Agabus pallidus Omer-Cooper, 1931

Englund, William F., Njoroge, Laban, Bistroem, Olof, Miller, Kelly B., Bilton, David T. & Bergsten, Johannes, 2020, Taxonomic revision of the Afrotropical Agabus raffrayi species group with the description of four new species (Coleoptera, Dytiscidae), ZooKeys 963, pp. 45-79 : 45

publication ID	https://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.963.53470
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:9636C9F2-C6BD-4B34-BCC6-ED214C7B0D19
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/43307977-49A1-5093-92E4-2EDDEA934577
treatment provided by	ZooKeys by Pensoft
scientific name	Agabus pallidus Omer-Cooper, 1931
status

Treatment

Agabus pallidus Omer-Cooper, 1931 Figures 1 View Figure 1 , 2A View Figure 2 , 3B View Figure 3 , 4D View Figure 4 , 8E View Figure 8 , 11E View Figure 11 , 11J View Figure 11 , 12 View Figure 12 , 13 View Figure 13 , 14 View Figure 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 View Table 1 , Figs 2 View Figure 2 , 12 View Figure 12 ).

Description.

Habitus as in Fig. 11E, J View Figure 11 .

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

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

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

Female: Externally similar to males.

Distribution.

Ethiopia (see Fig. 1 View Figure 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 .