Agabus pallidus Omer-Cooper, 1931 Figures 1, 2A, 3B, 4D, 8E, 11E, 11J, 12, 13, 14

Agabus pallidus Omer-Cooper, 1931: 786-787, fig. 3a, pl. 9: 7

Type locality.

"Between Addis Abeba and Addis Alem" [Ethiopia].

Type material.

Lectotype ♀ (BMNH) labelled: “Type”, "Abyssinia: Between Addis Abeba and Addis Alem 7,500 ft. 18.ix.1926. J.Omer-Cooper.", " Agabus pallidus, Joyce Omer-Cooper. 1931. TYPE.", " A. pallidus .O.C.", "LECTOTYPUS ♀ Agabus pallidus Omer-Cooper, 1931 Des. A. Nilsson, 1989".

Diagnosis.

Similar in all diagnostic features to A. raffrayi except for the narrower metasternal wing (Table 1, Figs 2, 12).

Description.

Habitus as in Fig. 11E, J.

Colour: Head black, most specimens with a small rufous anterior area, interocular spots not present. Pronotum black with rufous margins. Elytra rufotestaceous to brown. Ventral surface black, hypomeron rufous, epipleuron testaceous to rufotestaceous. Legs rufous to rufopiceous. Antennae and palpi testaceous to rufotestaceous.

Microreticulation: Medium impressed on head and pronotum, similar in both sexes. Composed of a mixture of small and somewhat larger, uneven meshes. Elytral microreticulation similar, but less strongly impressed and more uneven, with some relatively elongate meshes, especially close to suture. One female examined (Ethiopia, Arsi, 13 km E Bekoji) has more strongly impressed elytral reticulation, with distinctly wider grooves between meshes.

Structural features: Body length: 7.52-8.40 mm (see Table 1). Hypomeron not visible in lateral view (as in Fig. 10C, D), lateral bead of pronotum well defined (Fig. 10D). Metasternal wing narrow, WC/WS> 3.0 (see Table 1, Figs 2A, 12). Pronotum very broad, more than or equal to 3.3 × as broad as interocular distance in males (see Table 1, Figs 4D, 13).

Legs: Protarsal claws long,> 1.6 × as long as protarsomere 4 (see Table 2 and Fig. 14). Metatarsomeres short and broad; metatarsomere 2 <1.6 × as long as broad (see Table 2), metatarsomere 5 <3.0 times as long as broad (see Table 2).

Male genitalia: Subapically broadened, and prolonged between the subapical broadening and the apical and subapical teeth (Fig. 8E). Subapical tooth with varying appearance (similar to magnitude in variation seen in Fig. 5A-C).

Female: Externally similar to males.

Distribution.

Ethiopia (see Fig. 1).

Habitat.

Found in small streams and often temporary waterbodies at elevations of 2250 to 4000 m (Nilsson and Persson 1990; Nilsson 1992a; Nilsson and Persson 1993).

Etymology.

The name refers to the pale nature of the type specimens (Latin: pallidus = pale).

Comments.

See comments for A. raffrayi .