Genus Hydrosmecta THOMSON, 1858

This genus is currently in a state of taxonomic confusion. Some West Mediterranean species were recently revised and a synopsis of the species recorded from France was provided by TRONQUET (2016). However, this article focuses on a regional fauna and does not include numerous additional described species reported from other regions of the West Palaearctic. Hydrosmecta species are typical inhabitants of gravel banks, usually of rivers and streams. They are active flyers and can consequently be assumed to be widespread.

As many as six species were recorded from Crete. Only two of them, H. longula and H. fluviatilis, were identified. A third species was tentatively determined as H. cf. perpusilla; this species was recorded also from Samothraki and a locality in Fokis, Greek mainland (unpublished). Only one of the three remaining species is conspicuous enough to rule out a previous description based on the diagnoses available in the literature and to justify a description (see H. insularum in part II of the monograph). The two other species (see Tab. 2) may be undescribed, but remain unnamed. Neither of them is endemic to Crete. Hydrosmecta sp. 1 (= Hydrosmecta sp. in ASSING (2015a)) was collected also in two localities in Fthiotis and Fokis, Greek mainland, and Hydrosmecta sp. 2 in the Greek mainland (several localities) and Cyprus (unpublished records).