptera doesn't show significant differences between the two studied stations, but they are indeed observed for the benthic macroinvertebrate community as a whole. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Chilean water penny genus Tychepsephus Waterhouse, 1876 is revised, with descriptions and photographic illustrations of life stages including two larval morphotypes, the pupa of one morphotype, and adults of two species. The pupa of Tychepsephus has not been reported previously. Tychepsephus cekalovici sp. nov. is described, and Ectopria (Chilectopria) grandis Pic, 1947, syn. nov. is proposed as a new synonym of Tychepsephus felix Waterhouse, 1876, which is redescribed. Taxonomic treatment of the adults of both species includes images of the habitus of males and females, morphological variation, and male and female genitalia. Males and females are sexually dimorphic. Information on the habitat of Tychepsephus is provided and illustrated with photographs, and the known geographic distribution of the two species is mapped. The occurrence of Tychepsephus in Argentina is reported; therefore, the genus no longer can be considered endemic to Chile. The taxonomic status and geographic distribution in South America of other species of Psephenidae, particularly members of the subfamily Eubriinae, is reviewed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two species of water beetles were rediscovered since the 1950s: Heterocerus fusculus Kiesenwetter, 1843 (Coleoptera, Heteroceridae) and Ochthebius pusillus Stephens, 1835 (Coleoptera, Hydraenidae). This discovery emerged as a part of the ongoing efforts to compile a comprehensive catalogue of Belgian water beetles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aquatic beetles of the Elmidae family are widely used in the hydrobiological monitoring of lotic ecosystems. In this work, samples belonging to 22 municipalities and 38 bodies of water in the department of Antioquia were reviewed, which were collected using a triangular or surber network. The species Cylloepus francescae, C. whitemanae, Macrelmis clypeata, M. elicioi and Disersus longipennis are recorded for the first time in Colombia. This information contributes to the updating of the number of species and geographical distribution of the family Elmidae in Colombia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes Leptelmis kodadai sp. n., the first species of Leptelmis discovered from the Philippines in the last 50 years. Previously, Leptelmis Sharp, 1888 was represented in the Philippines with only one species, namely L. tawitawiensis Delève, 1973 documented from Tawi-Tawi, the southwestern tip of the country. Due to habitus and genital differences with L. tawitawiensis, L. kodadai sp. n. collected from Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, and Bukidnon from the island of Mindanao was deemed new to science. Additionally, using the generated COI-3ʹ gene sequences, the intraspecific distance of the L. kodadai sp. n. specimens was determined to be 0.72%. This paper generates the first barcodes of Philippine Leptelmis and provides an updated checklist for Southeast Asian species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fish are known to pose strong effects on invertebrate abundance, species richness and assemblage structure. Littoral vegetation may play a crucial role as a refuge for invertebrates vulnerable to fish predation. We studied relative densities and taxonomic composition of water mites, aquatic beetles and bugs in large lake-like ponds with different fish status (fish-free and containing fish) and mesohabitats (emergent littoral vegetation and open water zone). The macroinvertebrate taxa differed in their responses to the fish presence and in mesohabitat preferences. The density and species richness of water mites were greater in fish-containing ponds, while no differences were found between littoral and open-water habitats. In contrast, beetles were far more numerous and species-rich in fish-free ponds and in littoral vegetation. Total densities of aquatic bugs were non-significantly higher in fish-containing ponds, and they preferred littoral areas, but species richness was independent of fish presence and mesohabitat. No statistical interactions between fish presence and the densities of individual macroinvertebrate groups in the littoral habitat were detected, indicating that their use of emergent littoral vegetation was not an antipredator response to fish. The assemblages of the three macroinvertebrate taxa exhibited nested structures of a different order, consistent with their species richness patterns. Our research stresses the importance of littoral vegetation for the distribution and abundance of aquatic insects; however, high fish presence may not affect or may even benefit ecologically important macroinvertebrate groups, such as water mites or bugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The discovery of a water beetle new for Belgium: Augylus pruinosus (Coleoptera, Heteroceridae) and two new records of a species that was not recorded from Belgium since 1965: Helophorus longitarsis (Coleoptera, Helophoridae) are discussed. These beetles were encountered during the preparation of a catalogue of the Belgian aquatic beetles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work presents an updated list of water beetles of the Elmidae and Dryopidae occurring in Morocco. The study is based on an exhaustive review of literature (1914–2021) complemented with field and laboratory investigations on more than 2200 collected individuals between 1997 and 2019. As a result, 30 species belonging to nine genera of Elmidae and Dryopidae are listed with their distribution in Morocco and North Africa. From the 30 species, Elmidae are represented by 21 species and seven genera, whereas Dryopidae are represented by nine species and only two genera. A chorological analysis shows that the Elmidae and Dryopidae from Morocco are essentially Mediterranean (60%), with a very high prevalence of endemics in the broadest sense (77.78%) within this group, whilst those Palearctic species (33.33%) or Afrotropical-Mediterranean (6.67%) are clearly less represented. This chorotype pattern is notably different to that observed in other aquatic beetle families in the same study area, where the percentage of endemic species was much lower. Moroccan Dryopoidea include seven endemic species exclusive to Morocco, six Maghrebian and one Ibero-Maghrebian species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building a reasonable model for predicting biodiversity using limited data is challenging. Expanding limited experimental data using a variational autoencoder generative adversarial network (VAEGAN) to improve biodiversity predictions for a region is a new strategy. Aquatic beetle diversity in a large >30-year-old artificial pool that had not had human interference in Nanshe Village (Dapeng Peninsula, Shenzhen City, Guangdong Province, China) was investigated. Eight ecological factors were considered. These were water temperature, salinity, pH, water depth, proportional area of aquatic plants, proportional area of submerged plants, water area, and water level. Field sampling was performed for 1 or 2 days in the middle or late part of each month for a year. A type D net was swept 10 times in the same direction in each ~1 m × ~1 m sample square, generating 132 datasets (experimental data). In total, 39 aquatic beetle species were collected, 19 of which were assigned to Hydrophilidae, 16 to Dytiscidae, 3 to Noteridae, and 1 to Gyrinidae. A one-dimensional convolutional neural network (1-D CNN) was used to assess and predict the grade of the number of individuals and the number of aquatic beetle species. The Bayesian-optimized 1-D CNN established using 112 experimental datasets as the training set and the other 20 datasets as validation and testing sets gave a 74.0% prediction accuracy for the grade of the number of individuals and a 70.0% prediction accuracy for the number of species. The impact of insufficient sample data on the model was assessed using a VAEGAN to expand the training set from 112 to 512 samples, and then the Bayesian-optimized 1-D CNN-based VAEGAN prediction model was re-established. This improved prediction accuracy for the grade of the number of individuals to 86.0% and for the number of species to 85.0%. The grade of the number of individuals’ prediction accuracy was 88.0% and the number of species’ prediction accuracy was 85.0% when the random effects of only obtaining a single individual of a species were excluded. The results indicated that the accuracy of the 1-D CNN in predicting the aquatic beetle species number and abundance from relevant environmental factors can be improved using a VAEGAN to expand the experimental data.

In this checklist 163 aquatic beetles species from 11 families belonging to 46 genera that have been recorded from Azerbaijan are presented. Dytiscidae includes maximum numbers of species This study is based on a generalization of all available literature data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evaluating data quality and inventory completeness must be a preliminary step in any biodiversity research, particularly in the case of insects and high biodiversity areas. Yet, this step is often neglected or, at best, assessed only for one insect group, and the degree of congruence of sampling effort ffor different insect groups remains unexplored.We assess the congruence in the spatial distribution of sampling effort for five insect groups (butterflies, caddisflies, dung beetles, moths, and aquatic beetles) in the Iberian Peninsula. We identify well‐surveyed areas for each taxonomic group and examine the degree to which the patterns of sampling effort can be explained by a set of variables related to environmental conditions and accessibility.Irrespective of the general lack of reliable inventories, we found a general but low congruence in the completeness patterns of the different taxa. This suggests that there is not a common geographical pattern in survey effort and that idiosyncratic and contingent factors (mainly the proximity to the workplaces of entomologists) are differentially affecting each group.After many decades of taxonomic and faunistic work, distributional databases of Iberian insects are still in a very preliminary stage, thus limiting our capacity to obtain reliable answers to basic and applied questions.We recommend carrying out long‐term, standardised and well‐designed entomological surveys able to generate a reliable image of the distribution of different insect groups. This will allow us to estimate accurately insect trends and better understand the full extent of global biodiversity loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The population of the diving beetle Cybister rugosus (Macleay, 1825) has been declining in recent years, and it is designated as "Vulnerable" (VU) in the Red List of Japan. However, there have been no quantitative studies on the feeding habits of the larval stage of this beetle. Revealing the feeding habits is indispensable for understanding the life history of C. rugosus. In the current study, we reared C. rugosus larvae on different prey taxa (Odonata nymph, fish, tadpole, and shrimp) and evaluated their growth and survival rates. Previous studies have shown that three congeneric Cybister species larvae feed mainly on invertebrates. However, all larval instars of C. rugosus were able to feed on invertebrates and vertebrates and grow. Thus, we considered C. rugosus to be a generalist compared to the other Cybister species. The larval periods were shorter for C. rugosus that fed on Odonata nymphs than on any other prey. Feeding different prey taxa had no significant effect on the body length of newly emerged adult males. However, the body length of newly emerged adult females was larger when the larvae fed on Odonata nymphs than when the larvae fed on fish. As in other Cybister species, we concluded that the Odonata nymph is an appropriate food from the viewpoint of increased growth rate in C. rugosus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amphiops mater Sharp, 1873, live on the water surface from the egg stage to the pupal stage. Pupae are usually attached to floating objects and normally hatch even when removed from the objects and allowed to float on the water. The pupal period lasts 2–3 days (mean 2.4 days). Interestingly, the pupae are not easily preyed upon by water striders, Gerris latiabdominis Miyamoto, 1958, and their inconspicuous shape and short pupal duration may allow them to escape predation. Most Hydrophilidae species pupate on land, but A. mater can complete its life stages in an aquatic environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the new genus Spanglerelmis Polizei & Bispo is described; Microcylloepus ochus Hinton, 1940 is synonymized with Microcylloepus femoralis Hinton, 1940, and transferred to the new genus; and two new species, S. xiririca gen. et sp. nov. and S. timburi gen. et sp. nov. are described. The new genus can be characterized by the combination of the following characters: 1) pronotum without transverse, longitudinal or oblique impressions, sulci or gibbosities on disc; 2) elytra with a carina on interval III and two sublateral carinae on intervals V and VI; 3) mesoventrite with sides strongly raised; and 4) femora with an oblique belt of tomentum dorsally and a transverse belt ventrally. The specimens of the two new species were collected mainly in riffles of unimpacted streams in the Atlantic Forest in São Paulo State, Brazil. Scanning electron microscope images, an identification key for the genus and habitat notes are also presented.

The aquatic larvae of the family Hydrochidae (Coleoptera) have been considered 'mystery larvae', because ecological knowledge about them is lacking. We discovered that Hydrochidae larvae (Hydrochus japonicus Sharp) are benthic via laboratory rearing. The larvae have a terminal spiracular atrium, but we did not observe them breathing at the water surface. The larvae fed on Naididae worms that were collected from the same habitat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metacommunity models describe species occupancy frequency distribution (hereinafter 'SOFD'). Our goal is to present how the differences in eight macroinvertebrate orders dispersal ability affect SOFD patterns. A total of 293 species from eight macroinvertebrate orders were observed in 14 eutrophic lakes in southern Finland. Species occupancy ranged from 1 to 14. About 30% (89 out of 293) of the species were found in only one lake, yielding a surprisingly high number of rare species. So, there were few widely distributed common species and numerous rare species with a restricted distribution. Combined data from eight macroinvertebrate orders supported the bimodal truncated SOFD pattern. Similarly, the low dispersal ability orders, watermites and mayflies, fitted the bimodal truncated SOFD pattern. However, bimodal symmetric SOFD pattern also fitted relatively well to the dragonflies and damselflies with high dispersal ability. It seems that differences in dispersal ability among different macroinvertebrate orders may partly explain observed differences. Moreover, our results supported slightly more a niche-based model rather than a metapopulation dynamics model in eutrophic lakes littoral macroinvertebrate metacommunities. Our results highlight that the dispersal ability is important trait for species conservation in patchily distributed habitat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The three genera and four species of Larainae (Elmidae) previously described from Australia are reviewed, and one new genus and seven new species are described: Australara glaisteri gen. et sp. nov., Ovolara lawrencei sp. nov., Ovolara monteithi sp. nov., Stetholus carinatus sp. nov., Stetholus longipennis sp. nov., Stetholus metatibialis sp. nov., and Stetholus woronora sp. nov. A lectotype is designated for Hydora laticeps (Carter & Zeck), and the first new collection records of the species are reported since its description in 1932. The occurrence in Australia of Potamophilinus papuanus Satô, described from Papua New Guinea, is reported. A key to the species, photographic images of the external morphology and male genitalia, distribution maps, and habitat and behavioral information, when known, are provided for all twelve species of Australian Larainae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This checklist summarises our present knowledge on Moroccan distribution of the water beetles of five families: Gyrinidae, Haliplidae, Noteridae, Hygrobiidae and Dytiscidae. It includes all available faunistic data based on material collected by the authors and from the private collections, as well as from the literature, PhD theses, and other unpublished sources covering a period between 1914 and 2018. The checklist of 112 species of 40 genera is presented with species distributions in Morocco and North Africa. Hydroglyphus major (Sharp, 1882) is reported for the first time from Morocco. Six species (Agabus dilatatus (Brullé, 1832), Hydroporus longulus Mulsant and Rey, 1861, H. nigrita (Fabricus, 1792), H. planus (Fabricius, 1782), Bidessus pumilus (Aubé, 1838) and Ilybius fuliginosus (Fabricius, 1792)) are excluded from the country's fauna. A chorological analysis shows that most species are essentially Mediterranean (60%), whilst those whose distribution is wider in Palearctic (25%) or extends into Nearctic (9.29%) or Afrotropical regions (5.71%) are clearly less represented. This chorotype pattern is similar to that observed for other aquatic insects in the same study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wetlands present an important diversity of life and are very productive. Many biotic and abiotic factors intervene in their functioning. Thus, understanding this functioning requires, among other characteristics, physicochemical characterizations of their waters and the determination of the specific structure of the stand that inhabits those environments. In this work, the authors were interested in the characterization of the waters of Lake Sidi Boughaba, wetland and biological reserve registered with the RAMSAR convention. This lake is made up of three parts of unequal volume and duration of flooding. The results showed that the studied living environment is very heterogeneous physicochemical and that from one biotope to another the values of the majority of the physicochemical parameters can vary from single, to double, to three times, and even more. Only the pH, oxygen, and ammonium content are relatively stable. In addition, the results showed that the aquatic beetle population of the prospected environment consists of 34 species and subspecies, grouped into 9 systematic families and that the Dyticidae family and the Hydrophilidae family are the most represented. Likewise, the biotypological analysis of the population of beetles collected showed the distribution of the 34 inventoried species that are divided into four groups and that, among the 16 physicochemical parameters studied 10 intervene the determination of the specific structure of each of the groups of 'identified species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cosmopolitan subfamily Acidocerinae (Coleoptera: Hydrophilidae) is one of the largest and most taxonomically challenging lineages of water scavenger beetles. Recent phylogenetic studies have substantially advanced our understanding of acidocerine relationships but also illuminated the twin challenges of poorly delineated generic concepts and a classification broadly incompatible with the phylogeny. Here, these two challenges are addressed by providing a comprehensive synthesis and taxonomic tools for the Acidocerinae, including (1) a brief history and the current state of acidocerine classification, (2) a review of acidocerine ecology and collection methods, (3) the current knowledge of larval and fossil acidocerines, (4) a morphological primer on characters of taxonomic and systematic importance within the lineage, (5) a key to the world genera of Acidocerinae, (6) diagnoses, habitus, and aedeagal images, distribution maps, and summary of knowledge for each of the 23 extant genera in the subfamily, and (7) a complete annotated taxonomic catalog including the published distributions, synonyms, and references for all described 541 acidocerine species recognized as of 1 April 2021. The following nomenclatural acts are proposed to bring the phylogeny and classification into alignment: Colossochares gen. nov. is established to accommodate two African species previously described as Helochares (s. str.); Novochares gen. nov. is newly established to accommodate 15 Neotropical species previously included in Helochares (s. str.); the remaining Helochares subgenera Helocharimorphus Kuwert syn. nov. and Hydrobaticus MacLeay syn. nov. are synonymized with Helochares Mulsant. Peltochares Régimbart sensu nov. is redefined to include eight Old World species previously included in Helochares (s. str.). A lectotype is designated for Peltochares conspicuus Régimbart, the type species of the genus. The taxonomic and morphological circumscription of Helochares sensu nov. is narrowed and redefined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This contribution deals with the aquatic and semiaquatic beetles of the drainage basin (running and standing waters) of the cecina river (Tuscany). 120 taxa belonging to 14 families are listed: Gyrinidae (6), Haliplidae (5), Noteridae (1), Dytiscidae (31), Helophoridae (8), Georissidae (2), Hydrochidae (2), Hydrophilidae (20), Hydraenidae (26), Elmidae (8), Dryopidae (5), Limnichidae (1), Heteroceridae (4), chrysomelidae (1). This list includes both bibliographic and unpublished data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary chaetotaxy of the head capsule and head appendages of the larva of Chaetarthria bruchiBalfour-Browne is described for the first time. Morphometric characters derived from the head capsule and mouthparts are included, together with detailed illustrations of all characters. Chaetotaxy of C. bruchi is compared with that of C. seminulum (Herbst), the only other Chaetarthriini species for which the chaetotaxy has been described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The New World species of the minute aquatic beetle genus Notomicrus Sharp compose a much greater diversity than their Old World congeners, with 14 of the 17 known Notomicrus species occurring in the Neotropics. A recent phylogenetic study recovered four primary New World species groups and found that there are a number of undescribed species across all of these main lineages. Here, we provide a taxonomic key to these New World species groups, including two described species that we currently do not place in any group ("incertae sedis" species), complete with images and illustrations of diagnostic characters and taxonomic notes including a list of known species in each group. This work provides a scaffold for further planned taxonomic revisions within the genus. In addition, we review the first of the four New World groups, the josiahi species group and describe one new taxon, N. interstinctus sp. nov. from northern Brazil. Provided are descriptions, habitus images and illustrations of diagnostic characters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The water scavenger beetle genus Tobochares Short & García, 2007 currently contains ten species, including one known but formally undescribed taxon. Although Tobochares was revised in 2017, ongoing fieldwork as well as an expanded concept of the genus has led to the recognition of numerous additional species. Here a combination of morphological and molecular data is presented to review this newly found Tobochares diversity. Fifteen new species are described from South America, bringing the total number of known species to 25: Tobochares akoerio sp. nov. (Suriname), T. arawak sp. nov. (Guyana), T. anthonyae sp. nov. (Venezuela: Bolívar), T. atures sp. nov., (Venezuela: Amazonas), T. benettii sp. nov. (Brazil: Amazonas), T. canaima sp. nov. (Venezuela: Bolívar), T. communis sp. nov. (Brazil: Amapá and Roraima, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela: Bolívar), T. fusus sp. nov. (Brazil: Amapá, French Guiana), T. goias sp. nov. (Brazil: Goiás), T. kappel sp. nov. (Suriname), T. kolokoe sp. nov. (Suriname), T. luteomargo sp. nov. (Venezuela: Bolívar), T. microps sp. nov. (Suriname), T. pemon sp. nov. (Venezuela: Bolívar), and T. romanoae sp. nov. (Brazil: Roraima). Both morphological and molecular analyses support four clades within the genus, which are here diagnosed and described as species groups. New distributional records are provided for T. kusad Kohlenberg & Short, 2017 and T. sipaliwini Short & Kadosoe, 2011, both of which are recorded from Brazil for the first time. Previously restricted to the Guiana Shield region of South America, the distributional range of the genus is now broadly expanded to include localities as far south as the central Brazilian state of Goiás. Consistent with the biology of the previously described species, almost all the new species described here are associated with seepage and wet rock habitats. Remarkably, one species, T. fusus sp. nov., was collected in both seepage habitats as well as in the rotting fruits of Clusia Linnaeus (Clusiaceae), making it one of the few known acidocerines with terrestrial habits outside of the genus Quadriops Hansen, 1999. High-resolution images of most species are included, as well as a key to species groups, species, and habitat photographs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We studied the life cycle of the riffle beetle Leptelmis gracilis Sharp, 1888 from a population located in a river stream with lotic environments. Samples were collected monthly, between September 2018 and August 2019, from a tributary of the Hiikawa River in Izumo city, Shimane Prefecture, Honshu, Japan. Larvae were separated into five distinct groups based on size. The first and last instar larval sizes were identified through rearing methods. From these results, we determined that the larval stage of this species consists of five instars. From the monthly evaluations, the number of individuals corresponding to each instar period suggested that last‐instar larvae were dominant in May and that new adults emerged from July to August. Landing and pupation were estimated to occur from May to June. Monthly observations revealed that mature eggs were present in the female abdomen from April to June, as well as from August to September. It is, therefore, predicted that overwintering adults mainly oviposit from spring to early summer, while new adults oviposit from late summer to early autumn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new procedure for mark-recapture of Coleoptera Dytiscidae was developed. It consists of marking one elytron directly in the field using a battery driven mini-drill for making a small scratch, followed by attachment of a small label with an alpha-numeric code printed on hydro-resistant paper. The results of a four-year long study on some Dytiscidae species living in a montane peat-bog are summarized and discussed. The application of the method to other taxa is also outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Burmese amber is well known for preserving unique extinct lineages of insects. Here, we describe a new fossil beetle in its larval stage from Burmese amber. Bayesian and parsimony phylogenetic analysis of 50 morphological characters support this fossil as being sister to both the tribes Dineutini and Orectochilini, representing an extinct stem lineage in Gyrininae. It is described here as a new genus and species of whirligig beetle, Chimerogyrus gigagalea gen. & sp. nov. , a taxon that preserves remarkable intermediate features between the whirligig beetle tribe Gyrinini and the crown Orectochilini and Dineutini. This new taxon preserves key features for studying the evolution of characters within the larval stage of the Gyrinidae and highlights the importance of Burmese amber for preserving both stem and crown lineages present during the mid-Cretaceous, before the end-Cretaceous mass extinction event. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The water scavenger beetle genus Chasmogenus Sharp, 1882 is reviewed in northeastern South America using an integrative approach that combines adult morphology and molecular data from the gene cytochrome c oxidase I (COI). Eighteen new species are described: Chasmogenus acuminatus sp. nov. (Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname), C. amplius sp. nov. (Venezuela), C. berbicensis sp. nov. (Guyana), C. brownsbergensis sp. nov. (Suriname), C. castaneus sp. nov. (Venezuela), C. clavijoi sp. nov. (Venezuela), C. cuspifer sp. nov. (Venezuela), C. flavomarginatus sp. nov. (Venezuela), C. gato sp. nov. (Venezuela), C. guianensis sp. nov. (Suriname, Guyana), C. ignotus sp. nov. (Brazil), C. ligulatus sp. nov. (Suriname), C. lineatus sp. nov. (Venezuela), C. pandus sp. nov. (Brazil, French Guiana, Suriname), C. schmits sp. nov. (Suriname), C. sinnamarensis sp. nov. (French Guiana), C. tafelbergensis sp. nov. (Suriname), and C. undulatus sp. nov. (Guyana). We found genetic support for an additional new species in Guyana which is currently only known from females that we refer to as Chasmogenus sp. C. We examined the holotypes of the four species previously known from the region, and found that C. occidentalis García syn. nov. and C. yukparum García syn. nov. are conspecific with C. bariorum García, 2000 and are synonymized with that species, which is here redescribed. We redescribe C. australis García and expand the range of this species to include northern Brazil, Guyana, and French Guiana. All species are aquatic, with most being associated with forested streams and forest pools. Of the 21 species, more than half (11) are only known from a single locality indicating the genus may have many more micro-endemic species yet to be discovered in the region. Characters of the male genitalia are essential for confirming the identity of some species, consequently it is not always possible to make positive identifications of unassociated female specimens based on morphology alone. Habitus images are provided as well as a revised key to the genus for northeastern South America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Austrolimnius cleidecostae sp. nov. is one of the smallest species of Elmidae from the Neotropical region. The new species is described and illustrated based on male and female specimens. This species represents the first record in Elmidae of mandibles with an articulated, sclerotized process on inner subapical edge. The specimens were collected from streams in the Atlantic rainforest of São Paulo and Santa Catarina, and habitat notes are given. An updated key for the Austrolimnius Carter & Zeck, 1929 of Brazil is provided. Austrolimnis browni Hinton, 1971 and A. musgravei Hinton, 1939 are recorded for the first time from Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new species of the water scavenger beetle, Laccobius (Glyptolaccobius) motuoensis sp. nov., is described from Motuo County, Xizang, China and its diagnostic characters are illustrated. Examination of this new species and re-examination of previously described species revealed that the separation of the subgenus Glyptolaccobius Gentili, 1989 and Cyclolaccobius Gentili, 1991 is artificial: both subgenera are hence combined here. Cyclolaccobius syn. nov. is synonymized with Glyptolaccobius, and the latter is shown to be diagnosed by 7-segmented antennae as a unique synapomorphy. All species treated until now under Cyclolaccobius are here transferred to Glyptolaccobius, with the only exception of L. hingstoni Orchymont, 1926, L. jumlanus Gentili, 2015 and L. zugmayeri Knisch, 1910 which are tentatively transferred to the subgenus Hydroxenus Wollaston, 1867, as their antennae bear eight antennomeres. Three species are recorded for the first time from China: L. (Microlaccobius) orientalis Knisch, 1924 from Xizang, Laccobius (M.) exilis Gentili, 1974 from Xinjiang, and Laccobius (M.) sublaevis J. Sahlberg, 1900 from Xinjiang. Additional faunistic data from China are provided for the following species: L. (Microlaccobius) hammondi Gentili, 1984, Laccobius (M.) formosus Gentili, 1979, Laccobius (Hydroxenus) hingstoni d'Orchymont, 1926, Laccobius (Glyptolaccobius) yunnanensis Gentili, 2003, Laccobius (Compsolaccobius) decorus (Gyllenhal, 1827), Laccobius (Dimorpholaccobius) bipunctatus (Fabricius, 1775), Laccobius (D.) striatulus (Fabricius, 1775), Laccobius (s. str.) bedeli Sharp, 1884, L. (s. str.) binotatus d'Orchymont, 1934, Laccobius (s. str.) cinereus Motschulsky, 1860, and Laccobius (s. str.) minutus (Linnaeus, 1758). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent study of the water scavenger beetle subfamily Acidocerinae in the Neotropical region has uncovered numerous undescribed species that are not able to be placed in existing genera. Here, we describe three new genera to accommodate 17 of these new species from South America: Aulonochares gen. nov. for Aulonochares lingulatus sp. nov. (French Guiana, Suriname), Aulonochares novoairensis sp. nov. (Brazil), and Aulonochares tubulus sp. nov. (Brazil, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela); Ephydrolithus gen. nov. for Ephydrolithus hamadae sp. nov. (Brazil), Ephydrolithus minor sp. nov. (Brazil), Ephydrolithus ogmos sp. nov. (Brazil), Ephydrolithus spiculatus sp. nov. (Brazil), and Ephydrolithus teli sp. nov. (Brazil); and Primocerus gen. nov. for Primocerus cuspidis sp. nov. (Venezuela), Primocerus gigas sp. nov. (Venezuela), Primocerus neutrum sp. nov. (Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela), Primocerus ocellatus sp. nov. (Venezuela), Primocerus petilus sp. nov. (Brazil), Primocerus pijiguaense sp. nov. (Venezuela), Primocerus maipure sp. nov. (Venezuela), Primocerus semipubescens sp. nov. (Guyana), and Primocerus striatolatus sp. nov. (Suriname). The genus Ephydrolithus gen. nov. is currently known to be restricted to seepages in the mountainous regions of the Brazilian Shield. Aulonochares gen. nov. and Primocerus gen. nov. are both currently only known from the Guiana Shield, though widespread in that region where they are associated with streams and seeps. We present differential diagnoses, maps, habitat details, and illustrations of all new genera and species here described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Abstract Heterelmis Sharp, 1882, comprises 22 species and subspecies with 3 species assigned to Brazil so far. Here the forth species, Heterelmis debilis sp. nov. from Brazil, is described and illustrated. The type material is deposited in the Museum of Zoology of the University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil (MZSP) and Natural History Museum, London, UK (NHMUK). Additionally, an identification key with distributional data for Brazilian species is proposed.

Amazonopsis gen. n. is described to include A. theranyi sp. n. from Peru, Venezuela and French Guiana, and A. camachoi sp. n. from Venezuela. The descriptions are accompanied by figures illustrating the male and female habitus of A. theranyi, the male habitus of A. camachoi, and male genitalia of both species. Amazonopsis theranyi exhibits pronounced secondary sexual dimorphism which likewise may be a characteristic of the genus. Amazonopsis males have modified protarsal and mesotarsal claws, a pair of small spines on the anterior prosternum, and a pair of ventrally directed processes on the posterior metaventrite. Females of A. theranyi display a pair of unique, oval perforations in the cuticle of the pronotum and have unmodified claws; females of A. camachoi are unknown. Descriptions are furnished of the stream habitats and microhabitats where the study specimens were collected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]