Diversity and distribution of aquatic bugs (Insecta: Heteroptera: Nepomorpha) from Espírito Santo, southeastern Brazil
aquatic insects, Atlantic Forest, faunistics, Neotropical region, taxonomy
Nepomorpha (Insecta: Hemiptera: Heteroptera) encompasses the truly aquatic bugs.
Members of this infraorder display high morphological diversity, with oval and flattened
or rounded and globular body. Most of them are yellow to black, but some have colorful
body and specific spot patterns. The Brazilian fauna of aquatic bugs is poorly known in
most of the territory, with samples and studies concentrated in some states of the
southeastern and northern regions, while other areas remain underexplored. Such fact is
especially evident in Espírito Santo, where only 20 species had been recorded until the
development of this study. The objective of the present study was to know the diversity
and distribution of Nepomorpha from Espírito Santo, by obtaining specimens, recording
new occurrences, and elaborating a species list. A total of 1846 specimens belonging to
37 species and two subspecies have been examined, representing nine families and 19
genera. In total, 52 species, 21 genera, and nine families occur in Espírito Santo, of which
22 species, six genera, and three families (Helotrephidae, Micronectidae, and Pleidae)
are herein recorded for the first time from the state. Among the species present in the
state, 21 (40.39%) are endemic from Brazil, while 24 (46.15%) also occur in other South
American countries and Trinidad & Tobago, six (11.54%) are distributed throughout the
Neotropical region, and only one (1.92%) is widely distributed in the Americas, including
the United States.