Mangroves are an overlooked hotspot of insect diversity despite low plant diversity.

BACKGROUND: The world's fast disappearing mangrove forests have low plant diversity and are often assumed to also have a species-poor insect fauna. We here compare the tropical arthropod fauna across a freshwater swamp and six different forest types (rain-, swamp, dry-coastal, urban, freshwater swamp, mangroves) based on 140,000 barcoded specimens belonging to ca. 8500 species. RESULTS: We find that the globally imperiled habitat "mangroves" is an overlooked hotspot for insect diversity. Our study reveals a species-rich mangrove insect fauna (>3000 species in Singapore alone) that is distinct (>50% of species are mangrove-specific) and has high species turnover across Southeast and East Asia. For most habitats, plant diversity is a good predictor of insect diversity, but mangroves are an exception and compensate for a comparatively low number of phytophagous and fungivorous insect species by supporting an unusually rich community of predators whose larvae feed in the productive mudflats. For the remaining tropical habitats, the insect communities have diversity patterns that are largely congruent across guilds. CONCLUSIONS: The discovery of such a sizeable and distinct insect fauna in a globally threatened habitat underlines how little is known about global insect biodiversity. We here show how such knowledge gaps can be closed quickly with new cost-effective NGS barcoding techniques.

A remarkable new genus and two new species of the Gigantometopini (Hemiptera, Heteroptera, Miridae, Isometopinae) from Brunei.

The new genus Megalofaciatus gen. nov. represented by two new species M. foliotibialis Taszakowski, Kim Herczek sp. nov. (the type species) and M. gibbosus sp. nov. Taszakowski, Kim Herczek (Hemiptera, Heteroptera, Miridae, Isometopinae, Gigantometopini), is described from Brunei. Photographs of the adult males and genital structures, as well as detailed SEM micrographs, are presented. The first finding of the largely modified leg in Gigantometopini is also reported.

Tatupa grafei, a new genus and species of Cylapinae (Heteroptera, Miridae) from Brunei Darussalam.

A new genus and species, Tatupa grafei Tyts, Namyatova & Konstantinov, gen. et sp. nov. (Heteroptera, Miridae, Cylapinae, Fulviini), is described from Brunei Darussalam. A diagnosis, photographs of the dorsal habitus, scanning micrographs of selected morphological structures, and illustrations of male and female genitalia are provided for this new species. Its taxonomic placement within the subfamily Cylapinae is briefly discussed. A comparison with the morphologically most similar genus, Proamblia Bergroth, 1910, is made, and scanning micrographs of Proamblia are also provided.

Two new genera and species of the Gigantometopini (Hemiptera, Heteroptera, Miridae, Isometopinae) from Borneo with remarks on the distribution of the tribe.

Two new genera, each represented by a single new species, Planicapitus luteus Taszakowski, Kim & Herczek, gen. et sp. nov. and Bruneimetopus simulans Taszakowski, Kim & Herczek, gen. et sp. nov., are described from Borneo. Detailed photographs of male habitus and genital structures are presented. The checklist with distributional records for all known taxa of Gigantometopini is also provided.

Notes on the genus Kosmiomiris Kirkaldy (Hemiptera: Miridae: Hyalopeplini) with description of a new species.

A new species of the hyalopepline genus Kosmiomiris is described, Kosmiomiris carvalhoi Kim Jung sp. nov. Morphological information including diagnoses, descriptions of new species, and re-description of K. rubroornatus and biological notes are presented with photographs. Female genitalia of two species in this genus is described for the first time. A key to the Kosmiomiris species is also provided.