Ökad kännedom om akvatiska skalbaggar i Dalsland

Abstract

The fauna of Dalsland remains unexplored in comparison to most other Swedish provinces. To increase the knowledge of insect species’ diversity in Dalsland, I conducted a province-wide inventory of aquatic and riparian beetles in 2023. The inventory was conducted twice to cover the spring and autumn peaks of adult beetle abundances. A variety of aquatic habitats were sampled using a multitude of methods, such as netting, baited trapping, kicking, and stomping. In total, 664 individuals belonging to 114 species were collected and identified. Of these, 10 were new to Dalsland and 21 had no provincial species records in Artportalen. I discuss a few species with earlier records in the province that were not found during this inventory, and mention additional species likely present in the province. This study has increased our knowledge of the aquatic fauna of Dalsland. However, above all it highlights the lack of knowledge of aquatic beetles, and insects in general, for the province of Dalsland.