New paper!

Sanchez-Muelas J. et al.: "A new introduced species in South America: the Asian water bug Synaptonecta issa (Distant, 1910) (Heteroptera, Micronectidae)".

Background
Corixoidea is the only group of water bugs (Hemiptera, Heteroptera, Nepomorpha) that does not exhibit strictly predatory habits. Two families have been recorded from the Neotropics: Corixidae and Micronectidae. The latter is represented by three genera in the region: Monogobia Nieser & Chen, 2006, Synaptogobia Nieser & Chen, 2006 and Tenagobia Bergroth, 1899. At least four species of Corixoidea have been introduced into non-native areas: Micronecta ludibunda Breddin, 1905 to North America; Synaptonecta issa (Distant, 1910) to North America, the Caribbean Islands and New Zealand; Trichocorixa verticalis (Fieber, 1851) to Europe, Africa and New Caledonia; and T. reticulata (Guerin-Meneville, 1857) to Hawaii.
New information
Here, we record S. issa from South America for the first time. We collected specimens in the Municipality of Buenaventura, Department of Valle del Cauca, Pacific Region of Colombia. We found it in a permanent freshwater lagoon, in areas dominated by the aquatic plant Cabomba cf. haynessi. We also found the native Neotropical micronectid Tenagobia signata (White, 1879) at the same site and report its first record from Colombia. The introduction pathway of S. issa into South America and any environmental impacts that it might cause locally remain unknown and should be investigated.

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New paper!

Chen Z., Li H. & Cai W.: "New species and novel mitochondrial gene rearrangements in the thread-legged bug genus Chinemesa (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Emesinae)".

The thread-legged bug genus Chinemesa Wygodzinsky, 1966 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Emesinae: Emesini) is a small group of five species endemic to the Oriental Region. However, the species diversity of this genus is still far from completely explored, especially in the mainland of Asia. Here we describe three new species, C. ornata sp. n., C. pulchella sp. n. and C. weilingfengi sp. n., from southern China. Based on the newly sequenced mitochondrial genomes of four Chinemesa species, we detected two gene rearrangement patterns in the genus: a translocation of trnI and trnQ in all four species, and a loss of trnW in C. pulchella sp. n. Both gene rearrangements are novel within Reduviidae as well as Heteroptera, and can be explained by the tandem duplication-random loss (TDRL) model. Phylogenetic analyses based on mitogenomic datasets recovered the monophyly of Chinemesa, with the translocation of trnI-trnQ as a potential molecular synapomorphy for the genus.

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New paper!

Gil-Santana H.R. et al.: "Valentina aline gen. nov., sp. nov., a new genus and species of cave-associated Emesinae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae) from Brazil".

A new cave-associated genus and species of Emesinae, Valentina aline gen. nov., sp. nov. (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Emesinae), is described from the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil, based on four males and six female specimens. In addition to the taxonomic description, we provide ecological notes on the subterranean habitats in which the specimens were recorded. We further highlight potential conservation concerns affecting these sites, emphasizing the vulnerability of subterranean ecosystems to ongoing anthropogenic pressures.

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