Occurrence, distribution, and new records of Elmidae genera (Coleoptera: Elmidae) in Honduras
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15517/psa5j692Keywords:
benthic insect; new records; tropical rivers; altitudinal gradient; biodiversity conservationAbstract
Introduction: The family Elmidae consists of cosmopolitan aquatic beetles that primarily inhabit lotic environments, especially in fast-flowing areas, which is why they are known as riffle beetles. In Honduras, the earliest species records date back over 50 years, with some genera being mentioned in studies of aquatic macrofauna. However, a systematic review of their diversity and distribution had never been conducted. Objective: To characterize the occurrence of Elmidae genera in Honduras, presenting data on their abundance and distribution along new records. Methods: We conducted surveys from 2017 to 2023 at 63 sites, ranging from 97 to 1 644 meters above sea level, across both the Atlantic and Pacific slopes. Additionally, we conducted a literature review that included peer-reviewed papers, as well as theses and technical reports. Results: A total of 1 948 adult organisms were identified, and eleven genera were recorded. Nine of these belonged to the subfamily Elminae: Austrolimnius, Cylloepus, Heterelmis, Macrelmis, Microcylloepus, Neocylloepus, Neoelmis, Stenhelmoides and Xenelmis, and two to the subfamily Larainae: Phanocerus and Hexanchorus. The distribution range of six genera was extended, and three were recorded for the first time in Honduras. Conclusion: Current knowledge of Elmidae in Honduras is still limited, as most records come from adult specimens collected on the Pacific slope. Expanding sampling efforts to include the Atlantic slope, larval stages, and a wider range of lotic and lentic microhabitats, combined with species-level identification and molecular approaches, will be essential to achieve a more comprehensive understanding of the diversity, distribution, and ecological patterns of Elmidae in the country.
Downloads
References
Bowles, D. E., Barr, C. B., & Stanford, R. (2003). Habitat and phenology of the endangered riffle beetle Heterelmis comalensis and a coexisting species, Microcylloepus pusillus (Coleoptera: Elmidae) at Comal Springs, Texas, USA. Fundamental and Applied Limnology: Archiv für Hydrobiologie, 156(3), 361–383. https://doi.org/10.1127/0003-9136/2003/0156-0361
Brown, H. P. (1970). Neocylloepus, a new genus from Texas and Central America (Coleoptera: Dryopoidea: Elmidae). The Coleopterists' Bulletin, 24(1), 1–29. https://doi.org/10.5962/p.372533
Brown, H. P. (1987). Biology of riffle beetles. Annual Review of Entomology, 32(1), 253–273. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.en.32.010187.001345
Elliott, J. M. (2008). The ecology of riffle beetles (Coleoptera: Elmidae). Freshwater Reviews, 1(2), 189–203. https://doi.org/10.1608/frj-1.2.4
Fujiwara, J., Maeto, K., & Yoshimura, M. (2022). Effect of environmental factors on the abundance of riffle beetles (Coleoptera: Elmidae) and co-inhabiting aquatic insects within a reach scale in Japan. Journal of Insect Conservation, 26(6), 893–906. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10841-022-00434-y
González-Córdoba, M., Zúñiga, M. del C., Giraldo, L. P., Ramírez, Y. P., & Chará, J. (2020a). Sensibilidad de Elmidae (Insecta: Coleoptera) a la perturbación del hábitat y la calidad fisicoquímica del agua en ambientes lóticos de los Andes colombianos. Revista de Biología Tropical, 68(2), 601–622. https://doi.org/10.15517/rbt.v68i2.36702
González-Córdoba, M., Zúñiga, M. del C., & Manzo, V. (2020b). La familia Elmidae (Insecta: Coleoptera: Byrrhoidea) en Colombia: riqueza taxonómica y distribución. Revista de la Academia Colombiana de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, 44(171), 522–553. https://doi.org/10.18257/raccefyn.1062
Hinton, H. E. (1934). Miscellaneous studies in the Helminae (Dryopidae, Coleoptera). Revista de Entomologia, 4(2), 192–199.
Hinton, H. E. (1940). VII. The Peruvian and Bolivian species of Macrelmis Motsch. (Coleoptera, Elmidae). Transactions of the Linnean Society of London, 1(2), 117–147. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1096-3642.1940.tb00007.x
Hinton, H. E. (1971). Some American Austrolimnius (Coleoptera: Elmidae). Journal of Entomology Series B, Taxonomy, 40(2), 93–99. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-3113.1971.tb00110.x
Hsieh, T. C., Ma, K. H., & Chao, A. (2016). iNEXT: An R package for rarefaction and extrapolation of species diversity (Hill numbers). Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 7(12), 1451–1456. https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.12613
Jäch, M. A., & Balke, M. (2008). Global diversity of water beetles (Coleoptera) in freshwater. Hydrobiologia, 595(1), 419–442. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-007-9117-y
Jäch, M. A., Kodada, J., Brojer, M., Shepard, W. D., & Čiampor, F., Jr. (2016). Coleoptera: Elmidae and Protelmidae (World Catalogue of Insects, Vol. 14). Brill. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004291775
López, L. I., Gutiérrez, P., & Mora, J. M. (2010). Macrofauna acuática de la quebrada Santa Inés, subcuenca del río Yeguare, Honduras. Ceiba, 51(1), 17–28. https://doi.org/10.5377/ceiba.v51i1.646
Manzo, V. (2013). Los élmidos de la región Neotropical (Coleoptera: Byrrhoidea: Elmidae): diversidad y distribución. Revista de la Sociedad Entomológica Argentina, 72(3–4), 199–212.
Monserrate, F., Valencia, J., Leverón, S., Pineda, J., & Cartagena, C. (2017). Generación de los mapas oficiales de cuencas, subcuencas y microcuencas para el territorio hondureño [Reporte técnico]. United States Agency for International Development (USAID); Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT); Dirección General de Recursos Hídricos (DGRH).
Oviedo, A., Rojas, G., & Lanza, S. (2017). Estado del arte del manejo integrado de cuencas hidrográficas [Reporte técnico]. Dirección de Investigación Científica y Posgrado (DICYP), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras (UNAH).
Passos, M. I. S., Manzo, V., & Maier, C. A. (2018). Families Dryopidae, Elmidae, and Psephenidae. In N. Hamada, J. H. Thorp, & D. C. Rogers (Eds.), Thorp and Covich's Freshwater Invertebrates (4th ed., Vol. 3: Keys to Neotropical Hexapoda, pp. 583–598). Academic Press.
Polizei, T. T. S., Costa, L. S. M., & Bispo, P. C. (2022). Spanglerelmis, a new genus of Elmidae (Insecta: Coleoptera) from Brazil with new species and biological notes. European Journal of Taxonomy, 813, 33–56. https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2022.813.1731
QGIS Development Team. (2026). QGIS Geographic Information System [Software de computación]. Open Source Geospatial Foundation. https://qgis.org
R Core Team. (2025). R: A language and environment for statistical computing [Software de computación]. R Foundation for Statistical Computing. https://www.R-project.org/
Seagle Jr., H. H. (1980). Flight periodicity and emergence patterns in the Elmidae (Coleoptera: Dryopoidea). Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 73(3), 300–306. https://doi.org/10.1093/aesa/73.3.300
Sharp, D. (1882). Haliplidae, Dytiscidae, Gyrinidae, Hydrophilidae, Heteroceridae, Parnidae, Georissidae, Cyathoceridae. In F. D. Godman & O. Salvin (Eds.), Biologia Centrali-Americana. Insecta. Coleoptera (Vol. 1, Pt. 2, pp. 1–144). Taylor & Francis.
Shepard, W. D. (2004). Lotic regions of Belize and their aquatic byrrhoid Coleoptera (Dryopidae, Elmidae, Lutrochidae, Psephenidae, Ptilodactylidae). Pan Pacific Entomologist, 80(1–4), 53–59.
Spangler, P. J. (1981). Two new genera of phreatic elmid beetles from Haiti. Bijdragen tot de Dierkunde, 51(2), 375–387.
Spangler, P. J., & Santiago, S. (1985). Una nueva especie de coleóptero acuático del género Macrelmis Motschulsky de México y Centroamérica (Coleoptera: Elmidae). Anales del Instituto de Biología, UNAM, Serie Zoología, 56(1), 155–158.
Spangler, P. J., & Perkins, P. D. (1989). A revision of the Neotropical aquatic beetle genus Stenhelmoides (Coleoptera: Elmidae). Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology, 479, 1–63. https://doi.org/10.5479/si.00810282.479
Spangler, P. J., & Santiago, S. (1992). The aquatic beetle subfamily Larainae (Coleoptera: Elmidae) in Mexico, Central America, and the West Indies. Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology, 528, 1–74. https://doi.org/10.5479/si.00810282.528
Additional Files
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Revista de Biología Tropical
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (CC BY 4.0)
Attribution (BY) • (BY) You must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author or licensor (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work).
Funding data
-
United Nations Development Programme
Grant numbers NA
