Gerris ( Gerris ) costae (Herrich-Schäffer, 1850)

Cianferoni, Fabio & Dia, Aref, 2025, Annotated catalogue and checklist of Gerromorpha, Nepomorpha, and Leptopodomorpha (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) of Lebanon, with new records, Zootaxa 5725 (1), pp. 1-54 : 17-18

Gerris ( Gerris) costae (Herrich-Schäffer, 1850)

Gerris costae (Herrich-Schäffer) : Giglio-Tos (1894: 10), “Bekfeiya a 1000 m. circa sul Libano ”; Lindberg (1922: 16), “ Libanon, Djebel Baruk”; Horváth (1926: 114), “à Broumana ( Liban)”.

Gerris costai fieberi Stichel : Dia (1983), “ Liban méridional”; Nieser & Moubayed (1986: 249), “ Liban […] Yammouné […]; Janta […]; Ammik […]; Hammana”.

Gerris (Gerris) costae fieberi Stichel : Andersen (1995 b: 100), “ Lebanon ”; Fent et al. (2011: 44), “ Lebanon ”, quotation of Andersn (1995b); Damgaard et al. (2014: S10) and Ghahari et al. (2023j: 9), “ Lebanon ”, quotation of the previous records.

Material examined. Published records: “ Bekfeiya”, [1893], [ E. Festa leg.], [ E. Giglio-Tos det.] as G. Costae (Herr. Schaf.) , F. Cianferoni revid., 2 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀ macr., 1 V, 1 III instar nymphs, MRSN.

Survey material: Basin of Abou Aali: El Houkailate, 27.VI.1997, 1 ♂ macr., 1 ≤ V, 1 ≤ IV instar nymphs, MLUB ; Nbat, 24.IV.1996, 2 ♂♂ macr., MLUB . Basin of Aouali : Nabaa Aazibi, 10.VI.1979, 1 ♀ macr., MLUB ; Nabaa el Barouk, 2.VI.1979, 1 ♂ macr., MLUB ; Nabaa Joun (Es Saraouniyé), 7.V.1979, 1 ♀ macr., MLUB . Basin of El Bared : Es Sirwane, 5.VI.2000, 1 ♂, 1 ♀ macr., MLUB . Basin of El Kebir : Magl el Bal, 16.IV.2005, 1 ♂, 1 ♀ macr., MLUB . Basin of Litani : Kab-Elias, 10.X.1991, 1 ♂, 1 ♀ macr., MLUB . Basin of Orontes : Aayoun Orghouche, 13.VI.1996, 1 ♂ macr., MLUB . El Haour at Marjhine, 21.X.2004, 2 ♀♀ macr., 1 IV instar nymph, MLUB .

Extra-survey material: Araramita , 1500 m a.s.l. ( Coll. Am. Un. Beirut), 3.VII–1.VIII.1952, K. Christiansen leg., L. Hoberlandt det. as G. costae fieberi, P. Kment revid., 5 ♂ ♂, 10 ♀♀ macr. ( NMPC) ; Bekfaya , 850 m a.s.l. ( Coll. Am. Un. Beirut), 9.VIII.1953, K. Christiansen leg., L. Hoberlandt det. as G. costae fieberi , 3 ♂♂ macr. ( NMPC) ; Birket Anjan , 850 m a.s.l. ( Coll. Am. Un. Beirut), 10.IX.1952, K. Christiansen leg., L. Hoberlandt det. as G. costae fieberi , 2 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀ macr., 1 nymph ( NMPC) ; Hadeth cedars, 1700 m a.s.l. ( Coll. Am. Un. Beirut), 8–20.VII.1953, K. Christiansen leg., L. Hoberlandt det. as G. costae fieberi , 1 ♂ macr. ( NMPC) ; Hammana st. [ream], 1100 m a.s.l. ( Coll. Am. Un. Beirut), 28.VIII.1952, K. Christiansen leg., L. Hoberlandt det. as G. costae fieberi , 1 ♂ macr. ( NMPC) ; Hammana , 1250 m a.s.l. ( Coll. Am. Un. Beirut), 28.VIII.1952, K. Christiansen leg., L. Hoberlandt det. as G. costae fieberi , 1 ♀ macr. ( NMPC) ; 2 km S Hermel, Orontes river ( Coll. Am. Un. Beirut), 2.VII.1952, K. Christiansen leg., P. Kment det. as G. costae fieberi , 1♂ macr. ( NMPC) ; 2 km S Hermel ( Coll. Am. Un. Beirut), 2.VIII.1952, K. Christiansen leg., L. Hoberlandt det. as G. costae fieberi , 1 ♂, 2 ♀♀ macr. ( NMPC) ; Kammouha ( Coll. Am. Un. Beirut), 18–20.VIII.1952, K. Christiansen leg., L. Hoberlandt det. as G. costae fieberi , 6 ♂♂, 9 ♀♀ macr. ( NMPC) . North Governatorate, Miniyeh-Danniyeh District, Nabaa Rass en Nahr , 2200 m a.s.l., 21.V.2010, A. Carapezza leg., “ Lebanon 21.V.2010 | caza Miniyeh-Danniyeh, | Nabaa Rass en Nahr | 2.200 m leg. A. Carapezza ”, 11 ♂♂, 1 ♀ macr., ACPI. Mount Lebanon Governorate, Chouf District , Wadi El Sitt , 700 m a.s.l., 16.V.2010, A. Carapezza leg., “ Lebanon 16.V.2010 | caza Chouf | wadi el-Sitt 700 m | leg. A. Carapezza ”, 2 ♂♂ macr., ACPI .

General distribution. This is a Turano-European species (with extensions to the British Isles and Egypt) (see Saleh Ahmed & Gadalla 2005, Cianferoni & Mazza 2012, Damgaard et al. 2014).

Remarks. Although specimens from Middle East were attributed to the taxon Gerris costae fieberi Stichel, 1938 (see Andersen 1995 b, Damgaard et al. 2014), the status and interpretation of the subspecies of G. costae (Herrich-Schäffer, 1850) are questionable because the diagnostic characters are ambiguous (see Cianferoni 2011, Berchi et al. 2018, Kanyukova 2023, Lebedeva & Kanyukova 2024 for further information). Therefore, the species is considered without subspecific assignment here.

These Lebanese specimens were collected mainly in mountains (from about 1000 to 2100 m a.s.l.); only one site was at lowland ( 36 m a.s.l. = Saraouniyé) (see Fig. 4 ; Tab. 1). In any case the species occurs also at low eleavtions (see e.g. Berchi et al. 2018; Cianferoni 2019; unpublished records).

The immature stages collected by E. Festa and positioned under G. costae in the entomological box, are here maintained by location and by comparison.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Altitudinal distribution of Gerris costae (Herrich-Schäffer, 1850) in Lebanon.