Ochthebius (Cobalius) evae, Villastrigo & Hernando & Millán & Ribera, 2020

Villastrigo, Adrian, Hernando, Carles, Millán, Andrés & Ribera, Ignacio, 2020, The neglected diversity of the Ochthebius fauna from Eastern Atlantic and Central and Western Mediterranean coastal rockpools (Coleoptera, Hydraenidae), Organisms Diversity & Evolution (New York, N. Y.) 20 (4), pp. 785-801 : 795-797

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.1007/s13127-020-00463-y
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/038787F4-8C1B-562B-EA27-F985FDEFFADF
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Ochthebius (Cobalius) evae
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Ochthebius (Cobalius) evae View in CoL sp. nov.

Type locality. Morocco, Temara , 33° 54′ 7.9″ N 6° 59′ 58.2″ W GoogleMaps .

Type material. Holotype male ( NMW): “19 MOR Temara 11.iv.2018 /rockpools on sandstone/ 33° 54′ 7.9″ N 6° 59′ 58.2″ W /Alfambra, Hernando, Ribera, Villastrigo leg.”, with red holotype and DNA voucher labels. Aedeagus dissected and mounted in DMHF on a transparent card, pinned with the specimen. The holotype was used for DNA extraction and sequencing (specimen voucher IBE-AV183) GoogleMaps . Paratypes ( IBE, NMW): 19 exx., same data as holotype, with red paratype labels. One paratype male used for DNA extraction and sequencing ( Table 1), with voucher number IBE-AV177 (used also for SEM observation) GoogleMaps .

Description. Habitus as in Fig. 2c View Fig . Length: 1.56–1.60 mm; width: 0.60–0.64 mm. Body colour uniformly dark brown to black, appendages dark brown, paler than body.

Upper surface of head ( Figs. 2c View Fig and 3c View Fig ) with a fine microreticulation, shagreened, very rugose; with sparse setiferous punctures with short thick whitish recumbent setae. Frontoclypeal suture well-impressed; surface of clypeus and labrum shiny, less rugose, with a very sparse punctation; setae shorter than on head; anterior margin of labrum weakly emarginate. With two foveae on vertex. Eyes large, prominent. With an ocellus behind each fovea.

Pronotum ( Figs. 2c View Fig and 4c View Fig ) rounded, lateral margins regularly arched, coarsely and irregularly dented; surface smooth and shiny, with dense, almost contiguous, well-impressed irregular setiferous punctures; setae short, erect, hook-like. Anterior and posterior angles rounded; with a narrow hyaline band at anterior and posterior margins, expanded at posterior angles; with two shallow lateral longitudinal depressions.

Elytra ( Fig. 2c View Fig ) elongate, oval; margins weakly arched, serrated through their length, with very well-marked regular denticles, especially at base ( Fig. 5c View Fig ). Surface with regular series of well-impressed paired punctures, one anterior forming a small tubercle with a short, whitish robust hook-like recumbent setae, and a posterior non-setiferous puncture ( Fig. 5c View Fig ); surface between punctures with sparse micropunctures and small irregular, weakly impressed striae. Apterous.

Legs ( Fig. 2c View Fig ) short and robust, with rows of strong, short spine-like setae; without natatorial setae.

Surface of metaventrite shiny, with a weakly impressed microreticulation; posterior margin with a row of long, spiniform setae. Abdominal ventrites i-v densely pubescent, setae recumbent, whitish, surface with a very impressed microreticulation with a rugose appearance; ventrites vi-vii with an irregular row of longer setae on posterior margin, with a finer microreticulation.

Aedeagus ( Fig. 7e–g View Fig ) with main piece curved, almost straight at middle region, apical part enlarged, apex pointed. Distal lobe wide, dorsal margin concave, ventral margin convex, apex hyaline. Parameres inserted near basal third of median lobe, not reaching its apex.

Etymology. Named after the first author’ s fiancée. The specific name is a noun in the genitive case.

Additional material. 1 female ( IBE), “5 MOR Mirleft 6.iv.2018 /rockpools on granite/ 29° 34′ 7.4″ N 10° 3′ 6.9″ W / A. Millán et al. leg.”, used for DNA extraction and sequencing (voucher number IBE-AV214) GoogleMaps ; 1 male ( IBE), “10 MOR Essaouira 9.iv.2018 /rockpools on sandstone/ 31° 30′ 51.0″ N 9° 46′ 21.1″ W /Alfambra, Hernando, Ribera, Villastrigo leg.”, used for DNA extraction and sequencing (voucher number IBE-AV193) GoogleMaps ; 1 female ( IBE), “18 MOR Bouznika 11.iv.2018 /rockpools on sandstone/ 33° 49′ 39.1″ N 7° 8′ 42.4″ W /Alfambra, Hernando, Ribera, Villastrigo leg.”, used for DNA extraction and sequencing (voucher number IBE-AV206) GoogleMaps ; 2 females ( IBE), “20 MOR N lighthouse Larache 12.iv.2018 /rockpools on sandstone/ 35° 11′ 51.3″ N 6° 9′ 16.9″ W /Alfambra, Hernando, Ribera, Villastrigo leg.” GoogleMaps , one specimen used for DNA extraction and sequencing (voucher number IBE-AV209); 2 exx. ( IBE), “ Spain, Cádiz: Isla Tarifa / Poza 3, 30.5.2019 / P.Abellán & S.Pallarés. leg.” , one specimen used for DNA extraction and sequencing (voucher number IBE-AN1236); 1 male ( IBE), “ Spain, Murcia:/ Isla Plana 14.5.2019,/ A. Millán et al. leg.”, used for DNA extraction and sequencing (voucher number IBE- AN1193) ; 1 female ( IBE), “ Spain, Murcia:/ Isla Plana 27.5.2019,/ A. Millán et al. leg.”, used for DNA extraction and sequencing (voucher number IBE-AN1219) .

Distribution ( Fig. 10 View Fig ). Type material known only from Temara, Morocco; additional material from the Atlantic coast of Morocco, from Mirleft in the south to Larache in the north, and the Mediterranean coast of Spain in Tarifa Island and Isla Plana (Murcia). Likely present through the coasts of Morocco and south Spain.

Habitat. All specimens were found in rockpools above the intertidal zone, usually with a very coarse substratum with numerous small pores and crevices ( Fig. 9a–c View Fig ).

Remarks. We found considerable genetic and morphological variation within what we consider O. evae sp. nov., both in the external morphology and the aedeagus ( Figs. 1 and 7e–g View Fig ). Variation can be found mostly in body colour (from dark brown to black), the denticulation of the margins of pronotum and elytra (from very strongly marked to very shallow), the sculpture of the surface of the elytra (more or less dense and strongly impressed) and the longitudinal depressions on the pronotum (almost imperceptible in some specimens). Variation of the aedeagus refers mostly to the elongation of the distal lobe. We consider all these specimens within the same species due to the scarcity of material (most samples included only one or two specimens, Table 1), and given the general morphological variability that the species of Cobalius show within and between populations. We do not designate them as paratypes; however, when more material becomes available they may prove to belong to separate species.