Laccodytes neblinae, Toledo, Mario, Spangler, Paul J. & Balke, Michael, 2010

Toledo, Mario, Spangler, Paul J. & Balke, Michael, 2010, Taxonomic revision of the Neotropical diving beetles genus Laccodytes Régimbart, 1895 (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae), Zootaxa 2347, pp. 37-58 : 51-52

Laccodytes neblinae sp.n.

Figs (6, 8, 11, 14, 25, 33, 49, 59, 62)

Type locality. Venezuela: Amazonas, Cerro de la Neblina.

Type material. Holotype 3 ( USNM): Venezuela, TF Amazonas, Cerro de la Neblina, basecamp, 140 m, 0°50'N 66°10'W, 27.I.–27.II.1985, P.J. Spangler, P.M. Spangler, R. Faitoute, W.E. Steiner. Paratypes: Same data as holotype (150 exs CMT, USNM, ZSM, NMW); Puerto Ayacucho, 37 km SE Rio Gavilan, 22.II.1986, P.J. Spangler (1 ex. USNM).

Diagnosis. Habitus ( Figs 33 a, b). Body length 1.7–1.8 mm. Body slightly drop-shaped, tip of elytron slightly truncate. Hind angle of pronotum rounded. Angle between pronotum and elytra missing.

Color. Head and pronotum dark yellow; base of pronotum black. Elytron brown with obscure paler pattern of dark yellowish patches in the following positions ( Figs 33 a, b for explanation): subbasal-subsutural; mediomarginal to medio-discal; apical or subapical. These patches are not contrasting and sometimes extremely obscure. Appendages yellowish. Ventral side of head and prosternum mainly dark yellow; epipleuron, metaventrite, metacoxa and metacoxal process mainly brown; abdomen dark yellowish.

Sculpture. The entire dorsal and ventral surface of the beetle with well impressed MR of regular, polygonal meshes. Few punctures on pronotum, elytron and metaventrite visible, denser and deeper on lateral expansions of metaventrite (“metasternal wings”). Metacoxal shagreenation similar to L. apalodes ( Fig. 25 ). A series of transverse shallow grooves is visible at about the anterior third of metacoxal plates.

Structures. Pronotum with narrow lateral bead; posterior angle rounded. Prosternum and prosternal process with small ridge; prosternal process broadly carinate and with a moderately long, needle-like, acute tip. Epipleuron broad up to level of sternite 6 or 7. Fore and middle legs very long and slender. Metatarsomeres 1–4 with apicolateral angle slightly lobed ( Fig. 14 ). Outer spur of metatibia broad and flat, acuminate at tip. Hind lobes of metacoxal process poorly rounded, divided by a deep and narrow, V-shaped notch ( Fig. 11 ).

Male. Pro- and mesotarsi not dilated. Hind margin of sternite 7 rounded ( Fig. 59 ). Aedeagus ( Fig. 49 ): median lobe elongated, rounded along dorsal side, straight ventrally, with tip acuminate: gently bent down in lateral view; gently turned to the right in dorsal view. Parameres small and rounded, almost of the same size and quite similar in shape, both with an apical seta.

Female. Sternite 7 ( Fig. 59 ) slightly concave on both sides, hind margin with a deep and narrow V-shaped emargination, almost acute on vertex.

Distribution ( Fig. 62). Southwestern Venezuela.

Biology. Specimens were seined from rocks in the rapids of Rio Baria; some 30 exemplars from Cerro de la Neblina were picked by hand from leaf packs taken from a stream.

Derivatio nominis. Name derived from Cerro de la Neblina, type-locality of this species.

Figures

FIGURES 28 – 39. Subschematic body shape and colour patterns: 28) Laccodytes apalodes; 29) L. rondonia; 30) L. americanus; 31) L. phalacroides; 32) L. takutuanus; 33 a – 33 b) L. neblinae (variation of elytral patterns); 34) L. bassignanii; 35) L. obscuratus; 36) L. olibroides; 37) L. androginus; 38) Laccodytes sp. 1.; 39) Laccodytes sp. 2.

FIGURES 17 – 25. SEMs of MR in some Laccodytes species: 17) detail of elytron of L. americanus (magn. 2100 x); 18) idem, (magn. 2600 x); 19) metacoxa (MTX) and metaventrite (MTS) of L. americanus; 20) idem, detail at higher magnification; 21) idem, detail of metaventrite (MTX) at higher magnification; 22) detail of elytron of L. apalodes; 23) detail of metacoxa of L. apalodes; 24) idem, detail at higher magnification; 25) detail of metacoxa of L. neblinae.

FIGURES 3 – 16. SEMs of some Laccodytes species structures: 3) segments 1 - 3 in male protarsus of L. americanus; 4) prosternal process of L. apalodes; 5) idem, L. americanus; 6) idem, L. neblinae; 7) metaventrite of L. apalodes, the arrow indicates the groove in which the tip of prosternal process fits; 8) idem, L. neblinae; 9) metacoxal process of L. apalodes; 10) idem, L. americanus; 11) idem, L. neblinae; 12) hind tarsus of L. apalodes (male); 13) idem, L. americanus (male); 14) idem, L. neblinae (female); 15) ovipositor of L. apalodes; 16) idem, L. americanus.

FIGURES 54 – 61. Last abdominal segment (left male; right female) in Laccodytes species: 54) L. apalodes; 55) L. rondonia; 56) L. americanus; 57) L. phalacroides; 58) L. takutuanus; 59) L. neblinae; 60) L. bassignanii; 61) Laccodytes sp. 1 female.

FIGURES 48 – 53. Male genitals in Laccodytes species: 48) L. takutuanus: a) median lobe of aedeagus in dorsal view, b) in lateral view, c-d) right and left parameres; 49) L. neblinae: a) median lobe of aedeagus in dorsal view, b) in lateral view, c-d) right and left parameres; 50) L. bassignanii: a) median lobe of aedeagus in dorsal view, b-c) in dorsal-lateral and lateral view, d-e) right and left parameres; 51) L. obscuratus: a) median lobe of aedeagus in dorsal view, b) in lateral view, c-d) right and left parameres; 52) L. olibroides: a) median lobe of aedeagus in lateral view, b-c) right an left parameres; 53) L. androginus: a) median lobe of aedeagus in dorsal view, b) in lateral view, c-d) right and left parameres.