Lethocerus annulipes ( Herrich-Schaeffer, 1845 )

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 : 478

Lethocerus annulipes ( Herrich-Schaeffer, 1845)

Belostoma annulipes Herrich-Schaeffer, 1845 : Wanzenart. Ins., 28.

Lethocerus annulipes: Kirkaldy & Torre-Bueno 1909 : Proc. Ent. Soc. Washington, 188.

Material examined. Laguna Iberá RS: 6 ♂, Fernández Lagoon, 11.xii.2014. San Ignacio RS: 1 ♀, light trap, 27°49’26.52’’S, 56°50’52.26’’W, 16.xi.2018.

General distribution. Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, the Greater Antilles, the Lesser Antilles, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Brazil, Ecuador, Paraguay, Argentina, Uruguay ( Nieser 1975; Moreira et al. 2011b).

Habitat. Lethocerus annulipes has been found in the margins of pools, marshes, ponds, lakes and lagoons exposed to sunlight and with floating, emergent or submerged vegetation ( Nieser 1975; Armúa de Reyes & Estévez 1999, 2016; Melo & Nieser 2004; Perez Goodwyn 2006). This species has also been collected in standing or slow-moving water along the margins of streams and in rivers which are slow to moderately fast flowing, with or without aquatic vegetation and in shaded or unshaded areas ( Roback & Nieser 1974; Armúa de Reyes & Estévez 1999, 2016; Melo & Nieser 2004; Perez Goodwyn 2006). It has also been taken at lights ( Nieser 1975; Almeida et al. 2019). This species was collected together with L. maximus in the Paraná River ( Argentina) in association with Salvinia sp. and Pontederia crassipes ( Armúa de Reyes & Estévez 2016) .

At the INR, specimens were collected in the Fernández Lagoon and Iberá Lagoon ( Armúa de Reyes & Estévez 1999, 2016). During the present study, this species was collected from the margins of the Fernández Lagoon, in shallow water with submerged, emergent and floating vegetation. One specimen was also taken at a light in San Ignacio Ranger Station.

Remarks. This species was also recorded from INR by Perez Goodwyn (2006).