Copelatus sp. 2

Hajek, Jiri, Shaverdo, Helena, Hendrich, Lars & Balke, Michael, 2021, A review of Copelatus diving beetles from the Solomon Islands, reporting the discovery of six new species (Coleoptera, Dytiscidae, Copelatinae), ZooKeys 1023, pp. 81-118 : 81

Copelatus sp. 2 Figure 14

Material examined.

Guadalcanal : 3 ♀♀, 0.5 km N Mbaole , 09°37.69'S, 160°06.69'E, 2799 feet, 2007, K. Mailautoka leg. ( ZSMG) .

Diagnosis.

Medium sized (TL: 7.2-7.9 mm), elongate, oblong-oval species. Head testaceous, with dark band posterior to eyes; pronotum brownish, with broad testaceous sides; elytra brown blackish, with thin transverse testaceous basal band and somewhat paler brown apical part. Pronotum and elytra (except for apical fifth) densely covered with long longitudinal strioles. Elytral striation due to presence of striolae could not be observed; presence of at least five discal striae is perceptible in the non-striolate apical part of elytra (Fig. 14 ).

Comments to classification.

The striolate female could not be associated with any current species group of Copelatus . They do not fit to any currently known species from the Solomon Islands. Without a male available for study, we leave this taxon unidentified to species level.

Distribution.

The species is known only from a single medium altitude locality in north-central Guadalcanal .

Figures

Figures 13, 14. Habitus of Copelatus 13 Copelatus sp. 1 14 Copelatus sp. 2.