Zoogeographical structure of the lace bugs (Heteroptera: Tingidae) fauna of the North Caucasus and possible ways of its formation

Abstract

Тhe fauna of Tingidae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) of the North Caucasus includes 59 native species of 19 genera and one invasive species. Тhis fauna consists of two large and not equivalent zoogeographical complexes of a different origin. The main body of the fauna is formed by arid complex, in the wide sense, including 44 species (74.6% of all Tingidae native fauna of the North Caucasus). The most part of species areas of this complex is located on territory of the Ancient Mediterranean. The complex includes the following zoogeographical elements: subarid wide palaearctic (20 species, or 33.9% of all Tingidae fauna), mediterranean with great prevalence of originates from dry subtropics (15 species; 25.4 %), subarid west palaearctic (5 species; 8.5%), deserted-steppe (3 species; 5.1%), tropic-subtropical of the Old World (1 species; 1.7%). Species of this complex inhabit open biotopes of the flat part of the North Caucasus and good isolated parts of slopes and forest edges of low mountains and rarely somewhat more lofty. A humid zoogeographical complex is in 3 times smaller on volume (15 species; 25.4%) than arid one. The bigger or considerable part of species areas of this complex is outside of area of the Ancient Mediterranean. In arid part of Palaearctic they inhabit biotopes intrazonal type and not arid lots of mountains slopes. Some species of this complex rise up to altitude of 2000 m. The majority of these species are very widespread in a longitudinal direction, a part of species have the transpalaearctic distribution or almost that. Unique endemic of Caucasus and Pontian mountains, Stephanitis caucasica Kiritshenko, 1951, enters into this complex of the North Caucasus fauna. There are two tertiary relicts into the North Caucasus fauna – Cantacader quadricornis (Lepeletier et Serville, 1828) and Stephanitis caucasica

Keywords

• lace bugs
• Heteroptera
• Tingidae
• North Caucasus
• zoogeographical structure