Municipal record of Rheumatobates mexicanus Drake & Hottes 1951 (Heteroptera: Gerridae) for Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico
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Keywords

aguas salobres
chinches semiacuáticas
manglar
distribución geográfica

How to Cite

Bucio-Pacheco, M., Castro-Bastidas, H. A., Olguín-García, L. E., Santos-García, E. G., & Meza-Inostroza, P. M. (2026). Municipal record of Rheumatobates mexicanus Drake & Hottes 1951 (Heteroptera: Gerridae) for Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico. UNIVERSIDAD DEL MAR, 30(89), 45–49. Retrieved from http://www.cienciaymar.mx/Revista/index.php/cienciaymar/article/view/92

Abstract

The objective of the study was to document the presence of Rheumatobates mexicanus in the municipality of Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico, thereby updating its known distribution in the state after nearly sixty years without published records. On September 10, 2021, specimens were collected at Estero del Yugo, a mangrove ecosystem, using an aquatic entomological net; the organisms were preserved in 70% ethyl alcohol and identified in the laboratory using specialized taxonomic keys based on morphological modifications of males and females. Two males and one female were obtained, exhibiting the characteristic diagnostic structures, such as the T-shaped projection on the inner surface of the hind femur in males, confirming the species identity. This finding constitutes the first municipal record for Mazatlán and one of the few recent records in Mexico. It is concluded that poorly explored coastal brackish-water ecosystems are key to detecting new records of semiaquatic bugs and improving understanding of their current distribution in the country.

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Copyright (c) 2026 Marcos Bucio-Pacheco, Héctor Alexis Castro-Bastidas, Luis Enrique Olguín-García, Eduardo Gerónimo Santos-García, Perla Margarita Meza-Inostroza