Ecologica Montenegrina 41: 56-61 (2021) This journal is available online at: www.biotaxa.org/em http://dx.doi.org/10.37828/em.2021.41.8 Further distributional records of Lethocerus patruelis (Stål, 1854) (Heteroptera: Belostomatidae) in Greece LEONIDAS-ROMANOS DAVRANOGLOU1 & IOANNIS KARAOUZAS2* 1 Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, OX1 3SZ, UK. E-mail:
[email protected] 2Institute of Marine Biological Resources and Inland Waters, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Anavyssos, 19013, Attica, Greece. * Corresponding author: E-mail:
[email protected] Received 24 March 2021 │ Accepted by V. Pešić: 6 April 2021 │ Published online 11 April 2021. Abstract Although the Indo-Eastern Mediterranean giant water bug Lethocerus patruelis (Stål, 1854) is Europe’s largest hemipteran and aquatic insect, its distribution in Greece has remained poorly understood. Only a handful of records exists from the Ionian Islands, Macedonia, Thrace, and isolated observations in Preveza (Epirus), Achaia (north-western Peloponnese) and the islands of Rhodes and Thasos. Using records from personal observations, biomonitoring data, online arthropod identification groups and museum collections, we expand the distribution knowledge of this species to Aetolia-Acarnania, Thessaly, southern Peloponnese, Samothraki, North Sporades and the Cyclades. We also include a large number of new localities in areas within its previously known range. Key words: Lethocerinae; Nepomorpha; true bugs; aquatic insects; social networks; biogeography. Introduction Belostomatidae are the most charismatic of the true water bugs (Nepomorpha), due to their large size (up to 120 mm) and their voracious predatory habits, feeding on a wide range of invertebrates, fish, turtles, and even birds (Matheson 1907; Ribeiro et al.