Family SALDIDAE

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Family SALDIDAE

Introduction

The Saldidae, or shorebugs, are the most speciose leptopodomorphan family and are known from all major zoogeographic regions. Globally, the family presently comprises two subfamilies, 29 genera and 335 extant species (Schuh et al. 1987, Zoological Record 1986–1994, Polhemus, J.T. pers. comm., Henry 1995).

The Saldidae are ovoid to elongate and usually medium sized. They are cryptically coloured, most often dark, with various lighter markings, particularly on the hemelytra. The head is declivent, short, lacks a collar-like vertex, and has three pairs of trichobothria. The eyes are very large, reniform and not subpendunculate. Ocelli are almost always present and flattened. The antennae are long and 4-segmented. The labium is 4-segmented, with the first segment very short and not apparent. The pronotum is subtrapezoidal. The hemelytra have a distinctive membrane with four to five parallel-sided cells. Wing polymorphism is prevalent, with macroptery, submacroptery, brachyptery, coleoptery and microptery known (Polhemus 1985). The metathoracic scent gland has a median reservoir and a median osteole opening on the metasternum. The legs are relatively long and adapted for jumping and running. The femora are narrowly fusiform and lack long spines. The tibiae are linear and strongly spinose. The tarsi are 3-segmented. The male phallus has a complex internal reel system and is differentiated into a phallosoma, conjunctiva and vesica. The females have a laciniate ovipositor with well-developed and serrate valvulae (Slater 1982, Polhemus 1985).

Polhemus (1985) reviewed the biology of Saldidae in great detail, providing information on life histories, temperature adaptations, diapause, species distributions, habitats, food selection and flight. Saldids are either predaceous or saprophagous. Most saldids are littoral and encountered in damp places or near watercourses, by both fresh and salt water. The Holarctic species, Saldula pallipes (Fabricius), is known to cope with submergence by high tides. Slater (1982) records saldids from mud flats, salt marshes, rocks in streams, dam walls, sandbars and intertidal flats. Polhemus (1988) reports that a few species occur in dry land far from water. Dolling (1991) suggests that bare ground is the favoured habitat of saldids as they are active predators that need clear areas to hunt. Saldids are very agile and difficult to capture. Females show variable oviposition behaviour: eggs are laid amongst moss or in the tissues of plants. Polhemus (1988) suggests that most species lay their eggs at the bases of grass blades or insert them into grass tissues.

Cobben (1959) provided a modern classification of the Saldidae, recognising three subfamilies—Aepophilinae, Chiloxanthinae and Saldinae, on the basis of characters of the head, and male and female genitalia. Schuh & Polhemus (1980) raised the extralimital Aepophilinae to family level. This classification is followed in the Catalogue.

The Chiloxanthini is a homogeneous subfamily comprising four genera recognised by a long embolar fracture and five membrane cells. The chiloxanthines are known from the Palaearctic, Oriental, Nearctic, Neotropical and Australasian regions. The most speciose genus, Pentacora Reuter, predominates in the Western Hemisphere, and has a few representatives in the Indo-Malayan region and Australia. Cobben (1985) recognised two Saldinae tribes: Chartoscirtini and Saldini. Polhemus (1985) revised the tribal classification, identifying three tribes—Saldini, Saldoidini (= Chartoscirtini) and Saldunculini, all of which have lateral larval glands, a short embolar fracture and the hemelytral membrane has four cells. The Saldini have three genera which are found in the Palaearctic and Nearctic regions. The Saldoidini are the most speciose saldid group and presently comprise 16 genera, mostly found in the Afrotropical, Palaearctic, Nearctic and Neotropical regions, with a few species of Saldoida Osborn and Saldula Van Duzee occurring in the Oriental and Australasian regions. The Saldunculini are monogeneric, with Salduncula Brown, comprising seven species, mostly found in the palaeotropics (Schuh et al. 1987, Polhemus 1991).

Cobben (1960) gave a detailed account of the eastern Palaearctic saldid fauna. Lindskog (1975) reviewed various species groups of Saldula in the Palaearctic Region. Cobben (1980) reviewed the Hawaiian Saldula fauna, recognising eight species and proposed three independent invasions of the archipelago. Polhemus (1985) revised the Saldidae of Middle America giving detailed descriptions of the genera and species, keys, distribution maps and illustrations. Cobben (1985) reviewed the Eurasian saldid fauna and described 14 new species. Cobben (1987) described numerous species from the Afrotropical Region. Polhemus & Chapman's (1979) review of the Californian Saldidae is also relevant to the remainder of the Nearctic fauna. Polhemus (1988) catalogued the Nearctic fauna and listed the significant literature for that region. Other significant literature for the Saldidae includes the detailed work of Parsons (1962–1965) on the morphology of Saldula pallipes, and the world catalogue of Schuh et al. (1987). Schuh and Polhemus (2009) revised the genus Pseudosaldula Cobben which has an Andean distribution.

The Australian saldid fauna comprises three genera and 10 species: Pentacora Reuter (three species), Saldula (five species) and Salduncula (one species). Rimes (1951) revised the Australian saldid fauna, describing four new species. The Saldidae are recorded from all mainland states and territories. Semmens et al. (1992) recorded Saldula saltatoria (Linnaeus) from Tasmania. This is the first record of this species from Australia; it is considered a misidentification and is excluded from the Catalogue. Polhemus (pers. comm.) has indicated that Saldoida armata Horváth, Saldula niveolimbata (Reuter) and Saldula ornatula (Reuter) all occur in Australia. These species, however, have not been recorded formally from Australia and have not been examined by the authors. Therefore, they are not included in the Catalogue.