Oocyclus pico 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 : 20-21

Oocyclus pico Short & García sp. n.

( Fig. 3 D, 6C, 7, 8A)

Type material. Holotype: VENEZUELA: Aragua State: male, “ VENEZUELA: Aragua State / 10°21.070'N, 67°34.920'W / P.N. Henri Pittier; rd to Choroni/ waterfall/ rock seep; 11.i.2006 / AS-06-023; leg. A.E.Z. Short”, “[barcode]/ SM0830058/ KUNHM-ENT”, “ HOLOTYPE / OOCYCLUS / pico sp.n. / des. Short & García 2010 ” ( MIZA). Paratypes (352 exs.): VENEZUELA: Aragua State: El Limon, “Pozo del Diablo”, 450 m, 7.x.1980, leg. F. Fernandez Y. & A. Chacon, wet rock (21 exs., MIZA); same data as holotype (261 exs.); Henri Pittier National Park, Quebrada Curucuruma, 10°21.018'N, 67°36.991'W, leg. A. Short & P. Torres, AS-06-024 (2 exs.); Henri Pittier National Park, Rio La Trilla, 295 m, 4.i.2009, leg. A. Short, rock seep, VZ09-0104-01C (17 exs.); Barinas State: 24 km NW Barinitas [ca. 8° 51'N, 70° 34'W], 23.ii.1969, leg. P. & P. S p a n g le r (3 4 e x s., U S N M); Distrito Federal: “carret. Chichiriviche Colonia Tovar” [=road between Chichiriviche & Colonia Tovar, ca. 10°27'N, 67°15.'W], km 10, 25–26.i.1977, leg. C.J. Rosales & L.J. Joly (14 exs., MIZA); Miranda State: Guatopo National Park, El Lucero, 28 km N Altagracia, (31.v)–(7.vi). 1987, 700 m, S. & J. Peck, ravine FIT 87-1 (1 ex., CMNC); Guatopo National Park, Puente Bucaral, 35 km N. Altagracia (14.vi)–(5.viii). 1987, 600 m, S. & J. Peck, forest streamside FIT 87-22 (2 exs., CMNC, KSEM).

Diagnosis. Smaller species. Posterolateral corners of pronotum strongly angulate to weakly spinose. Procoxae spinose. Elytra with distinct rows of systematic punctures, but these punctures are only slightly larger than surrounding punctation; systematic punctures usually bearing very fine setae. Elytral suture not raised at apex. Elytral margins not explanate, and without a fringe of long setae.

The only other smaller species with angulate posterolateral pronotal corners is O. trujillo , which can easily be separated by the intermittent clumps of erect setae arising from the elytral systematic punctures.

Description. Size and form. Body length = 2.8–3.7 mm. TL/GW = 1.5 mm. Body oval, moderately convex.

Color. Dorsum of head, pronotum, and elytra black with iridescent green reflections. Anterolateral margins of pronotum with white patch. Elytra with iridescent green maculae which often appear faint and with defuse borders. Maxillary and labial palps yellow. Mentum and stipes light to reddish brown, distinctly paler than ventral face of head. Legs, epipleura, lateral margins of prosternum and lateral margins of abdominal ventrites 2–4 medium to yellowish brown, with remainder of venter including abdominal ventrites dark brown.

Head. Ground punctation on labrum, clypeus and frons moderately fine, distance between punctures 1.5– 3.0x 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 erect setae. Clypeus with a few very indistinct systematic punctures along anterolateral margins, slightly larger than surrounding punctation. Maxillary palps short, about as long as width of labrum; segment 2 slightly bulbous, apical segment slightly longer than penultimate. Labial palps three-fourths as long as width of mentum. Mentum quadrate, anterior margin very slightly convex, bearing very fine, almost undetectable, scattered punctures.

Thorax. Ground punctation on pronotum and elytra composed of extremely fine, evenly distributed punctures, almost appearing absent. Pronotal systematic punctures with short fine setae, distinctly larger than ground punctures, anterior and posterior series each forming irregular row. Lateral margins of pronotum set with a few sparsely distributed setiferous punctures; with punctures almost appearing absent. Posterolateral corners of pronotum sharply angulate, almost appearing spinose but not prolonged. Sutural punctation on elytra absent or unmodified from ground punctation. Elytra with five regular rows of systematic punctures bearing short decumbent setae; punctures 2–3× the size of ground punctures. Prosternum with clearly defined median carina; slightly elevated anteromedially, the elevation with two thickened spine-like setae. Elevated process of mesoventrite elongate, longer than wide; surface nearly flat; set with 3 thickened spine-like setae. Metaventrite with small 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; in mesal half with spine-like setae. Protibiae each with 5 spine-like setae on dorsal face.

Abdomen. Ventrites with scattered setae of varying lengths; each ventrite with 2 irregular rows of very long erect setae more than twice as long as the longest setae on the metaventrite. Aedeagus as in Figure 6 C.

Etymology. Pico , Spanish for ‘point’ or ‘peak’, referring to the sharp, beak like posterolateral corners of the pronotum. Treated as a noun in apposition.

Distribution. Found at several localities in the Coastal Mountains (Aragua and Miranda States and the Distrito Federal) and one locality in the Andes (Barinas State) ( Fig. 7 ).

Remarks. The species has been collected at several rock face seeps, including one collection in the Coastal Mountains in incredibly large numbers ( Fig. 8 A). It has been co-collected with O. pittieri and O. sapphirus in the Coastal Mountains, and with O. meridensis , O. andinus , and O. trujillo at one locality in the main Mérida Andes. It is possibly more widespread along the Venezuelan Andes.

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 6. Aedeagi of Oocyclus species. A) O. petra sp. n., B) O. galbus sp. n.; C) O. pico sp. n. D) O. bolivari sp. n. Scale bar = 0.2 mm.

FIGURE 7. Distribution of Oocyclus species in Venezuela.

FIGURE 8. Habitat of Oocyclus species. A) Aragua State, collecting event AS- 06 - 023; type locality for O. pico and O. pittieri, locality for O. sapphirus. B) Zulia State, near Toromo, collecting event AS- 07 - 022, type locality for O. galbus and locality for O. substillus.