Belostoma elegans ( Mayr, 1871 )

Mazzucconi, Silvia Ana, Reyes, Cristina Armúa De & Estévez, Ana Lía, 2022, Aquatic and semiaquatic Heteroptera (Insecta: Hemiptera) from Iberá Natural Reserve (Corrientes Province, Argentina), Zootaxa 5104 (4), pp. 451-505 : 475

Belostoma elegans ( Mayr, 1871)

Zaitha elegans Mayr, 1871 : Abh. K. K. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, 408, 415–416.

Belostoma elegans: Kirkaldy & Torre-Bueno, 1909 : Proc. Ent. Soc. Washington, 191.

Material examined. Galarza RS: 1 ♂, Luna Lagoon, sample 1, 17.iv.2013; 1 ♂, Luna Lagoon, sample 3, 17.iv.2013. Itatí RS: 3 ♂, 28–31.iii.2014. San Ignacio RS: 2 ♀, 2–5.iii.2015. San Nicolás RS: 3 ♂, 2 ♀, 13–15.xii.2013. Yahaveré RS: 1 ♂, Trin Lagoon, 12.xii.2014.

General distribution. Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, Argentina, Uruguay ( Moreira et al. 2011b).

Habitat. Belostoma elegans has been found in ditches (densely vegetated), pools (densely vegetated), urban rain pools (without aquatic vegetation), natural and artificial ponds (densely vegetated), marshlands (densely vegetated), lagoons (in vegetated margins; sometimes in brackish water), and in quiet edges of artificial channels, streams and rivers ( Berg 1881; Fernández & López Ruf 2006; Poi de Neiff & Neiff 2006; Torres et al. 2007; Armúa de Reyes & Kehr 2008; Fontanarrosa et al. 2009).

At the INR, specimens were collected from the margins of the Iberá Lagoon in shallow waters with emergent and floating vegetation (Estévez & Armúa de Reyes 2003; Estévez et al. 2003; Armúa de Reyes & Estévez 2016). It was found in association with Pontederia azurea ( Poi de Neiff 2003) and in the Laguna Iberá in association with Pistia stratiotes L., Salvinia sp. , Egeria densa Planch. and Pontederia crassipes ( Armúa et al. 2011) . During the present study, B. elegans was collected from the margins with dense floating, emergent, and submerged vegetation (mainly P. crassipes and Salvinia biloba ) in lentic habitats (Luna Lagoon and Trin Lagoon), and in standing water of lotic habitats. This species was also collected in association with P. crassipes in the Paraná River and Chaco Province ( Argentina) ( Poi de Neiff & Carignan 1997; Poi de Neiff & Neiff 2006).