Rediscovery of dytiscus latissimus linnaeus, 1758 (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae) on the southern edge of its distribution area in central and eastern Poland

Abstract

Dytiscus latissimus was recorded in a deep drainage ditch at the edge of the Bagno Bubnów fen in the Poleski National Park. Eight dead individuals (4♀♀ and 4 ♂♂) were found on 11.04.2019 in a poaching net for fish in which an otter Lutra lutra (Linnaeus, 1759) was caught and died. The remains of another three individuals (2♀♀ and 1♂) were found on the shore at the same site on 17.04.2020. This data is discussed on the background of data on the geographical distribution and habitat preferences of this species. The new record confirms the existence of a small island of its occurrence area in Central and Eastern Poland, the only one in the country outside the young glacial lake districts in the north-western and northern part of Poland. The new record also suggests that the habitat spectrum of the species may be at least locally wider than it is recognized - which is worth considering when looking for its potential sites.