Novochares kawsay, 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

Novochares kawsay sp. nov.

Figs 19I-L , 23

Type material.

Holotype (male): "PERU: Madre de Dios: Tambopata/ - 12.53550°S, - 69.01205°W, 190m/ Kawsay Biological Station, 3.vi.2022/ Large detrital pool nr. banana area/ PE22-0603-02B, leg. Short et al." (MHNSM). Paratypes (5 exs.): Peru: Madre de Dios: Same data as holotype (3, MHNSM, SEMC); same locality as holotype but 2.vi.2022, swamp pool in forest, PE22-0602-01C (1, SEMC); same data except swamp pool with detritus and mud, PE22-0602-01A (1, SEMC).

Additional material examined

(1 ex.). Ecuador: Napo: Limoncocha , 15.vi.1977, leg. P.J. Spangler & D.R. Givens #129 (1, USNM) .

Differential diagnosis.

See differential diagnosis for N. guadelupensis .

Description.

Body length 5.3-6.1 mm. Coloration: Dorsal surfaces brown to dark brown, with very slightly paler (brown to yellowish) margins of clypeus, pronotum and elytra. Head: Maxillary palps nearly 1.5 × width of head, uniformly brown or orange in color. Thorax: Ground punctation on pronotum and elytra relatively dense and 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 medially very weakly convex. Posterior elevation of mesoventrite weakly, broadly, and somewhat longitudinally elevated, with low medial longitudinal ridge extending anteriorly. Abdomen: Apical emargination of fifth ventrite relatively deep and broad, U-shaped. Aedeagus: (Fig. 19I-L ) Overall shape sub-rectangular, nearly 1.3 × longer than wide, with outer lateral margins of parameres nearly straight, very weakly sinuate along mid-length; apical region of each paramere rounded and partly membranous, with outer margin pointed; at closest point, dorsal inner margins of parameres separated by very narrow distance; dorsal plate of median lobe extending to or beyond apex of parameres, with neck slightly to strongly constricted at base of fork, dorsally concave, and continuing as short fork; arms of dorsal plate of median lobe slightly diverging along inner margins, nearly 0.1 × length of dorsal plate of median lobe; each arm narrowing towards apex, apically rounded; notch between arms at base nearly 0.3 × or as wide as width of an arm at base; gonopore placed at base of dorsal plate of median lobe; ventral plate of median lobe strongly sclerotized, triangular, narrow, rounded at apex, apex extending to before constriction of neck of dorsal plate; basal piece 0.55 × length of a paramere. In lateral view, aedeagus triangular, straight at base, with ventral outline of parameres 1.5 × longer than greatest width near base; dorsal outline of aedeagus in lateral view obliquely straight nearly along basal 5/6.

Etymology.

Named after the Kawsay Biological Station, the type locality for this species, to honor the effort of Raul Bello to preserve this biodiverse area in Peru.

Distribution.

This species has been found in Peru and Ecuador (Fig. 23 ).

Habitat.

This species was collected from large forested pools with abundant detritus in seasonally flooded forest.

Remarks.

The dorsal plate of the median lobe of the aedeagus exhibits some variation in the degree of constriction at the base of the fork and in the shape of the arms of the fork. We examined one specimen from Ecuador that appears very similar to the Peruvian form (compare Fig. 19I vs. Fig. 19L ) but because it differs in the degree of constriction and the shape of the arms of the fork, we have not included it in the paratype series.

Figures

Figure 19. Aedeagi of the Novochares sallaei species group A-H N. guadelupensis I-L N. kawsay A-C Guadeloupe D-G Suriname H Guyana I-K Ecuador L Peru A, D, E, H, I, L dorsal view B, F, J ventral view C, G, K lateral view.

Figure 23. Distribution of Novochares sallaei species group. N. sallaei (red: circles, examined specimens; squares, literature / unconfirmed records), N. guadelupensis (yellow), N. yanomami (blue), N. kawsay (green).