New paper!
Simoncini A. et al.: "Range Expansion of the Giant Water Bug Lethocerus patruelis (Stål, 1854) in Europe"

Climate change is altering freshwater ecosystems, causing extinctions, range expansions, and facilitating biological invasions. Colonization by novel species can drastically affect local biodiversity, particularly in aquatic habitats. Lethocerus patruelis (Stål, 1854) is a large predatory aquatic insect whose distribution spans from the Balkans to south-eastern Asia. In the last decades, L. patruelis sightings outside its known range have increased, particularly in Italy. The aim of this study was to assess the drivers of this expansion and the potential for future spread. We collected records of L. patruelis using published literature, citizen-science platforms, and social media. These data were used to test for directional expansion and to compare historical and novel niches. Second, we used observations from the historical range of the species to create a suitability model using MaxEnt, testing it using observations from Italy. Finally, we projected the model under three future climatic scenarios to assess the potential for future expansions. We detected a significant westward and southward expansion of L. patruelis in Italy. Niche conservatism between historical and novel ranges was observed. Nonetheless, we found limited overlap and a high level of niche unfilling, suggesting an ongoing colonization process. The suitability model showed good predictive performance, indicating a preference toward Mediterranean climates and a selection against agricultural areas. Suitable areas were predicted to increase under all three future climatic scenarios. This study suggests an ongoing spread of L. patruelis and a strong expansion potential in Europe facilitated by climate change.

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New paper!

Dai R. et al.: "A foul odor from the mesozoic: early evolution of scent gland defense in pentatomomorphan true bugs (Hemiptera: Heteroptera)"

Background
Insects have evolved various antipredator defenses, some of which produce copious chemicals when threatened, such as ants, beetles, butterflies, moths, stick insects, and true bugs. The true bugs (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) are known for their foul odor, which comprises over 45,000 species of biologically and economically important insects. One key element to the success of heteropterans is the evolution of specialized defensive glands, specifically the metathoracic scent gland in adults and the dorsal abdominal scent glands in nymphs, a hallmark synapomorphy for the clade. Within Pentatomomorpha, the scent gland peritreme exhibits remarkable morphological diversity, yet its evolutionary origins and drivers remain poorly understood due to sparse fossil evidence of these delicate structures.
Results
We report a series of Mesozoic fossils with well-preserved scent gland anatomy, including the earliest evidence from the Jurassic (165 million years ago), revealing an ancestral auricle-type morphology. Ancestral-state reconstruction across 40 extant and fossil taxa confirms the auricle as the plesiomorphic condition for Pentatomomorpha. Fossil evidence demonstrates phenotypic diversification by the Early Cretaceous (~ 125 Ma), with many peritreme types (auricle, spout, groove) emerging by the mid-Cretaceous. Developmental analyses of extant taxa show no pre-adult differentiation, indicating rapid peritreme formation during the final molt.
Conclusions
The scent gland peritreme evolved as a rapidly developing from a simple underdeveloped to auricle to five well-developed basic derived types in early Pentatomomorpha. Its subsequent diversification into specialized forms coincided with mid-Mesozoic habitat shifts and predator pressures, particularly during angiosperm proliferation. Convergent morphologies across lineages reflect shared ecological constraints and developmental plasticity.

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New paper!

Kment P. & Damme K.V.: "Limnogonus poissoni (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Gerridae): first record from the Socotra Archipelago with descriptions of 3rd, 4th and 5th larval instars"

The fauna of aquatic, semi-aquatic and ripicolous true bugs of the infraorders Nepomorpha, Gerromorpha and Leptopodomorpha of the Socotra Archipelago (Yemen) currently includes nine families and 19 species. Here we add the first record of the Afrotropical pond skater Limnogonus (Limnogonoides) poissoni Andersen, 1975 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Gerridae: Gerrinae: Gerrini) based on specimens from Socotra Island. The 3rd, 4th and 5th instars are described for the first time and compared to the known larvae of the nominotypical subgenus Limnogonus Stål, 1868 sensu stricto. Notes on the habitat in Socotra are included.

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