Belostoma micantulum ( Stål, 1860 )

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 : 476-477

Belostoma micantulum ( Stål, 1860)

Zaitha micantula Stål, 1860 : Svensk. Vet. Akad. Handl., 84.

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

Material examined. Galarza RS: 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Yacaré Stream , 16.iv.2013 ; 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Luna Lagoon, sample 3, 17.iv.2013; 1 ♂, Isirí Stream near Luna Lagoon, sample 6, 17.iv.2013; 10 ♂, 5 ♀, flood-prone areas in Hermanos Fleita field, 18.iv.2013 ; 3 ♂, Isirí Stream near Luna Lagoon , 19.iv.2013 . Itatí RS: 1 ♂, 4 ♀, 28–31.iii.2014. Laguna Iberá RS: 1 ♀, 1–3.xii.2012; 2 ♂, Fernández Lagoon, 11.xii.2014. San Ignacio RS: 4 ♂, 14 ♀, 2–5.iii.2015. San Nicolás RS: 7 ♂, 3♀, 13–15.xii.2013. Yahaveré RS: 2 ♂, 1 ♀, Medina Lagoon , 13.xii.2014 .

General distribution. The Lesser Antilles, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina, Uruguay ( Moreira et al. 2011b).

Habitat. Belostoma micantulum has been found in ditches (densely vegetated), waterholes in drying up forest stream, urban rain pools (without aquatic vegetation), natural pools, ponds (densely vegetated), marshlands (densely vegetated), lakes, lagoons (in vegetated margins), and in the quiet edges of artificial channels, streams and rivers ( Nieser 1975; Armúa de Reyes & Estévez 1999; Estévez & Armúa de Reyes 2003; Torres et al. 2007; Fontanarrosa et al. 2009). It has also been taken at lights ( Nieser 1975; Ribeiro 2007; Almeida et al. 2019).

This species was collected from Iberá in association with Leersia hexandra , Ludwigia peploides , Salvinia biloba and Cabomba caroliniana ( Poi de Neiff 1984, 1993, 2003) and in the Iberá Lagoon in association with Pistia stratiotes , Salvinia sp. , Egeria densa and Pontederia crassipes (Estévez & Armúa de Reyes 2003; Estévez et al. 2003; Armúa et al. 2011). During the present study, B. micantulum was collected from the unshaded margins with dense floating, emergent and submerged vegetation (mainly Pontederia crassipes , S. biloba and Cyperus giganteus Vahl. ) in Luna Lagoon, and in flood-prone areas with unshaded margins with dense emergent vegetation. It was also collected in standing water along the moderately shaded margins of Isirí Stream, with dense floating, emergent, and submerged vegetation (mainly S. biloba ), and along the unshaded margins of Yacaré Stream, with dense floating, emergent and submerged vegetation (mainly Nymphoides indica , S. biloba and C. giganteus ). This species was also collected in association with P. crassipes in the Paraná River and Chaco Province ( Argentina) ( Neiff & Poi de Neiff 1979; Poi de Neiff & Carignan 1997; Poi de Neiff & Neiff 2006), and with S. biloba in the Paraná River ( Argentina) ( Poi de Neiff & Neiff 2006).

Remarks. Belostoma micantulum is one of the most widespread species of water bugs in the INR.