Hydroporus toubkal, Fery & Hájek, 2013

Fery, Hans & Hájek, Jiří, 2013, Hydroporus toubkal sp. nov. from the High Atlas, Morocco, a new member of the H. longulus group (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae: Hydroporinae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 53 (2), pp. 601-607 : 602-606

Hydroporus toubkal sp. nov.

(Figs 1–4, 8–9)

? Hydroporus longulus Mulsant & Rey, 1861 : KOCHER (1958): 18 (misidentification); GUIGNOT (1959): 395 (misidentification).

Type locality. Morocco, High Atlas, [Jebel] Toubkal Mt. , near Refuge du Toubkal “Les Mouflons”, ca. 3100 m ; coordinates ca. 31.067N, 7.936W.

Type material. HOLOTYPE: J: ‘ MOROCCO / Toubkal 2600-3400m / 5.5.2008 / lgt.Orszulik [printed]’, ‘ HOLOTYPE / HYDROPORUS / toubkal sp. nov. / H. Fery & J. Hájek des. 2013 [red label, printed]’ ( NMPC). PARATYPES: 2 JJ 4 ♀♀, same label data as the holotype ( CHF, KOFM, NMPC).

Additional material examined. 1 ♀, Morocco, Haute Atlas , 4 km NE Oukaïmeden, ca. 31.23N 7.81W, ca. 2100 m, brook, 9.viii.1985, H. Fery leg. ; so far the specimen has been determined as “ H. longulus ?”; the locality is situated ca. 15 km NNE of the locus typicus of the new species and ca. 50 km SSE Marrakesh.As single females cannot be determined with certainty, we refrain from including it in the type series .

diameter. Discal puncture lines not very distinct but perceptible, marked by somewhat denser normal punctures and a few interspersed coarser punctures; sutural puncture line lacking. Margin of elytra slightly ascending towards humeral angle in lateral view. Lateral elytral beading distinct, narrower than pronotal beading. Epipleuron visible to humeral angle in lateral view.

Legs. Protibia rather strongly broadened distally. Pro- and mesotarsomeres I–III slightly dilated and with sucking setae, tarsomeres I with small oval sucker discs in addition to sucking setae. Protarsal claws short, more or less of same length, proximally broadened; posterior (outer) claw strongly curved near base, almost evenly curved over rest of length; anterior (inner) claw more strongly curved near base and almost straight in distal two thirds; mesotarsal claws of same length and evenly curved, longer than protarsal claws.

Venter with most parts weakly microreticulate; gula, prosternal process, medial part of metaventrite and metacoxal processes smooth; genae smooth close to gula, laterally distinctly reticulated. Meshes regularly polygonal on genae, sides of metaventrite, metacoxal plates, epipleura, and last ( VI) abdominal ventrite; meshes on abdominal ventrites I–V very elongate, on sides more or less longitudinally oriented, in middle transverse. Head posterior to eyes with distinct crease, near mouthparts with several distinct wrinkles. Gula on sides with a few coarse punctures, genae impunctate. Punctation on sides of metaventrite, on metacoxal plates, and on sides of abdominal ventrites I–II rather coarse; on epipleura, centre of metaventrite, metacoxal processes, and rest of abdominal ventrites less coarse. More or less all punctures with a seta. Centre of abdominal ventrites III–V with a tuft of long setae.

Prosternal process lanceolate, very elongate; longitudinal carina narrow, more or less tectiform in cross-section, but ridge rounded; sides broadened and margin provided with very coarse punctures and long setae. Process reaching between mesocoxae and onto furrow of anteromedial metaventral process; thus, mesocoxae not contiguous. Base of prosternum strongly impressed; file broad, smooth, transverse ridges very weak; between procoxae with one strong transverse ridge.

Posterior margins of metacoxal processes medially protruded backwards, laterally sinuate; metacoxal lines diverging anteriorly, not reaching posterior margin of metaventrite; intralinear space posteriorly with numerous long golden setae.

Genitalia. Median lobe of aedeagus asymmetric; in ventral view only slightly convergent in basal two thirds, more evenly tapering to apex in apical third, apex very shortly rounded ( Fig. 2 ); in lateral view distinctly narrowed in apical third to pointed apex ( Fig. 3 ). Lateral lobe (paramere) as in Fig. 4 .

Female. Females without conspicuous external differences to males except slightly narrower pro- and especially mesotarsomeres, lack of sucker discs, and evenly curved protarsal claws. Gonocoxosternum and gonocoxae as in Figs 8 and 9 .

Variability. Specimens of the type series vary in the extent of the brownish colouration of the lateral parts of elytra – in two specimens the brown colour shines through the lateral fourth of elytra. The antennomeres can be almost unicolorous. In some paratypes, the puncture line along the anterior margin of the pronotum is not really interrupted in the middle and the setation on the pronotal disc is indistinct, probably worn out. One male paratype varies slightly also in the shape of the male genitalia: the apical part of the median lobe is slightly shorter and in ventral view broader than in the holotype.

Measurements. TL 3.7–3.9 mm (holotype 3.8 mm); TL-h 3.2–3.6 mm (holotype 3.4 mm); TW 1.8–2.0 mm (holotype 1.9 mm).

Differential diagnosis. The new species is most similar to Hydroporus longulus from western Central Europe and H. nevadensis Sharp, 1882 , which is distributed in the mountain ranges of Spain and Portugal. Hydroporus toubkal sp. nov. can hardly be distinguished from these species by extern features alone; the shape of the median lobe of the aedeagus is the only reliable character which allows for separation of the three species (compare Figs 3, 5 , and 6), a statement which also applies to most other species in the group. The median lobe of the Caucasian H. jacobsoni Zaitzev, 1927 resembles that of the new species, particularly in ventral view; in lateral view the differences are more obvious: the apex is distinctly broader in H. jacobsoni and by no means pointed ( Fig. 7 ). Finally we want to mention two further members of the longulus group: Hydroporus jurjurensis Régimbart, 1895 from the Algerian Djurjura mountain range (the only other species of the group from northern Africa) which can be easily separated by the sharply cut apex of the median lobe (cf. GUIGNOT 1959: Fig. 348) and Hydroporus constantini Hernando & Fresneda, 1996 from central northern Spain whose median lobe shape is distinctly different from all species considered in the present work (cf. HERNANDO & FRESNEDA 1996: Figs 2, 5 ).

Etymology. The new species is named after the type locality, Toubkal massif of the High Atlas mountain range; the specific epithet is a noun in the nominative case standing in apposition.

Collecting circumstances. The specimens of the type series were collected in a spring with mosses, ca. 0.5 km below the Refuge du Toubkal “Les Mouflons” (K. Orszulik, pers. comm.). The single female from Oukaïmeden was collected in a small stream together with Agabus biguttatus (Olivier, 1795) and Hydroporus discretus discretus Fairmaire & Brisout de Barneville, 1859 (both Dytiscidae ).

Distribution. Currently only known from the type locality, Toubkal massif ( Morocco), but possibly more widespread in the High Atlas mountain range (see the single female from Oukaïmeden).

Notes. GUIGNOT (1947: 111 and 1959: 396) gave records of H. longulus from the Middle Atlas and the High Atlas respectively; KOCHER (1958: 18) also gave records from the High Atlas. We have not been able to study any material belonging to the records given by these two authors, but presume that these records may belong to H. toubkal sp. nov.

Figures

Figs 2–9. 2–4, 8–9 – Hydroporus toubkal sp. nov.: 2 – median lobe of aedeagus in ventral view; 3 – median lobe in lateral view; 4 – left paramere; 8 – gonocoxosternum; 9 – gonocoxae. 5 – H. longulus Mulsant & Rey, 1861, median lobe of aedeagus in lateral view (adapted from FERY 1999). 6 – H. nevadensis Sharp, 1882, median lobe of aedeagus in lateral view (adapted from FERY 1999). 7 – H. jacobsoni Zaitzev, 1927, median lobe of aedeagus in lateral view (adapted from FERY 2009).