Biodiversity of true bugs (Heteroptera) from Rincón Santa María Reserve (Ibera macrosystem, Corrientes, Argentina)

MELO M. C.; MONTEMAYOR S. I.; DELLAPÉ P. M.; COSCARÓN M. DEL C.

Ciudad de Buenos Aires

Jornada; VII Jornadas Multidisciplinarias de la Sociedad Argentina de Biología; 2005

The Hemiptera currently ranks as the fifth most specious order of insects, after beetles, flies, wasps, and moths (Wilson 1992). There may be some 37.000 described species of Heteroptera, and perhaps 25.000 species remaining to be described (Schaefer & Panizzi 2000). The knowledge of biodiversity gives the basic information about richness, abundance and distribution of taxa; this data is necessary to take decisions about conservation and studies on ecosystems, ecology and cladistic biogeography. With the purpose to make a quali and quantitative inventory of terrestrial Heteroptera from Rincón Santa María Reserve, Ituzaingo (27º28? S- 56º34? W) (in the Ibera macrosystem, one of the most developed wetlands of the warm climate biosphere), Corrientes, Argentina; two entomological expeditions were done. We used four collecting methods: sweeping nets, beating nets, Malaise trap, mercury vapor light trap. We collected 349 spp. belonging to 24 families:  spp. of  6 Alydidae, 4 Anthocoridae, 1 Aradidae, 2 Berytidae, 4 Blissidae, 24 Cydnidae, 2 Cymidae, 1 Colobathristidae, 15 Coreidae, 4 Geocoridae, 4 Largidae, 12 Lygaeidae, 74 Miridae, 5 Nabidae, 1 Oxycarenidae, 5 Pachygrontidae, 48 Pentatomidae, 3 Pyrrhocoridae, 51 Reduviidae, 13  Rhopalidae, 48  Rhyparochromidae, 8 Scutelleridae, 1 Schyzopteridae and 13 Tingidae. These results are biased by the collecting methods used, there are groups with very specific habits or behaviours that cannot be contempled by them, such us hematophagous, geophilous and laminophilous Heteroptera that were not found. Anyway, comparing these amounts with the recorded 110 gen.and 146 species from Corrientes (Coscaron 2003), moreover from Argentina, we assume that the actual biodiversity is higher.