Laccophilus fasciatus fasciatus Aubé, 1838

Scheers, Kevin, Thomaes, Arno, Hájek, Zimmerman, Michat & Reynoso-Velasco, 2017, The Laccophilinae Gistel, 1848 of Belize (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae), Belgian Journal of Entomology 65, pp. 1-18 : 1-18

Laccophilus fasciatus fasciatus Aubé, 1838

( Figs 1 C-D, 2C, 3C, 4D)

= Laccophilus apicalis Sharp, 1873

MATERIAL STUDIED. BELIZE DISTRICT: La Democracia, ditch next to road, 17°21'38,7"N, 88°32'42,1"W, 08.V.2015, Leg. K. Scheers & A. Thomaes (6ex); La Democracia, ditch next to road, 17°21'38,7"N, 88°32'42,1"W, 09.V.2015, Leg. K. Scheers & A. Thomaes (5ex); La Democracia, shallow exposed pool, 17°21'23,5"N, 88°33'1,8"W, 09.V.2015, Leg. K. Scheers & A. Thomaes (5ex); La Democracia, Belize ZOO, concrete pond, 17°21'6,3"N, 88°33'12,6"W, 09.V.2015, Leg. K. Scheers & A. Thomaes (1ex) CAYO: Nochuch, small pool on parking lot, 17°12'28,2"N, 88°39'1"W, 09.V.2015, Leg. K. Scheers & A. Thomaes (15ex) STANN CREEK: Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, stream and puddles on rock, 16°46'50,44"N, 88°26'28,6"W, 06.V.2015, Leg. K. Scheers & A. Thomaes (21ex); Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, pool under waterfall and puddles on rockface, 16°46'22,8"N, 88°27'3,3"W, 07.V.2015, Leg. K. Scheers & A. Thomaes (1ex) TOLEDO: Punta Gorda, fishpond, 16°06'24,6"N, 88°48'25,5"W, 13.IV.2015, Leg. K. Scheers & A. Thomaes (16ex); Punta Gorda, fishpond, 16°06'24,6"N, 88°48'25,5"W, 23.IV.2015, Leg. K. Scheers & A. Thomaes (31ex); Punta Gorda, fishpond, 16°06'24,6"N, 88°48'25,5"W, 04.V.2015, Leg. K. Scheers & A. Thomaes (5ex); Bladen NR, Tyre track pools, 16°33'4,82"N, 88°42'58,08"W, 17.IV.2015, Leg. K. Scheers & A. Thomaes (9ex); Deep River FR, pond savannah, 16°31'11,7"N, 88°42'3,8"W, 19.IV.2015, Leg. K. Scheers & A. Thomaes (4ex); Deep River FR, pond savannah, 16°31'14,2"N, 88°42'5,6"W, 19.IV.2015, Leg. K. Scheers & A. Thomaes (2ex); Deep River FR, pond savannah, 16°31'42,7"N, 88°42'31,6"W, 20.IV.2015, Leg. K. Scheers & A. Thomaes (2ex); Punta Gorda, temp. stream in forest, 16°06'37,6"N, 88°49'18,8"W, 25.IV.2015, Leg. K. Scheers & A. Thomaes (4ex); Punta

8 Gorda, tyre track puddle, 16°05'24"N, 88°51'6,5"W, 25.IV.2015, Leg. K. Scheers & A. Thomaes (11ex); Punta Gorda, cattle pond, 16°05'12,8"N, 88°51'1,5"W, 25.IV.2015, Leg. K. Scheers & A. Thomaes (3ex); Punta Gorda, small stream, 16°05'17,8"N, 88°52'4"W, 25.IV.2015, Leg. K. Scheers & A. Thomaes (3ex); Indian Creek , Lake of former Lodge, 16°18'45,1"N, 88°49'31,4"W, 29.IV.2015, Leg. K. Scheers & A. Thomaes (2ex); San Miguel, pool in intermittent stream, 16°37'43,6"N, 88°33'28,8"W, 02.V.2015, Leg. K. Scheers & A. Thomaes (1ex); Punta Gorda, temp. pool next to road, 16°06'35"N, 88°48'41"W, 03.V.2015, Leg. K. Scheers & A. Thomaes (1ex); Punta Gorda, small temp. grassy marsh, 16°06'42,5"N, 88°48'37,4"W, 03.V.2015, Leg. K. Scheers & A. Thomaes (1ex); Punta Gorda, shallow pool, 16°05'19,7"N, 88°48'53,4"W, 05.V.2015, Leg. K. Scheers & A. Thomaes (4ex) .

DIAGNOSIS. TL: 4.2–5.2 mm; MW: 2.3–2.8 mm. Head and pronotum testaceous to testaceous-rufous. Elytra testaceous and irrorated with black, pale markings along the base, suture, lateral margins and the apex, elytra with an irregular transverse dark fascia on the apical half which is normally very prominent but can in some specimens be nearly absent ( Fig. 1 C-D). Ventral testaceous-rufous but broadly darkened along the lateral sides of the sternites and the lateral and anterior sides of the metacoxal plate ( Fig. 2C ), the intensity of these dark infuscation is

9 variable between specimens. In the field this species is readily distinguished by the dark transverse fascia on the elytra and the large size. Median lobe of male genitalia distinctly bent in the middle ( Fig. 3C ).

DISTRIBUTION. Belize (first records), Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico (Campeche, Chiapas, Coahuila, Colima, Jalisco, Michoacán, Oaxaca, Puebla, Tabasco, Veracruz, Yucatan), Nicaragua, Panama. According to ZIMMERMAN (1970) this species also occurs in South America , he gives however no specifics .

ECOLOGY. Laccophilus fasciatus fasciatus is a lowland species usually occurring below 1000 m a.s.l. ( ZIMMERMAN, 1970). It is found in roadside ditches, pools of streams, sloughs and stock ponds and is most abundant in shallow water in marginal vegetation and debris ( ZIMMERMAN, 1970). In our samples this species was most abundant in sun-exposed, permanent ponds ( Fig. 6 ) often with abundant marginal vegetation. It was however present in most types of lentic habitats and was in some occasions even found in small pools on rock faces and puddles in tyre tracks. This species was found to be completely absent in heavily shaded ponds and in lotic habitats with a permanent flow.

NOTE. There are three subspecies of L. fasciatus , of which only in the nominate form females with an epipleural flange exist ( Fig. 1 C-D). ZIMMERMAN (1970) mentioned that these flanged form is frequent, which corresponds to our samples where epipleural flanges are present in most female specimens.

Figures

Fig. 1. Dorsal view of Laccophilinae species in Belize. A, Laccomimus pumilio (LeConte, 1878); B, Laccophilus duplex Sharp, 1882; C-D, Female of L. fasciatus fasciatus Aubé, 1838, C, with distinct elytral flange, D, without elytral flange; E, L. gentilis suavis Sharp, 1882; F, L. oscillator laevipennis Sharp, 1882; G, L. ovatus zapotecus Zimmerman, 1970; H, L. proximus Say, 1823; I, L. spangleri Zimmerman, 1970 (Photograph: F. Trus).

Fig. 2. Ventral view of Laccophilinae species in Belize. A, Laccomimus pumilio (LeConte, 1878); B, Laccophilus duplex Sharp, 1882 (pale specimen); C, L. fasciatus fasciatus Aubé, 1838; D, L. gentilis suavis Sharp, 1882; E, L. oscillator laevipennis Sharp, 1882; F, L. ovatus zapotecus Zimmerman, 1970; G, L. proximus Say, 1823; H, L. spangleri Zimmerman, 1970 (Photograph: F. Trus).

Fig. 3. Median lobe, left lateral view. A, Laccomimus pumilio (LeConte, 1878); B, Laccophilus duplex Sharp, 1882; C, L. fasciatus fasciatus Aubé, 1838; D, L. gentilis suavis Sharp, 1882; E, L. oscillator laevipennis Sharp, 1882; F, L. ovatus zapotecus Zimmerman, 1970; G, L. proximus Say, 1823; H, L. spangleri Zimmerman, 1970.

Fig. 6. Warm, sun-exposed, vegetation free pond in the savannah with a loamy substrate in the Deep River Forest Reserve, the habitat of L. fasciatus fasciatus Aubé, 1838, L. proximus Say, 1823 and L. spangleri Zimmerman, 1970 (Photograph: K. Scheers).