Haliplus fiorentini, Benetti, Cesar João & Hamada, Neusa, 2017

Benetti, Cesar João & Hamada, Neusa, 2017, Two new species of Haliplus Latreille, 1802 (Coleoptera, Haliplidae) from Northern Brazil, Zootaxa 4282 (3), pp. 584-592 : 585-587

Haliplus fiorentini sp. n.

( Figs. 1–2 , 5–12 )

Type locality. Brazil: Roraima state, Boa Vista county , pond near the RR-205 road (02°52'06.4"N 60°51'57.9"W).

Type material. Holotype male ( INPA): Brazil: Roraima state, Boa Vista county , pond near the RR-205 road (02°52'06.4"N 60°51'57.9"W), 03.vi.2015, leg. C.J. Benetti, K. Dias-Silva and B.G. Oliveira.

Diagnosis. Haliplus fiorentini sp. n. can be distinguished from other neotropical species of Haliplus by the following combination of characteristics: elytra yellow-brown with extensive and well-defined maculation consisting of black patches ( Fig. 1 ); prosternal process parallel, straight, wider and short, about 1.15 times longer than wide at base ( Fig. 8 ); metaventral process with a long diverging groove on each side and not impressed in the middle ( Fig. 2 ), and the median lobe of aedeagus in lateral view curved, subparallel, gradually narrowed, distally elongate and with rounded apex ( Fig. 11 ).

Description. Habitus ( Fig. 1 ). Body oval, tapering backwards, widest just behind the shoulders, with narrow pronotum and shoulders slightly pronounced.

Measurements (n = 1). TL: 4.0 mm; MW: 2.37 mm; PL: 0.64 mm; PW: 1.39 mm; DE: 0.26 mm; EW: 0.30 mm.

Head. Yellow-brown, vague darkening near antennae and between eyes; finely punctured, not punctured in area between eyes; narrower than pronotum, widest across eyes; width between eyes 0.8 × width of one eye. Antennae yellow; placed anterior to eyes; with 11 antennomeres, 1st and 2nd short and broad, 3–11 long, 11th the largest ( Fig. 5 ). Palpi yellow; maxillary palpi with four palpomeres, the last shorter than the penultimate. Genal lines behind eyes double.

Pronotum. Yellow-brown, with vague darkened mark in the middle; strongly and densely punctured, anterior punctures small, posterior punctures a little larger; widest at base, narrow towards apex; lateral sides convex, slightly and completely margined; base without plicae.

Elytra. Yellow-brown, with extensive and well-defined maculation consisting of black patches; dark marks along suture to first primary puncture row ( Fig. 1 ). Primary puncture rows strong, especially in anterior part, about 30 punctures in first row, fifth elytral puncture row basally impressed; secondary puncture rows dense and moderately strong, in anterior part often in two irregular rows, in basal part of second elytral interval in a single row; all punctures darkened ( Fig. 6 ). Lateral margin completely bordered; shoulders and apical margin not serrate.

Ventral side. Brown to yellow-brown, lighter towards coxae. Epipleura yellow-brown, with double row of strong punctures in anterior part and single row of weaker punctures in posterior narrowed part, reaching to the end of sixth sternite. Prosternum margined anteriorly, strongly punctured. Prosternal process parallel, straight, wider and short, about 1.15 times longer than wide at base; anterior edge margined, laterally grooved; moderately strongly and densely punctured ( Figs. 2 , 8, 9 ). Metaventral process, on each side, with a long diverging groove and a short groove starting in the lateral groves and continuing towards the middle; moderately punctured, more densely punctured in lateral parts ( Fig. 2 ). Metacoxal plates reaching to end of fourth sternite; densely punctured. Fifth and sixth sternite densely punctured, more extensively punctured near the apex; last sternite punctured on the entire surface, uniformly ( Fig. 2 ).

Legs. Yellow-brown. Fore and mid legs: femur basally narrowed, medially enlarged, surface covered with dense, coarse micropunctures; tibia with long hairs on inner margin, apically with two equal spurs; tarsi with 5 tarsomeres, the 5th longest, tarsal claws of equal length. Hind legs: coxal plates enlarged covering trochanter and most of the femoral region; femur broadest at apex; tibia slender with unequal apical spurs, setiferous striole on dorsal face of 1/4 × length, longer apical spur as long as the length of first tarsomere ( Fig. 7 ); tarsi with 5 tarsomeres, 1st the longest, with a pair of equal claws.

Male. First three tarsomeres of fore- and midlegs widened and ventrally with a tuft of sucker hairs. Aedeagus: Median lobe in lateral view curved, subparallel, gradually narrowed, distally elongate and with rounded apex; inner margin regularly curved, external margin with a longitudinal groove ( Fig. 11 ). Left paramere in lateral view short and broad, subtriangular, with basal process narrow, and with apex angular; with two long and some short setae at tip ( Fig. 10 ). Right paramere in lateral view slender, moderately curved, base bilobed, apex pointed, with a short distal appendage; inner margin with a series of large setae in the apical two thirds ( Fig. 12 ).

Etymology. This species is named in honor of Gelson Luiz Fiorentin, a good friend and colleague, in gratitude for all the shared moments during our long friendship and in recognition of his contribution to the knowledge of aquatic insects in Brazil.

Distribution and habitat. Northern Brazil, currently only known in the state of Roraima ( Fig. 21 ). Specimen was collected in a shallow pond with macrophytes near the shores ( Fig. 22).

Taxonomic comments. Haliplus fiorentini sp. n. can be distinguished from other neotropical species of Haliplus by the combination of characteristics of elytra, prosternal and metaventral processes and the male genitalia shape. The new species is similar to H. crassus Chapin, 1930 , but differs from this species by having a narrow lifted margin of the metaventral process, while in H. crassus the lifted margin is broad; by having, on each side of metaventral process, a short groove starting in the lateral grooves and continuing towards the middle, which is absent in H. crassus and in the male median lobe shape in lateral view, which is narrower, more tapered and curved downward in H. crassus . H. fiorentini sp. n. is also similar to H. mexicanus Vondel & Spangler, 2008 , but differs from the latter species in body shape, being more robust and more tapering apically and with shoulders more pronounced, by the metaventral process is wider, and the two species can be especially well distinguished by the male median lobe shape in lateral view ( Fig. 11 ), which is not parallel in the dorsal edge (parallel in H. mexicanus ) and with the maximum width in the middle (maximum width is near the apex in H. mexicanus ).

Figures

FIGURE 21. Known diStribution of Haliplus fiorentini sp. n. (circle) and H. regili sp. n. (triangle) (Coleoptera, Haliplidae).

FIGURES 1 – 4. HabituS of Haliplus SpecieS (Coleoptera, Haliplidae) holotye male. H. fiorentini sp. n.: 1) dorSal view; 2) ventral view; H. regili sp. n.: 3) dorSal view; 4) ventral view. ScaleS: 1 mm.

FIGURES 5 – 12. Haliplus fiorentini sp. n. (Coleoptera, Haliplidae), male holotype: 5) antenna; 6) punctureS near elytral baSe and Suture; 7) hind tibia in dorSal view; 8) proSternal and metaventral proceSS; 9) proSternal proceSS in lateral view; 10) left paramere; 11) median lobe; 12) right paramere. ScaleS: 0.2 mm.