Exocelina subjecta (Sharp, 1882)

Ranarilalatiana, Tolotra, Raveloson Ravaomanarivo, Lala Harivelo & Bergsten, Johannes, 2019, Taxonomic revision of the genus Copelatus of Madagascar (Coleoptera, Dytiscidae, Copelatinae): the non- erichsonii group species, ZooKeys 869, pp. 19-90 : 19

Exocelina subjecta (Sharp, 1882)

Copelatus subjectus Sharp, 1882: 568.

Copelatus bilunatus Guignot, 1955: 73; TL: Madagascar [mislabelled, likely New Caledonia; see Balke et al. (2014)]

Type locality.

New Caledonia.

Remarks.

Copelatus bilunatus Guignot, 1955 is a synonym of Exocelina subjecta (Sharp, 1882) following Balke et al. (2014). Copelatus bilunatus was described by Guignot (1955a) from Zimmermann’s collection based on a "♀ unique" from “Madagascar” without any further locality data. The species was assigned to Copelatus based on the presence of complete metacoxal lines and placed in the Copelatus hydroporoides species group, as it lacked impressed elytral striae. Balke et al. (2014) concluded that the specimen is identical to Exocelina subjecta (Sharp, 1882), a common species on New Caledonia, and synoymised the two assuming the specimen was mislabelled. Apparently the holotype is a male in contrast to what is stated in the original description. Balke et al. (2014) document the presence of a stout spine-like setae on the anterodistal angle of protarsomere IV, which is characteristic of the Copelatinae genus Exocelina (but also of Malagasy Madaglymbus ). We have not examined the type ourselves but it is clear that in any case it is not a Copelatus species.