Microvelia mimula White, 1879

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 : 462-463

Microvelia mimula White, 1879

Microvelia mimula White, 1879b : J. Limn. Soc. London, 487.

Material examined. Galarza RS: 1 ♂, Galarza Lagoon , Vizcaychipi channel, 16.iv.2013 ; 2 ♂, 6 ♀, Luna Lagoon, sample 2, 17.iv.2013; 2 ♀, Luna Lagoon , sample 3, 17.iv.2013 ; 1 ♀, Luna Lagoon , sample 4, 17.iv.2013 ; 3 ♀, Luna Lagoon , sample 5, 17.iv.2013 ; 5 ♀, marshland in Hermanos Fleita field, 18.iv.2013; 3 ♂, flood-prone areas in Hermanos Fleita field, 18.iv.2013; 1 ♂, overflow channel in Hermanos Fleita field, 18.iv.2013; 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Isirí Stream near Luna Lagoon, 19.iv.2013. Itatí RS: 1 ♀, Estancia El Dorado , artificial pond, 28°45.60’S, 58°7.23’W, 28.iii.2014 ; 4 ♂, 6 ♀, Corriente River , 28°44.18’S, 58°8.70’W, 30.iii.2014 ; 1 ♂, Estancia El Dorado , artificial pond, 28°45.60’S, 58°7.23’W, 31.iii.2014 . Laguna Iberá RS: 2 ♂, 1 ♀, Lobo Cuá Stream , 28°32’52.66’’S, 57°12’38.56’’W, 2.xii.2012 ; 23 ♂, 30 ♀, route 40, roadside pond and ditches, 28°33’53.90’’S, 57°12’59.40’’W, 15.ii.2018; 1 ♂, 3 ♀, Iberá Lagoon, Paso Claro , 28°33’29’’S, 57°11’37’’W, 16.ii.2018 ; 10 ♂, 16 ♀, route 40, roadside pond, 17.ii.2018. San Ignacio RS: 1 ♂, vehicle path, roadside ditches, 27°53.263’S, 56°53.125’W, 3.iii.2015; 1 ♀, Camping Monterrey, Aguará pedestrian path, artificial well, 27°52.286’S, 56°52.767’W, 4.iii.2015 ; 4 ♀, Reserva Privada Don Luis , Monte Don Luis, roadside ditches, 27°52.005’S, 56°55.073’W, 4.iii.2015 ; 1 ♂, marshlands in front of the ranger’s house, 27°49.413’S, 56°50.929’W, 4.iii.2015; 7 ♂, 10 ♀, old pine tree forest of “Las 600”, artificial channel, 27°51.834’S, 56°54.285’W, 5.iii.2015; 27 ♂, 37 ♀, Reserva Privada Don Luis, Monte Don Luis , roadside ditches, 27°52’0.60’’S, 56°54’54.18’’W, 16.xi.2018 ; 14 ♂, 14 ♀, vehicle path, roadside ditches, 27°54’10.14’’S, 56°53’14.10’’W, 17.xi.2018; 2 ♂, 5 ♀, vehicle path, roadside ditches, 27°54’0.24’’S, 56°53’6.42’’W, 17.xi.2018; 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Camping Monterrey, Aguará pedestrian path, marshland, 27°52’14.10’’S, 56°52’59.70’’W, 18.xi.2018 ; 1 ♂, 2 ♀, Camping Monterrey, Aguará pedestrian path, long walkway, marshes, 27°52’14.58’’S, 56°52’59.76’’W, 18.xi.2018 ; 1 ♂, 4 ♀, Camping Monterrey, Aguará pedestrian path, pond and flood-prone areas, 27°52’ 26.76’’S, 56°52’48.78’’W, 19.xi.2018 ; 1 ♀, Camping Monterrey, Aguará pedestrian path, pond, 27°52’17.46’’S, 56°52’45.18’’W, 19.xi.2018 . San Nicolás RS: 2 ♂, 5 ♀, Carambola Stream , 28°10.108’S, 57°25.787’W, 14.xii.2013 ; 1 ♂, marshland next to the barbecue area of the ranger station, 15.xii.2013; 3 ♀, marshland next to the house for the rangers, 15.xii.2013. Yahaveré RS: 1 ♀, Concepción de Yaguareté Corá, route 22, roadside marshes, 28°23’16.3”S, 57°54’25.6”W, 5.xi.2015 ; 1 ♂, Paso Cardozo , roadside marshes, 28°23’ 47.0”S, 57°52’36.2”W, 6.xi.2015 ; 2 ♀, Caaby Aguilar , pond, 28°24’06.0”S, 57°51’15.8”W, 6.xi.2015 ; 2 ♂, 6 ♀, Caaby Aguilar , pond, 28°24’10.4”S, 57°51’17.5”W, 6.xi.2015 ; 2 ♂, 2 ♀, Caaby Aguilar , marshes, 28°24’03.4”S, 57°51’31.3”W, 8.xi.2015 ; 10 ♂, 10 ♀, Concepción de Yaguareté Corá, house for researchers, swimming pool, 28°23’25.7”S, 57°53’15.9”W, 8.xi.2015 . On the road to Itatí RS : 6 ♂, 5 ♀, Mercedes Department , Pay Ubre Grande Stream, Provincial Route 29, 25 km NW Mercedes, 25.ix.2003 ; 14 ♂, 15 ♀, Mercedes Department , Pay Ubre Chico Stream, Provincial Route 29, 25 km NW Mercedes, 27.ix.2003 ; 1 ♀, Mercedes Department , Pay Ubre Chico Stream, Provincial Route 29, 28.iii.2014 .

General distribution. Costa Rica, Panama, the Greater Antilles, the Lesser Antilles, Colombia, Venezuela, Suriname (as Microvelia amrishi Makhan, 2014 ), French Guiana, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, Paraguay, Argentina, Uruguay ( Makhan 2014; Cordeiro & Moreira 2015; Moreno-R et al. 2018; Motta et al. 2018).

Habitat. Microvelia mimula lives in a wide range of aquatic habitats. It was found at the margins of unshaded pools of various sizes (including urban rain pools without aquatic vegetation and artificial ones), ponds, lakes, lagoons, marshlands, ditches and drains, with sparse or dense vegetation ( Hynes 1948; Torres et al. 2007; Fontanarrosa et al. 2009; Muñoz Riviaux et al. 2010; Rodrigues et al. 2021a), and along the almost always vegetated margins of unshaded and shaded streams and rivers in standing or slow-moving water ( Fernández & López Ruf 2006; Pereira & Melo 2007; Torres et al. 2007; Muñoz Riviaux et al. 2010). This species has also been taken at lights ( White 1879a, b; McKinstry 1937).

At the INR, M. mimula was collected from the margins of the Iberá Lagoon in shallow waters with emergent and floating vegetation (Estévez et al. 2003). During the present study, this species was collected from margins with dense floating, emergent and submerged vegetation and filamentous algae in lentic habitats (Galarza Lagoon, Luna Lagoon, Iberá Lagoon, ponds, artificial wells, marshlands, roadside ditches and flood-prone areas) and lotic habitats (Isirí Stream, Carambola Stream, Lobo Cuá Stream, Corriente River and artificial channels), in unshaded areas. This species was also found in shaded habitats in standing or slow-moving water along the margins without aquatic vegetation of Pay Ubre Grande Stream and Pay Ubre Chico Stream, and at the margins of ponds, marshlands and roadside ditches with or without aquatic vegetation. Some specimens were collected in a swimming pool in Concepción de Yaguareté Corá.

Remarks. Microvelia mimula is one of the most widespread species of water bugs in the INR. It was often collected together with M. hinei .