Hydraena (Hydraenopsis) claudia Freitag & Jäch, 2007

Freitag, Hendrik & Jäch, Manfred A., 2007, Revision of the species of Hydraena Kugelann (Coleoptera: Hydraenidae) from Palawan and Busuanga, with descriptions of eleven new species, and redescription of Hydraena (Hydraenopsis) scabra d’Orchymont, 1925, Zootaxa 1431, pp. 1-44 : 22-24

Hydraena (Hydraenopsis) claudia Freitag & Jäch , sp. n.

(Figs. 8, 20a–h)

Type locality. Alipuran Stream (Lake Manguao tributary), Municipality of Taytay, northern Palawan, Philippines.

Type material. Holotype ɗ ( NMW): “ PHIL.: Palawan, Taytay; Lake Manguao tributary, Alipuran Stream, semi-prim. forest c. 40m asl, 10°45'N 119°32' E 29.4.1995, leg. Freitag (15)M”, terminal parts of abdomen, aedeagus and one mesotarsus glued separately, ultimate and penultimate segments of maxillary palpi and one protarsus lacking. Paratypes: 1 ɗ ( UPLB), 1 Ψ ( NMW): same locality data as holotype; 1 ɗ ( NMW), 1 Ψ ( NMW): “ PHIL.: Palawan, Taytay; 1/3way high-way to Lake Manguao , Manguao Stream trib., prim.forest c. 35m asl, 10°47'N 119°31' E 29.4.1995, leg. Freitag (13b)M”.

Description. Body 1.45–1.55 mm long. Habitus as in Fig. 8. Elytra brown; rectangular spot in the middle of pronotal disc dark brown; head medially and anteriorly brown turning into almost black posteriorly and laterally (ocular region); legs, maxillary palpi and usually pronotal margins distinctly pale brown.

Pronotum wider than long, broadest at about anterior 0.35–0.50; entire pronotum moderately densely punctate, punctures moderately large and moderately deeply impressed, interstices glabrous; foveae slightly impressed or hardly perceptible; lateral margins anteriorly and posteriorly slightly convergent; anterior angles rounded, posterior angles more or less rectangular; pronoto-elytral angle obtuse; lateral rim denticulate; anterior margin slightly concave, posterior margin straight to slightly convex; lateral portions of pronotum slightly deflexed; lateral hypomeron approximately as broad as or slightly broader than profemur, inner margin convex; mesal hypomeron very narrow, inconspicuous.

Elytra elongately oval, apically almost conjointly rounded, with ca. 15 longitudinal, more or less regular, not impressed rows of punctures (eight between suture and shoulder); punctures moderately large and moderately impressed; interstices and intervals convex, glabrous; lateral margins of elytra widely explanate, almost reaching elytral apex, not or imperceptibly denticulate; inflexed lateral portion (pseudepipleuron) approximately as broad as metafemur, almost reaching elytral apex (at about posterior 0.15), with indistinct foveae and one inconspicuous row of punctures; epipleuron narrow, inconspicuous.

Mesoventral longitudinal ridges narrow; meso- and metaventrite distinctly pubescent; mesoventral intercoxal process narrow (less than half as broad as pseudepipleuron), truncate, moderately long, margins exserted, medially flat, distinctly pubescent; metaventral disc moderately impressed; metaventral plaques inconspicuous, pubescent; intercoxal sternite broader than long, slightly narrower than metafemur; metaventrite and ventrites 1–4 distinctly pubescent.

Femora with inner margin straight to concave, outer margin conspicuously convex. Metatibiae more or less straight.

Aedeagus ( Figs. 20 a–c). Main piece moderately slender and dorso-ventrally bent, with one inconspicuous dorsal seta and several ventro-lateral micropores; phallobase subsymmetric. Distal lobe not clearly delimited from main piece; ejaculatory duct distally ending in a moderately long, bent, distinctly sclerotized, flagellumlike process, which is embedded in a less sclerotized flat structure. Parameres apically attenuately rounded; left paramere moderately long, articulately connected, inserted at about basal 0.35 of aedeagus, with a fringe of long setae (ca. seven ventral subapical, ca. four dorsal subapical); right paramere short, inserted at ca. basal 0.45 of aedeagus, with nine long setae.

Gonocoxite ( Fig. 20 e) subsemicircular, almost as in female of Hydraena castanescens , but slightly smaller and only with one subsemicircular cavity of dorsal plate.

Spermatheca as in Figs. 20 f–g.

Secondary sexual characters. Male profemur with inconspicuous transverse ledge (denticle) near base of ventral face. Mesoventral intercoxal process of male narrower. Male terminal sternite similar to that of Hydraena castanescens , subovoid, apical margin convex, base moderately broad, basal corners less strongly produced; spiculum gastrale moderately long, entirely curved ( Fig. 20 d). Male tergite X distinctly excised apically. Female tergite X ( Fig. 20 h) almost as in female of H. castanescens , but slightly smaller and with shorter discal and lateral setae; subapical fringe of moderately long trichoid setae medially interrupted; hyaline apical margin notched apically.

Differential diagnosis. Except for its slightly bigger size and straight metatibia, Hydraena claudia externally resembles H. castanescens , from which it can easily be distinguished by its distally broad aedeagus with a bent flagellum-like process and unequal parameres (left one longer and articulately connected).

Distribution ( Fig. 30 ). This species is only known from the headwaters of tributaries of Lake Manguao , northern Palawan.

Ecology. Hydraena claudia was collected together with H. castanescens and additionally in another similar headwater site of the same catchment (Lake Manguao ). The species likely has a strong affinity to undisturbed habitats in forest-covered areas.

Etymology. Named for Claudia Zlabinger (Vienna), pedagogue.

Figures

FIGURE 20. Hydraena claudia sp. n. a – c) aedeagus (holotype) in ventral, dorsal (ventral setae of parameres omitted) and lateral view (setae of left paramere omitted); d) male sternite X and spiculum; e) gonocoxite; f – g) spermatheca; h) female tergite X.

FIGURE 30. Collecting sites and geographical distribution of Hydraena species in Palawan and Busuanga, including enlarged map of St. Paul National Park: Hydraena scabra d’Orchymont, H. jojoorculloi sp. n., H. nielshaggei sp. n., H. zetteli sp. n., H. castanescens sp. n., H. claudia sp. n., H. kodadai sp. n.