Novochares coya ( Fernandez , 1982)

Short, Andrew Edward Z. & Giron, Jennifer C., 2023, Revision of the Neotropical water scavenger beetle genus Novochares Giron & Short (Coleoptera, Hydrophilidae, Acidocerinae), ZooKeys 1171, pp. 1-112 : 1

Novochares coya ( Fernandez, 1982)

Figs 26G-K , 29B

Helochares (s. str.) coya Fernández, 1982: 87; Fernández 1989: 148 [in key].

Novochares coya ( Fernández); Girón and Short 2021: 204.

Type material.

Holotype: male from Bolivia (Santa Cruz Department, Sara Province, Monteros) and deposited MLP (not seen).

Material examined

(58 exs.). Bolivia: Beni: Beni Station, Palm Camp , 1.viii.1988, leg. R.W. Brooks, at lights (2, SEMC); same data but also " NE of San Borja " (1, SEMC) . Santa Cruz: Ayacucho , 13-14.v.1969, leg. P. & P. Spangler (1, USNM) . French Guiana: Anapaike Village, Lawa River , 22-25.ix1963, leg. B. Malkin (3, USNM) . Guyana: Region 6: Upper Berbice , ca. 1 km W. Basecamp 1, 105 m elev., small detrital side pools, 22.ix.2014, leg. Short, GY 14-0921-03G (2, CBDG, SEMC, including DNA Voucher SLE1218) . Peru: [no other locality data], 22.xi.1935, leg. F. Woytkowski (1, SEMC). Huanuco: Tingo Maria, 670 m, 1-10.v.1937, leg. F. Woytkowski (7, SEMC). Jauja: Junin Department, Viena, 2300 m, 1-6.viii.1935, leg. F. Woytkowski (1, SEMC). Madre de Dios: Rio Tambopata Reserve, ca. 30 km SW Puerto Maldonado, 290 m, various dates between 2-25.xi.1979, leg. J.B. Heppner, subtropical humid forest (21, USNM); Villa Carmen Biological Station (ca. 2 km N of Pilcopata), South of Rio Pinipini , 29.v.2022, leg. Short et al., small marsh with dense vegetation, PE22-0526-01G (1, SEMC); same data but pools in dirt road near station, PE22-0526-01B (1, SEMC); Kawsay Biological Station (ca. 19 km E of Puerto Maldonado), 3.vi.2022, leg. Short et al., swamp pool near banana area, PE22-0603-02B (1, SEMC); same data but 4.vi.2022, forested swamp, PE22-0604-01C (1, SEMC) . Suriname: Saramacca: Coesewinje River at Coesewinje Savanna, shallow river margin and backwaters, 6.iii.2012, leg. Short & Kadosoe, SR 12-0306-03A (1, SEMC); Sipaliwini: Raleighvallen Nature Reserve , Coppename River-Voltzberg Trail , 19.iii.2016, leg. A.E.Z. Short, detrital pools in small stream bed, SR16-0319-01A (1, SEMC); Raleighvallen Nature Reserve Lolopaise area , 4°42.48'N, 56°13.15908'W, 24 m, 18.iii.2016, leg. Short et al., intermittent stream margins and flotation, SR16-0318-01D (1, NZCS, SEMC) . Trinidad and Tobago: Trinidad, St. Helena , 24.xi.1931, leg. W.E. Broadway (8, SEMC); [without further locality] 31.v.1931, leg. W.E. Broadway (1, SEMC) . Venezuela: Bolívar: El Dorado (65 km S.), 1.xi.1982, leg. J.L. Hellman (4, USNM) .

Differential diagnosis.

See differential diagnosis for N. atlanticus .

Description.

Body length 6.5-9.1 mm. Coloration: Dorsal surfaces dark brown, with slightly paler (brown or reddish brown) clypeus and margins of pronotum and elytra, sometimes sheeny. Head: Maxillary palps 1.3-1.5 × longer than width of head, uniformly orange in color. Thorax: Ground punctation on pronotum and elytra dense and very shallowly impressed. Elytra without rows of serial punctures, each with very faint rows (one dorsal and two or three lateral) of scarce and weakly marked systematic punctures. Prosternum nearly flat to only very weakly medially convex. Posterior elevation of mesoventrite elevated as a triangular pyramid, with posterior face somewhat bisinuate and medial longitudinal ridge extending anteriorly (resembles a nose). Abdomen: Apical emargination of fifth ventrite relatively deep, U-shaped. Aedeagus: (Fig. 26G-K ) Overall shape pear-like; 3.2 × longer than wide; lateral projection on apical region of outer margin of each paramere pointed; at closest point, dorsal inner margins of parameres separated by distance nearly 1/2 as greatest width of a paramere; dorsal plate of median lobe with neck 1/2 as broad as base; arms of dorsal plate of median lobe parallel to slightly converging, nearly 0.35 × length of dorsal plate of median lobe; each arm parallel sided, with apex rounded and dorsally pointed; notch between arms at base nearly as broad as base of an arm or slightly narrower; ventral plate of median lobe weakly sclerotized, at widest point nearly as wide as dorsal plate of median lobe, apically acuminate, apex extending beyond base of fork, not reaching apex of arms of dorsal plate; basal piece 0.35 × length of a paramere. In lateral view, aedeagus strongly flattened, with ventral outline of parameres 5 × longer than greatest width near base.

Distribution.

Previously only known from Bolivia, here newly recorded from French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela (Fig. 29B ).

Habitat.

This species has been collected in forested pools with abundant detritus, including those associated with the margins of streams or drying creek beds.

Remarks.

Though there is a somewhat large gap in the known distribution of this species, with one large group of records in the northeast region of South America, and another in Peru and Bolivia there are no appreciable differences in the aedeagus (Fig. 26G-K ) or COI sequence data (Fig. 1 ). There is one male specimen from Jauja Province (Peru) that was collected at 2300 meters, which represents the highest elevation that Novochares has been found.

Figures

Figure 1. Phylogeny of Novochares spp. Part 1: Novochares punctatostriatus, Novochares tectiformis, Novochares sallaei, Novochares orchis, Novochares minor, and Novochares garfo species groups. Inferred from COI and 28 S combined sequence data. Numbers next to taxon names are extraction numbers (see Table 1). The Novochares portion of the phylogeny of Acidocerinae based on five gene fragments as presented in Short et al. (2021) is reproduced in the lower left corner for comparative purposes.

Figure 26. Aedeagi of the Novochares tectiformis species group A-C N. yora D-F N. mojenos G-K N. coya L N. atlanticus A, D, G, I, K, L dorsal view B, E ventral view C, F, H, J lateral view G, H Trinidad I, J Peru K Guyana.

Figure 29. Distribution of Novochares tectiformis species group A N. duo (red), N. bolivianus (yellow), N. atlanticus (blue), N. danta (green) B N. coya (red), N. yora (yellow), N. xingu (blue), N. mura (green), N. trifurcatus (purple) C N. tectiformis (red) D N. pume (red), N. piaroa (yellow), N. florifer (blue), N. mojenos (green), N. tambopatense (purple).