True bugs (Heteroptera) of the Pannonic salt steppes and salt marshes in Serbia and their conservation status in the Pannonian countries

Abstract

Summary Inland saline grasslands and wetlands of the Pannonian Region are areas of great conservation importance since they are the only habitats known for numerous Eurasian steppe species. Characteristic vegetation of halophytes accommodates unique communities of true bugs with several saline habitat specialists. These saline specialists and some rare steppe species are highly threatened and listed in the red lists of several Pannonian countries. Serbian data on true bug fauna from saline habitats are scarce, and the last known work on these insects was done by Géza Horváth more than a century ago. Our study aims to explore the richness of the true bug fauna of saline habitats with the presence of saline specialists in Northern Serbia. We also aim to highlight the species of potential conservation importance. In total, 231 species of true bugs species are recorded from saline habitats of the Pannonian Serbia. For the first time Agramma (Agramma) ruficorne (Germar, 1835), Chlamydatus (Chlamydatus) saltitans (Fallén, 1807), Emblethis brachynotus Horváth, 1897, Lygaeosoma anatolicum Seidenstücker, 1960, Geotomus punctulatus (Costa, 1847) and Phimodera flori Fieber, 1863 are mentioned here from our country. After several decades, seven species are rediscovered – Chartoscirta cocksii (Curtis, 1835), Acalypta gracilis (Fieber, 1844), Aoploscelis bivirgata (Costa, 1853), Compsidolon (Apsinthophylus) pumilum (Jakovlev, 1876), Conostethus hungaricus Wagner, 1941, Criocoris sulcicornis (Kirschbaum, 1856) and Crypsinus angustatus (Baerensprung, 1859) – previously, the most recent records of the latter four species were provided by Horváth in the late nineteenth century. After five years of systematic research of the Pannonic salt steppes and salt marshes, we could say that this unique group of habitats is one of the best-studied for true bugs in our country. However, to give a solid foundation for future red lists of true bugs of Serbia, other parts of the country also need to be explored thoroughly. Besides saline specialists, the red list should consider and prioritize species with rare records in Serbia.