Oocyclus meridensis Short & García, 2010

Short, Andrew E. Z. & García, Mauricio, 2010, A review of the Oocyclus Sharp of Venezuela with description of twelve new species (Coleoptera: Hydrophilidae: Laccobiini), Zootaxa 2635, pp. 1-31 : 15-18

Oocyclus meridensis Short & García sp. n.

( Figs. 3 A, 5G, 7, 9A)

Type material. Holotype: VENEZUELA: Mérida State: male, “VENZUELA: Mérida State/ 8°34.489’N, 71°20.165’W; 1833 m / ca. 1 km E. Jaji; 16.i.2006 / stream & wet cement seepage/ AS-06-036; leg. A.E.Z. Short”, “[barcode]/ SM0828517/ KUNHM-ENT”, “ HOLOTYPE / OOCYCLUS / meridensis sp.n. / des. Short & García 2010 ” ( MIZA). Paratypes (171 exs.): VENEZUELA: Barinas State: 24 km NW Barinitas, 23.ii.1969, leg. P. & P. Spangler (19 exs., USNM); Mérida State: Mérida, Rio Milla, Mérida Zoo, 14.i.2006, wet rock/seeps, leg. A.E.Z. Short, AS-06-026 (1 ex.); same data but leg. M. García (19 exs.); Along road between Jaji & Mérida, small waterfall and stream pools, 8.58515°N, 71.30103°W, 1750 m, 16.i.2006, leg. A. Short & P. Torres, AS-06-034, (1 ex.); same data as holotype (102 exs.); ca. 2 km S. La Azulita, Cascada la Palmita, 21.vii.2009, leg. Short et al., VZ09-0721-01A (15 exs.); Táchira State: Chorro el Indio National Park, 7°43’23.81”N, 72° 11.31.13 ”W, 1225 m, 16.vii.2009, leg. Short & García, wet rock and rock seeps, VZ09-0716-01A, (11 exs.); Trujillo State: E. of Pampan, 9°27.795’N, 70°25.136’W, 1100 m, rock seep along road, 21.i.2009, leg. A. Short, M. García, J. Camacho, VZ09-0121- 05X, (3 exs.).

Diagnosis. Larger species ( Fig. 3 A). Posterolateral corners of pronotum spinose. Procoxae strongly spinose. Elytra with rows of larger systematic punctures, with first row very distinct, continuous, and bearing erect setae; the lateral rows also very distinct. Elytral suture raised at apex. Elytral margins explanate, without fringe of yellow setae. This species is most similar to O. andinus and O. substillus , two other large species with spinose posterolateral pronotal corners. Refer to the diagnoses of those species for further discussion.

Description. Size and form. Body length = 4.2–5.5 mm. TL/GW = 1.62. Body broadly oval, slightly convex.

Color. Dorsum of head, pronotum, and elytra black, and usually covered with moderately iridescent green. Anterolateral margins of pronotum with white patch, approximately one-third the length of the margin. Elytra usually with layer of iridescent green maculae which often appear faint and with defuse borders. Maxillary and labial palps yellow. Mentum and stipes dark brown, similar in color to venter of head. Legs, epipleura, lateral margins of prosternum and lateral margins of abdominal ventrites 2–4 medium to light brown, with remainder of thoracic venter dark brown. Abdominal ventrites brown with the posterior margin (sometimes as much as posterior half) of each ventrite light brown to yellow.

Head. Ground punctation on labrum, clypeus and frons moderately coarse, distance between punctures 1.5–2.0× the width of one puncture. Systematic punctures on labrum consisting of several indistinct punctures, sometimes bearing short setae. Frons with irregular row of systematic punctures mesad of each eye, bearing fine setae. Clypeus with a few very indistinct systematic punctures along anterolateral margins, slightly larger than surrounding punctation. Maxillary palps short, slightly shorter to about as long as width of labrum; segment 2 slightly bulbous, apical segment slightly longer than penultimate. Labial palps two-thirds as long as width of mentum. Mentum quadrate, anterior margin slightly convex but not distinctly depressed, bearing scattered punctures.

Thorax. Ground punctation on pronotum and elytra composed of moderate fine, evenly distributed punctures. Pronotal systematic punctures with short fine setae, distinctly larger than ground punctures, anterior and posterior series each forming irregular field. Lateral margins of pronotum with sparse row of setiferous punctures; with punctures almost appearing absent, and bearing very fine, short setae which are almost not noticed. Posterolateral corners of pronotum strongly spinose. Sutural punctation represented by sparse, irregular band of small punctures; sutural interval distinctly raised in posterior third. Elytra with five rows of systematic punctures: row 1 represented as grove with dense, continuous row of erect setae on anterior two-thirds, giving a “Mohawk”-like appearance. Rows 2 and 3 each represented by a nearly regular series of coarse punctures usually bearing small recumbent setae. Punctures in rows 4 and 5 similar to 2 and 3 but irregular in distribution. Prosternum with strongly raised median carina; with two short spine-like setae at anterior margin of carina. Elevated process of mesoventrite slightly longer than wide, with 5–7 thickened, coarse spine-like setae. Metaventrite with oval glabrous area posteromedially, ca. slightly longer than wide, length of glabrous area slightly less than one-half length of metaventrite. Procoxae with dense, fine short pubescence and with distinct, very coarse spine-like setae. Protibiae each with 12–15 spine-like setae on dorsal face.

Abdomen. Ventrites covered with moderately dense setae, the longest setae about as long as the longest setae surrounding the glabrous area of metaventrite. Aedeagus as in Figure 5 G.

Etymology. Meridensis , an arbitrary combination of letters similar to the city and state of Mérida, “capital” of the Venezuelan Andes, where this species is known to occur.

Distribution. This species is known from localities along the Mérida Andes. ( Fig. 7 ).

Remarks. This larger species has been found on rock seeps and other hygropetric habitats. The type series (including more than half the specimens) was collected from a large expanse of wet cement covered in mud with a little moss ( Fig. 9 A).

Figures

FIGURE 3. Dorsal and lateral habitus of Oocyclus species found in the Venezuelan Andes region. A) O. meridensis sp. n.; B) O. trujillo sp. n.; C) O. andinus sp. n.; D) O. pico sp. n. Scale bar = 2.0 mm.

FIGURE 5. Aedeagi of Oocyclus species. A) O. pittieri sp. n., B) O. maculatus Sharp; C) O. s ubstillus Short & Perkins; D) O. floccus sp. n.; E) O. trujillo sp. n.; F) O. andinus sp. n.; G) O. meridensis sp. n.; H) O. sapphirus sp. n. Scale bar = 0.2 mm.

FIGURE 7. Distribution of Oocyclus species in Venezuela.

FIGURE 9. Habitat of Oocyclus species. A) Mérida State, E. of Jaji, collecting event AS- 06 - 036, habitat and type locality for O. meridensis. B) Mérida State, Cascada de Bailadores, collecting event VZ 09 - 0718 - 02 B; type locality for O. andinus.