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Cuba has one of the richest diving beetles species diversity in the Caribbean islands. However, Cuban Dytiscidae remain scarcely studied, and there is need to identify those species and habitats that urgently require effective conservation actions. Here we aim to identify the threatened taxa of the family Dytiscidae in Cuba according to their degree of vulnerability. For that, we compiled distributional data on the Cuban fauna, including data from literature, collections and own samplings carried out between the period 2000 and 2014. In addition, the vulnerability of the species was evaluated using a methodology that combines six criteria regarding both species and habitat attributes. This analysis of vulnerability was completed to 50 (94%) out of 53 Cuban species. Five species (9%) were identified as highly vulnerable, 20 (38%) moderately and 25 (48%) as having low conservation status. The five most threatened species were Laccodytes cobrinae, Laccophilus alariei, Copelatus barbouri, C. darlingtoni, and Desmopachria glabella. These species are endemic to Cuba and characterized by highly localized populations and low abundance as well as high habitat specificity. Thus, we propose the inclusion of these five species in both the red list of Cuban fauna and the IUCN Red List (under the category of "Vulnerable"). In addition, not all areas where these species were found belong to the National System of Protected Areas of Cuba. Thus, we suggest the inclusion of the Laguna Base Julio A. Mella and the North of Imías, and to develop effective management measures to prevent the alteration of these aquatic ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cuban mountain ecosystems are complex but also fragile; therefore, their high biodiversity can be easily damaged by several actions, including global climatic changes, anthropic influence and pests. Among all the living organisms in the mountains of Topes de Collantes, insects have the highest species-richness and some of their species are important from a phytosanitary standpoint. This paper is an issue of the project Diversity of flora and invertebrate fauna in Topes de Collantes, Sancti-Spíritus, Cuba which took place from January 2001 to June 2003 and offers the list of insect species considered as agricultural pests. Field work, revision of insect collections deposited in two institutions (Instituto de Ecología y Sistemática and Centro de Investigaciones Agropecuarias de la Universidad Central de Las Villas) and revision of bibliographical references yielded a total number of 1103 species including 256 species (23,2 %) regarded as pests of economically important plants. Five Orders were determined: Coleoptera 37 spp., Diptera 2 spp., Hemiptera 67 spp. (Heteroptera 22 spp., Auchenorrhyncha 17 spp. and Sternorrhyncha 28 spp.); Hymenoptera 1 sp. y Lepidoptera 149 spp.; these species are potentially dangerous for coffee and forest tree plaantations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]