LAUSR

* Correspondence: [email protected] The order Neuroptera contains three families with water-dependent larvae: Nevrorthidae, Osmylidae, and Sisyridae (spongillaflies or sponge flies). Spongillaflies is the only neuropteran family with true aquatic larvae. The Sisyridae with ca. sixty valid species occur in all continents of the world (except Antarctica) (Monserrat, 1977, 2014; Rausch and Weißmair, 2007; Cover and Resh, 2008; Canard et al., 2015b). Adults resembling brown lacewings are relatively small, with forewing length 4–10 mm (Figure 1). In the wings the costal cross veins are not forked, subcosta is curved distally. There are no true gradate cross veins and only a few cross veins in the forewings exist. Adult spongillaflies occur on vegetation near the banks of ponds, lakes, canals, rivers, and streams. By means of microscopic analysis of gut content it was revealed that adults are carnivorous–glycinophagous insects, feeding on honeydew and small arthropods like aphids and mites (Tjeder, 1944; Kokubu and Duelli, 1983; Pupedis, 1987; Stelzl, 1991; Forteath and Osborn, 2012). The carnivorous–glycinophagous nutritional type is reflected in the mouthpart morphology. The asymmetrical mandibles with an incisor are specialized for grasping prey arthropods and the spoon-like lacinia is an adaptation for the consumption of honeydew (Stelzl, 1992). A part of the courtship behavior in Sisyridae is vibrational communication. While resting on leaves or branches male and female spongillaflies produce vibrational signals by means of scratching the surface of plant substrate using the mandibles (Rupprecht, 1995, 1997). Mandibular scratching signals travelling through the substrate are picked up by the subgenual organs in the legs of a potential mate (Devetak, 1998). The life history of spongillaflies is described in a series of papers, e.g., Withycombe (1923, 1925), Killington (1936), Brown (1952), Parfin and Gurney (1956), Elliott (1977, 1996), Weißmair and Waringer (1994), Weißmair (1999), Bowles (2006), Forteath and Osborn (2012), and Monserrat (2014). The eggs are laid singly or in clusters on objects overhanging water bodies, such as leaves, branches, wood piles, and docks. Hatching usually takes place within eight days to two weeks, and the larva then drops into the water. Sisyrid larvae feed on freshwater sponges and bryozoans. The mouthparts are modified to form long slender sucking tubes (Gaumont, 1965). The larvae have segmented abdominal gills that function in breathing (Gaumont, 1966). Spongillaflies pupate close to water. The family of Sisyridae contains five genera: Sisyra Burmeister, 1839, Climacia McLachlan, 1869, Sisyrella Banks, 1913, Sisyrina Banks, 1923, and Sisyborina Monserrat, 1982. In Europe, only a single genus, Sisyra Burmeister, 1839, with seven species occurs (Aspöck et al., 2001; Rausch and Weißmair, 2007; Canard et al., 2015b). Aspöck et al. (1980, 2001) presented the distribution of Sisyridae in Europe known at that time. With recent discoveries of one sisyrid species (Sisyra bureschi Rausch and Weißmair, 2007) in Germany (Weißmair, 2010) and two (S. bureschi and S. iridipennis Costa, 1884) in continental France (Canard and Thierry, 2015; Canard et al., 2015a, 2015b) the known distribution of certain Abstract: Data on the occurrence of four spongillafly species in the Balkan countries are provided. Two species are recorded for the first time in two countries: Sisyra nigra (Retzius, 1783) in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina and Sisyra terminalis Curtis, 1854 in Serbia.