Novochares piaroa, Short & Girón, 2023

Short, Andrew Edward Z. & Giron, Jennifer C., 2023, Revision of the Neotropical water scavenger beetle genus Novochares Giron & Short (Coleoptera, Hydrophilidae, Acidocerinae), ZooKeys 1171, pp. 1-112 : 1

publication ID	https://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1171.104142
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:267D0D45-59CA-4A18-A080-34768E652607
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/A129C9A5-CB42-4C2A-BB5A-9921126C30B1
taxon LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:act:A129C9A5-CB42-4C2A-BB5A-9921126C30B1
treatment provided by	ZooKeys by Pensoft
scientific name	Novochares piaroa
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Novochares piaroa sp. nov.

Figs 24D View Figure 24 , 28A-C View Figure 28 , 29D View Figure 29

Type material.

Holotype (male): "VENEZUELA: Amazonas State/ Communidad Cano Gato/ 04°45.845'N, 67°44.345'W, 100m/ 7.i.2006; stream margin/detritus/ AS-06-016; leg. A.E.Z. Short" (MIZA). Paratypes (12 exs.): Venezuela: Amazonas: Same data as holotype (6, SEMC, including DNA Voucher SLE1194, TTU-Z); same locality but 16.i.2009, leg. Short, Miller, Camacho, Joly, & García, along stream, VZ09-0116-01X (4, MIZA, SEMC).

Differential diagnosis.

This species has an aedeagus that superficially resembles several other Novochares tectiformis group species, but is fairly distinct from them all. It is perhaps most close to N. duo (Fig. 25A View Figure 25 ) and N. coya (Fig. 26G View Figure 26 ), but the dorsal plate of the median lobe is much shorter and the apical fork much smaller (Fig. 28A View Figure 28 ) than in either of those species.

Description.

Body length 6.8-7.8 mm. Coloration: Dorsal surfaces dark brown, with very slightly paler margins of pronotum and elytra. Head: Maxillary palps nearly 1.6 × longer than width of head, uniformly orange to brown in color (Fig. 24D View Figure 24 ). Thorax: Ground punctation on pronotum and elytra dense and very shallowly impressed. Elytra without rows of serial punctures, each with very faint rows (one dorsal and two or three lateral) of scarce and weakly marked systematic punctures. Prosternum very weakly and broadly convex. Posterior elevation of mesoventrite elevated as a triangular pyramid, with posterior face somewhat concave and medial longitudinal ridge extending anteriorly. Abdomen: Apical emargination of fifth ventrite relatively deep, U-shaped. Aedeagus: (Fig. 28A-C View Figure 28 ) Overall shape pear-like, 2.4 × longer than wide; lateral projection on apical region of outer margin of each paramere pointed; at closest point, dorsal inner margins of parameres separated by distance nearly 1/3 greatest width of a paramere; dorsal plate of median lobe with neck 1/2 as broad as base; arms of dorsal plate of median lobe short, nearly 0.15 × length of dorsal plate of median lobe; each arm triangular, dorsally concave, with apex acute and dorsally pointed; notch between arms at base nearly 1/2 as broad as base of an arm; ventral plate of median lobe moderately sclerotized, triangular, apically narrowly rounded, apex extending to beyond mid-length of neck, not reaching base of fork of dorsal plate; basal piece 0.35 × length of a paramere. In lateral view, aedeagus flattened, with ventral outline of parameres 3 × longer than greatest width near mid-length; dorsal outline weakly and evenly convex along basal 2/3.

Etymology.

Piaroa, in reference to the Piaroa indigenous group.

Distribution.

Only known from the type locality in the Guiana Shield region of Southern Venezuela (Fig. 29D View Figure 29 ).

Habitat.

The only known series was collected along the margins of a sandy stream with lots of detritus.