Hydroglyphus sinuspersicus, Hájek & Wewalka, 2009

Hájek, Jiří & Wewalka, Günther, 2009, New and little known species of Hydroglyphus (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae) from Arabia and adjacent areas, Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 49 (1), pp. 93-102 : 94-96

Hydroglyphus sinuspersicus sp. nov.

( Figs. 1, 3–6 )

Bidessus major SHARP, 1882: 354 (partim; Persia). Guignotus major: GUIGNOT (1959) : 274 (partim; Perse). Hydroglyphus major: BISTRÖM (1986) : 36 (partim; Persia).

Type locality. United Arab Emirates, Ras Al Khaiman Emirate,Al Ghail env., Wadi Fara, 25°25′06″N 56°04′50″E, 266 m.

Type material. HOLOTYPE: J ( NMPC), ‘ U.A.E. RAS AL KHAIMAN / Wadi Fara , env Al Ghail / N 25°25′06″E 55°[sic!]04′50″ / 266 m a. s. l., 17.III.2007 / J. Batelka & H. Pinda leg. [printed] ’. PARATYPES: 9 JJ (nos. 1–9) 11 ♀♀ (nos. 10–20), same label data as holotype ( BMNH, GWCW, NHMB, NMPC) ; 1J (no. 21) 1♀ (no. 22), ‘ U.A.E. 27.xi.-22.xii.2005 / WADI MAIDAQ / 25.18N 56.07E (light trap) / A. van Harten leg.([loc.no.] 5821) [printed]’ ( NMPC) ; 1 ♀ (no. 23), ‘ U.A.E. 27.iv.-4.v.2006 / WADI MAIDAQ / 25.18N 56.07E (light trap) / A. van Harten leg. ([loc. no.] 4801) [printed]’ ( NHMB) ; 2 JJ (nos. 24–25) 4 ♀♀ (nos. 26–29), ‘ U.A.E. 28.xi. 2006 / WADI MAIDAQ / 25.18N 56.07E (pool) / J.-L. Gattoliat leg. ([loc. no.] 5753) [printed]’ ( NHMB, NMPC) ; 1 J (no. 30), ‘ U.A.E. 4-11.iv.2006 / near MAHAFIZ / 25.09N 55.48E (light trap) / A. van Harten leg. ([loc. no.] 8701) [printed]’ ( NMPC) ; 1 ♀ (no. 31), ‘ U.A.E. 24.-30.v.2006 / Sharjah x Khor Kalba / 24.59N 56.09E (light trap) / A. van Harten leg. ([loc. no.] 6965) [printed]’ ( NMPC) ; 1 J (no. 32), ‘ U.A.E. 30.xi.2006 / WADI HATTA / J.-L. Gattoliat leg. ([loc. no.] 5773) [printed]’ ( NMPC) ; 1 J (no. 33) 1 ♀ (no. 34), ‘ OMAN: Al Hamra / NW Niswar / 15. 10. 2007 / leg. H. Sattmann & R. Illek / Al Houty Höhle [= cave] / 23°04 N / 57°18 O / Hauptsee [= main lake] [printed]’ ( NHMW) .

Additional material studied. IRAN: 1 J, ‘Persia’ [paralectotype of Bidessus major Sharp, 1882 ] ( BMNH). BUSHEHR: 8 JJ 8 ♀♀, 17 km NW Bandar-e Gonaveh, Chahak, 29°39′N, 50°27′E, 13.-14.x.1998, P. Chvojka leg. ( GWCW, NMPC).

Description. Body shape oblong oval. Pronotum trapezoidal, broadest basally. Sides of pronotum almost straight, anteriorly slightly curved inwards. Pronotum distinctly narrower than elytra; angle between pronotum and elytra distinct.

Measurements. Body length 2.9–3.3 mm, width 1.4–1.6 mm.

Colouration. Body colouring testaceous to ochraceous; head darkened broadly around eyes, pronotum with broad blackish transverse band basally and thin blackish transverse band along anterior margin, elytra with extensive dark pattern ( Fig. 1 ). Ventral surface blackish; head and prothorax ventrally paler, testaceous. Pronotum and elytra covered with recumbent setae.

Surface sculpture. Head finely microsculptured; punctuation fine, rather sparse, posteriorly lacking behind eyes; anterior margin of head rounded, medially slightly straightened; frontolateral depressions shallow. Pronotum finely microsculptured, with fine, almost regularly distributed punctures, with recumbent setae; striae fairly strongly impressed. Elytra shiny, microsculpture very fine, partly somewhat indistinct; coarsely and fairly densely punctate, with recumbent setae; basal striae well developed, longer than striae on pronotum; sutural line distinct from close to base to apex. Epipleura finely punctate. Ventral surface with fine, sparse, irregularly distributed punctures, interstices shiny; microsculpture almost lacking on thorax and abdominal ventrite I; microsculpture on abdominal ventrites II–V composed of distinctly transverse meshes. Metacoxal lines almost straight, anteriorly slightly divergent.

Male. Pro- and mesotarsi slightly broadened. Median lobe in ventral view rather broad, slightly constricted in two thirds of its length; apex broadly pointed ( Fig. 3 ). Median lobe in lateral view apically triangularly broadened with almost straight apical margin and acute, nearly rectangular ventro-apical angle ( Fig. 4 ). Parameres (lateral lobes) three-segmented, all segments of similar length. Apical segment on ventral side with distinct hook and with crenulation along the dorsal margin ( Fig. 6 ).

Female. Similar to male in habitus. Pro- and mesotarsi narrow.

Variability. The specimens from Iran agree well with typical specimens from the Arabian Peninsula in the habitus and especially in the extensive dark colouration on elytra. However, the median lobe is apically slightly rounded and its ventro-apical angle is rather obtuse in lateral view ( Fig. 5 ), which can be interpreted as characters intermediate between H. sinuspersicus sp. nov. and H. major ( Sharp, 1882) . As we are not able to resolve whether this is intraspecific variability or a different taxon, we did not designate specimens from Iran as paratypes.

Differential diagnosis. The new species is without any doubt closely related to H. major from North Africa and south-western Arabian Peninsula. Most specimens can be immediately recognized by a more extensive colouration of the elytra but the only reliably differentiation is provided by the male genitalia: H. sinuspersicus sp. nov. differs by the median lobe having a triangular apical enlargement with almost straight apical margin and acute ventro-apical angle in lateral view (cf. BISTRÖM 1986: Fig. 43e).

Etymology. The new species is named after ‘Sinus Persicus’ (= Persian Gulf), which refers to its known area of distribution. The noun is used in apposition.

Collection circumstances. At the type locality, the new species was collected in residual pools in wadi ( Fig. 12 ) (J. Batelka, pers. comm.). Additional specimens from the United Arab Emirates were collected in pools in wadis and at light. Two specimens from Oman were collected at the bank of a large lake in stalactitic cave (H. Sattman, pers. comm.), while the series from south-western Iran was collected individually in small wells with brackish water close to the sea shore (P. Chvojka, pers. comm.).

Distribution. So far known only from several localities in the area of Persian Gulf with one locality in south-western Iran, two localities in the United Arab Emirates, and one locality in Oman ( Fig. 14 ).

Figures

Figs. 1–11. 1, 3–6 – Hydroglyphus sinuspersicus sp. nov.: 1 – habitus; 3 – median lobe in ventral view; 4 – median lobe in lateral view (paratype, Oman); 5 same (Iran); 6 – right paramere in dorso-medial view. 2, 7–10 – H. gujaratensis (Vazirani, 1973): 2 – habitus; 7 – median lobe in ventral view; 8 – median lobe in lateral view; 9 – paramere; 10 – female antenna. 11 – H. flammulatus (Sharp, 1882), female antenna.

Fig. 12. Jan Batelka collecting Hydroglyphus sinuspersicus sp. nov. at the type locality in Wadi Fara (U.A.E.). Photo H. Pinda.

Fig. 14. Distribution of Hydroglyphus major (Sharp, 1882) (circles), and H. sinuspersicus sp. nov. (dots).