Nebrioporus crotchi ( Preudhomme de Borre, 1871 )

Toledo, Mario, 2009, Revision in part of the genus Nebrioporus Régimbart, 1906, with emphasis on the N. laeviventris-group (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae), Zootaxa 2040, pp. 1-111 : 47-53

Nebrioporus crotchi ( Preudhomme de Borre, 1871)

Fig. 40

Hydroporus crotchi Preudhomme de Borre (1871: 13) (orig. descr.). Deronectes crotchi (Preudhomme de Borre) ; Sharp (1882: 429); Marseul (1882: 71); Branden (1885: 46); Severin (1892:

473). Hydroporus (Deronectes) crotchi (Preudhomme de Borre) ; Peyerimhoff (1907: 10). Deronectes (Potamodytes) crotchi (Preudhomme de Borre) ; Zimmermann (1919; 1920: 124); Alfieri (1976: 34). Deronectes (Potamonectes) crotchi (Preudhomme de Borre) ; Zimmermann (1933: 176). Nebrioporus (s.str.) crotchi (Preudhomme de Borre) ; Nilsson (2001: 171; 2003: 66). Hydroporus moestus (Walker., 1871: 10) (orig. descr.). Hydroporus (Deronectes) moestus (Walker) ; Peyerimhoff (1907: 10). Deronectes moestus (Walker) ; Sharp (1882: 801); Zimmermann (1933: 179) (synonymy of schweinfurthi Zimmermann ). Hydroporus walkeri Branden (1885: 49) (replacement name for H. moestus Walker , preoccupied by H. moestus Fairmaire, 1858 , now in Deronectes ) syn.n. Deronectes walkeri (Branden) ; Peyerimhoff (1907: 10). Deronectes (Potamodytes) walkeri (Branden) ; Zimmermann (1919: 189; 1920: 129); Alfieri (1976: 35). Zimmermannius walkeri (Branden) ; J. Balfour-Browne (1951: 189). Potamonectes walkeri (Branden) ; Brancucci (1984: 235). Nebrioporus (Zimmermannius.) walkeri (Branden) ; Nilsson & Angus (1992: 287); Nilsson (2001: 171; 2003: 67). Nebrioporus walkeri (Branden) ; Zalat et al. (2000: 34). Deronectes (Potamonectes) schweinfurthi Zimmermann (1921: 87) (orig. descr.). Deronectes (Potamonectes) schweinfurthi Zimmermann ; Zimmermann (1933: 179); J. Balfour-Browne (1951: 189)

(synonymy of walkeri Branden ). Deronectes (Potamodytes) [sic!] schweinfurthi Zimmermann ; Alfieri (1976: 35).

Type locality. H. crotchi : Sinai. H. moestus : Sinai> Wady Ferran; D. schweinfurthi : Sinai.

Type material. Hydroporus crotchi : Lectotype ♀ ( IRSNB), here designated, "Type [? Preudhommede Borre hw.] \ Sinai Da... [illegible,?Dalem,?Dahem] a Crotch [?Preudhomme de Borre hw.—glued on IRSNB label "Coll.R.I.Sc.N.B. Palestina "] \ coll. de Borre [glued on same IRSNB label as abowe] \ H. crotchi Preudhomme de Borre Sinaï [hw.] \ Sec. Zimm. Cat. Junk D. (Potamonectes) crotchi P. de Borre \ Paratype [orange IRSNB rectangular label]" plus my red lectotype designation label. 3 syntypes, most probably ♀♀, should stand in coll. Crotch (?Cambridge), not seen. Accordingly with Recommendation F of Article 74 of the ICZN (fourth edition, 1999), these are to become paralectotypes.

Hydroporus moestus : Lectotype ( BMNH) designated by Zalat et al. 2000. In this publication the label data of the lectotype was incomplete: "Type [ BMNH circular, red label] \ Wady Ferran, [hw.] \ Sharp Coll. 1905-313 \ Hydroporus moestus ". Such designation, at present, is considered to be the available type for H. walkeri Branden.

Deronectes schweinfurthi: ZSM (not seen).

Additional material examined. Egypt: Sinai, St. Catherine Distr. , Wadi el Noqra, 23.IV.1994, leg. Angus, Salah & Zalat (8 exs. RAL) .

Israel: M. Ramon, Gwanim Ramon , 1.VI.1985 (6 exs. NMW, HF) ; Dead Sea Area , N. Zeelim, 23.V.1983, det. Jäch 1990: (7 exs. NMW, HF, PMB) ; Dead Sea Area , En-namer, lgt. Wewalka 14 -7.IV.1981 (1 ex. HF) .

Saudi Arabia: Jebel Shammar , Ha’il, IV.1944, A.R. Waterston (3 exs. BMNH) ; same locality V.1944 (1 ex. BMNH) ; Jebel Shammar, Athrill , 27°05’N – 42°08’E, 22.II.1945, J. Stainer, B. M. 1948-15 (4 exs. BMNH) .

Description. TL 6.4–7.5 mm; MW 3.4–3.9 mm. The largest species of Nebrioporus after N. kilimandjarensis . Dark, regularly oval, convex.

Head dark brown, often with a reddish central area; dorsal punctuation close and slightly impressed, with some larger, scattered, punctures; reticulation hardly visible. Genae and mouthparts reddish, with last article of maxillary palps darkened; antennae testaceous. Ventral face, behind the eyes, microreticulate, but with postocular ridge hardly visible.

Pronotum wide, transverse, maximum width near the base. Lateral sides slightly rounded, distinctly bordered in both sexes; anterior margin sinuate; posterior angles rounded. Angle between pronotum and elytra almost invisible.

Elytra oblong-oval, with maximum width just above the middle, surface covered by a fine pubescence. Longitudinal rows of punctures hardly visible.

Dorsal colouration ( Fig. 40a): pronotum uniformly, or almost so, dark brown; elytra dark brown, with more or less extended pale spots and lines, variable in shape and size, distributed on humerus, disc, preapical area and on the lateral sides.

Underside blackish-brown, with prosternal process, apex of metacoxal process and distal portion of last sternite reddish; proepisterna, prostenal pleura and epipleura reddish-yellow. Surface rather dull, covered by a dense and somewhat impressed punctuation. Sternites with an apical comb of short setae.

Legs completely reddish. Metafemora covered by a dense punctuation; external side of metatibiae with numerous punctures between the main series.

Male: Subapical spines of elytra ( Fig. 40b) poorly developed but visible. Protarsi dilated, with last segment elongate and anterior claws subequal in length ( Fig. 40c) —the outer is only slightly longer than the inner—robust, curved. Median lobe of aedeagus ( Fig. 40e) with a characteristic shape, viewed from above broad apically, laterally sinuate. Parameres wide ( Fig. 40d).

Female: Subapical spines on elytra clearly more developed and elytral apex produced ( Fig. 40b).

Habitat. Zalat et al. (2000) gives the following data for Egypt: "spring-fed streams with sparse vegetation and coarse bottom. Months of abundance: February, April, August, October."

Distribution ( Fig. 52). Known from Egypt, Israel, Sinai, where it seems to be common, and Saudi Arabia. In most of the literature only a generic "Arabia" is reported, and very few detailed localities are in effect known for the Arabian Peninsula. I have seen two in BMNH (see above), one of which is cited in J.

Balfour-Browne (1951). Brancucci (1984) gives the following: Jebel al Hamriyah, 1200 m [Jebel al Haytamiyah?]. All these localities fall in the Najd, central Saudi Arabia. The data for Yemen given in Zalat et al. (2000) requires examination of the material to confirm its presence.