Laccophilus flavoscriptus Regimbart , 1895

Bistroem, Olof, Nilsson, Anders N. & Bergsten, Johannes, 2015, Taxonomic revision of Afrotropical Laccophilus Leach, 1815 (Coleoptera, Dytiscidae), ZooKeys 542, pp. 1-379 : 198-200

Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Dytiscidae

Laccophilus flavoscriptus Regimbart, 1895 Figs 164-165, 344-346, 492-494, 567

Laccophilus flavoscriptus Severin 1892: 472 (discussion); Régimbart 1895: 142 (original description, faunistics); Zimmermann 1920a: 18 (catalogue, faunistics); Gschwendtner 1930: 90 (faunistics); Gschwendtner 1931: 180 (faunistics); Gschwendtner 1938a: 5 (faunistics); Omer-Cooper 1956: 23 (discussion, faunistics); Guignot 1959a: 533, 537 (given as Laccophilus flavopictus ), 540 (description, faunistics); Pederzani and Rocchi 1982: 79 (discussion); Nilsson 2001: 243 (catalogue, faunistics); Bilardo and Rocchi 2002: 174 (list, faunistics); Nilsson 2015: 211 (catalogue, faunistics).

Laccophilus flavosignatus Régimbart 1895: 146 (original description, faunistics); Zimmermann 1920a: 18 (catalogue, faunistics); Omer-Cooper 1931: 759 (description, biology, faunistics); Gschwendtner 1932b: 260 (faunistics); Guignot 1946c: 262, 266 (discussion); Guignot 1950b: 272 (discussion); Guignot 1959a: 540, 578 (description, discussion, faunistics, synonymy, Laccophilus flavoscriptus ab. flavosignatus); Guignot 1961b: 238 (faunistics, discussion); Nilsson 2001: 243 (catalogue, faunistics, list, synonymy); Nilsson 2015: 211 (catalogue, faunistics, list, synonymy). Confirmed synonym.

Type localities.

Laccophilus flavoscriptus : Zaire: Matadi.

Laccophilus flavosignatus : Gabon.

Type material studied

(29 exs.). Laccophilus flavoscriptus : Lectotype (by present designation): male: "Congo belge Matadi / male symbol / Cotype / Museum Paris coll. Maurice Régimbart 1908 / flavoscriptus Rég.” (MNHN; habitus in Fig. 493). - Paralectotypes: "Banana Boma M. Tschoffen 91 Dét / Museum Paris coll. Maurice Régimbart 1908 " (1 ex. MNHN); "Banana Boma M. Tschoffen 91 Det. Régimb. 91 / 11165 / Ex Type / Régimbart det. 1895 Laccophilus flavoscriptus Rég.” (6 exs. IRSNB, 1 ex. BMNH; habitus in Fig. 492); same but labelled with additional “Cotype” (1 ex. IRSNB); "Boma Tschoffen / Ex Type / Régimbart det. 1895 Laccophilus flavoscriptus Rég.” (1 ex. IRSNB); "Severin Banana Africa / Banana Boma M. Tschoffen 91 Régimb. / Type" (1 ex. RMNH); "Severin Banana Afr. Occ. / Laccophilus flavoscriptus Dét. Régimb. Type / Banana Boma M. Tschoffen 91 Dét. Régimb. / Type" (1 ex. RMNH); "Banana Boma M. Tschoffen 91 / Laccophilus flavoscriptus Régb. Det. Régimbart” (1 ex. SAMC); "Matadi Congo / Museum Paris coll. Maurice Régimbart 1908 " (4 exs. MNHN); "Matadi M. Tschoffen / Museum Paris coll. Maurice Régimbart 1908 / flavoscriptus Rég.” (2 exs. MNHN); same data but "SAM Type Acc. No. 840" (3 exs. SAMC).

Laccophilus flavosignatus : Lectotype (by present designation): male: "Gabon Mocquerys /male symbol / Cotype" (MNHN; habitus in Fig. 494). - Paralectotypes: "Gabon / Museum Paris coll. Maurice Régimbart 1908 / flavosignatus Rég.” (3 exs. MNHN); "Gabon Mocquerys / Museum Paris coll. Maurice Régimbart 1908 / flavosignatus R. Paulian det."(2 exs. MNHN).

Additional material studied

(1 ex.): Gabon: “Ogové River leg. A. C. Good" (1 ex. CSR).

Comment on synonymy: Study of type material of the two involved taxa and designation of lectotypes for them proved us that that earlier established synonymy was correct.

Diagnosis.

Laccophilus flavoscriptus externally resembles a number of species as Laccophilus necopinus , Laccophilus conjunctus , Laccophilus adjutor and Laccophilus lineatus , on the basis of dorsal colour pattern of body. Elytral colour pattern is variable in this group of resembling species; variation appears from almost entirely dark to pale with rather distinct, dark, longitudinal markings. For identification of Laccophilus flavoscriptus , fortunately, the penis is very characteristic; apical half of penis is evenly broad and evenly curved towards abrupt apex of penis.

Description.

Body length 3.5-3.8 mm, width 1.9-2.1 mm. Body with variable dorsal colour pattern (see below).

Head: Pale ferrugineous, close to pronotum often slightly darker. Submat, finely, microsculptured; reticulation double but large meshes only slightly more strongly developed than small meshes. Sometimes large meshes strongly reduced and only discernible as fragments of meshes. Almost impunctate; at eyes finer punctures may be discerned.

Pronotum: Pale ferrugineous with mediofrontal and -basal dark ferrugineous to ferrugineous areas, delimitation of which are vague. Sometimes dark markings almost black to blackish ferrugineous. Submat, reticulation double. Meshes of large reticulation fine; in general one mesh contains 3-5 small meshes. Almost impunctate. Very fine, sparse punctures may be discerned frontally and laterally.

Elytra: Pale ferrugineous, with variable dark ferrugineous to blackish colour pattern; elytra sometimes almost entirely dark, sometimes with more or less distinct, longitudinal, pale lines and a basal, pale, transverse area (Figs 492-494). Submat, finely reticulated. Reticulation double; large meshes often somewhat indistinct. Almost impunctate. Very fine scattered punctures form a discal row. Dorsolateral and lateral rows indicated by a few scattered punctures. Lateral, pre-apical furrow fine, moderately pubescent.

Ventral aspect: Blackish to dark ferrugineous, prothorax pale ferrugineous. Rather shiny to slightly mat, very finely microsculptured. Basal ventrites with fine, curved striae. Almost impunctate. Apex of prosternal process somewhat extended, slender, pointed. Metacoxal plates in anterior half with very fine, transversely located, shallow furrows; in posterior half furrows almost absent. Apical ventrite asymmetric; on one side with a subbasal minute tubercle (Fig. 164).

Legs: Protarsus slender, claws moderately curved. Pro- and mesotarsus with suckers.

Male genitalia: Penis in lateral aspect, long, slightly curved and almost evenly broad from base to apex; extreme apex almost unmodified (Figs 344-346).

Female: Apical ventrite (Fig. 165). Pro- and mesotarsus slender.

Distribution.

Gabon, Zaire (Fig. 567). Additional country records are Ethiopia ( Omer-Cooper 1931) and Cameroon ( Guignot 1961b) but we have not verified these determinations. A record from Senegal is considered uncertain because based on a single female specimen ( Guignot 1961b).

Collecting circumstances.

Almost unknown. In Ethiopia collected at high altitude (ca. 5500 ft. = ca. 1672 m) ( Omer-Cooper 1931).