Three new cricket mosquito finds (Diptera: Simuliidae) for the Austrian fauna

Due to its geographical orientation, Austria has a share in four eco-regions and therefore has the most diverse river-water bioregions. The resulting manifestation of diverse flowing water biotopes requires a species-rich inventory of lotic funen elements, among which the typical representatives of the preimaginal stages of the cricket mosquitoes belong. Until now, 45 species of crimson mosquitoes have been detected for Austria; the number of species is therefore similar to that in neighbouring Slovakia (46 species) and the Czech Republic (43 species). Compared to Switzerland (33 species) and Germany (52 species 2009), the differences are greater. If, for Central Europe, neglecting the taxa, which have a rather marginal spread, a potential number of species is estimated to be around 60 species, then further evidence of species is to be expected for Austria in the future. The material discussed coincided with collections conducted by the author during a stay in the Zillertal (Bundesland Tirol) as well as during the international spring weeks organised by the national park administration of the Gesäuse National Park (Styria). The constellation of the entire crimson mosquito fauna of the National Park is to be reserved for its own publication.