Diversity and Ecology of Saproxylic Hemiptera

Abstract

Saproxyly evolved several times independently within the insect order HemipteraHemiptera. Saproxylic Hemiptera are ancient groups of insects with approx. 5000 species described worldwide. They occur in all major zoogeographic regions but show the highest diversity in the tropics and subtropics. Species of this group are predominantly fungivores, sucking on fungal hyphae in deadwood, but also include a number of predators. They colonize a broad range of habitats, including deadwood structures of living trees as well as standing and downed logs of different diameters and decay stages. Also several pyrophilouspyrophilous species are known. Although most species have good dispersal capacities to find ephemeral deadwood structures, many species with reduced wings are known to occur in leaf litter, which provides a stable habitat, particularly in the tropics. Despite this numerical and ecological importance, our knowledge about the biology and ecology of these species is scarce. Most information is available from temperate and boreal forests, where many species are highly threatened due to intensive management and decreased fire frequency in fire-prone systems. It can be assumed that a high percentage of tropical species with their concealed lifestyle are still not discovered. More research on the ecology and habitat requirements of saproxylic Hemiptera is needed to protect this ancient and ecologically diverse group.