A checklist of the hoverflies (Diptera: Syrphidae) of Austria.

Hoverflies are a conspicuous and popular family within the Diptera. The larvae as well as the adults are able to colonize a wide range of habitats, and many species play important roles as pollinators, in pest management and nowadays in applied nature conservation issues. Despite of this, the state of knowledge on the hoverflies of Austria is deficient: Available literature is outdated in systematics and the species inventory is obviously incomplete. These facts led us to study the Austrian hoverfly fauna in more detail. Syrphidae records from an extensive literature search, additional unpublished data from museum collections and data from own fieldwork were compiled to build a comprehensive checklist of Austrian hoverflies. The species distributions are given by federal state in order to retain a precise overview of this Diptera group. The framework of this research is based on 20520 records and in total, 271957 individuals. The checklist includes 430 confirmed species. An additional 25 hoverfly species are discussed but not included in the list. These are species for which it is unclear if the locality lies within the present borders of Austria, or whose voucher specimens were not available for re-examination. In total 17 hoverfly species are new to Austria: Anasimyia contracta Claussen Torp, 1980; Brachyopa grunewaldensis Kassebeer 2000; Brachyopa obscura Thompson Torp, 1982; Brachyopa silviae Doczkal Dziock, 2004; Cheilosia orthotricha Vuji Claussen, 1994; Eristalis picea (Falln, 1817); Melangyna ericarum (Collin, 1946); Melangyna lucifera Nielsen, 1980; Melangyna pavlovskyi Violovitsh, 1956; Melanogaster curvistylus Vuji Stuke, 1998; Merodon moenium (Wiedemann, 1822); Paragus absidatus Goeldlin, 1971; Paragus bradescui Stanescu, 1981; Platycheirus laskai (Nielsen, 1999); Sphegina verecunda Collin, 1937; Temnostoma angustistriatum Krivosheina, 2002 and Temnostoma meridionale Krivosheina Mamayev, 1962. In addition, 278 first records for several Austrian federal states are published. With 331 species, Styria currently hosts the largest number of documented species per federal state, followed by Lower Austria (307 spp.), Upper Austria (269 spp.), Carinthia (259 spp.), Vorarlberg (234 spp.), Burgenland (201 spp.), North Tyrol (172 spp.), Vienna (169 spp.), Salzburg (155 spp.) and Eastern Tyrol (154 spp.).

Revision of the Australian planthopper genus Chidaea Emeljanov with a redescription of Cixius sidnicus Stål, 1859 (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha: Fulgoromorpha: Cixiidae).

As part of the ongoing revision of the Australian Cixiidae, here we revise the endemic genus Chidaea Emeljanov, 2000. Examination of the holotype of Cixius sidnicus Stål, 1859 revealed that it is not congeneric with Cixius nervosus (Linnaeus, 1758) but belongs to the hitherto monotypic genus Chidaea resulting in the new combination Chidaea sidnicus (Stål, 1859). Chidaea dayi Emeljanov, 2000 is redescribed and thirteen new species are described: Chidaea algida sp. nov., Ch. armidalensis sp. nov., Ch. belairensis sp. nov., Ch. bobadeenensis sp. nov., Ch. carinata sp. nov., Ch. crassa sp. nov., Ch. dickinsonorum sp. nov., Ch. etelis sp. nov., Ch. kimbaensis sp. nov., Ch. orangensis sp. nov., Ch. pulyonna sp. nov., Ch. punctata sp. nov., and Ch. wilarra sp. nov. An identification key to species of Chidaea and to Australian genera of Cixiini is presented. Host plant relationships and distribution are discussed. Chidaea is endemic to Australia and occurs in all states and territories apart from the Northern Territory.

Fieber's unpublished colour plates allow reassessing some of his Cixius species (Insecta: Hemiptera, Fulgoromorpha, Cixiidae).

Franz Xaver Fieber was a leading Hemiptera taxonomist in the 19th century. The recent discovery of his unpublished drawings that go along with the original handwritten manuscript allow a reassessment of species descriptions from this century. In addition, we present an alphabet of Fieber's handwriting. We give an overview on the Cixiidae species he had described and reassess the status of the species names Cixius brachycranus Scott, 1870, Cixius intermedius Scott, 1870, Cixius pinicola Fieber, 1876, Tachycixius venustulus (Germar, 1830) and Tachycixius distinctus (Signoret, 1865). T. venustulus and T. distinctus are regarded as valid species. The synonymy of C. pinicola with T. venustulus is invalidated and C. pinicola is placed in synonymy with T. distinctus.

The Auchenorrhyncha fauna of peat bogs in the Austrian part of the Bohemian Forest (Insecta, Hemiptera).

The first overview on the Auchenorrhyncha fauna of peat bogs of the Austrian Bohemian Forest is presented. Seven oligotrophic peat bog sites were studied in 2011 by suction sampler ("G-Vac") and 93 Auchenorrhyncha species (with 7465 adult specimens) were recorded. Eleven species (about 18 % of the individuals) are tyrphobiontic or tyrphophilous. The relative species abundance plot is not very steep; the six most abundant species represent 50 % of the individuals. The most common species is Conomelus anceps (17 % of the individuals). Compared to the whole Austrian Auchenorrhyncha fauna, the fauna of peat bogs comprises distinctly more univoltine species and more species hibernating in nymphal stage. Densities of adult Auchenorrhyncha in peat bogs are low in spring (about 10-60 individuals per m²) and high in July, with up to 180 (±50) individuals per m². Disturbed peat bogs have higher species numbers and higher Auchenorrhyncha densities in total, but lower numbers and densities in peat bog specialists.