Laccophilus mirabilis Guignot, 1956

Bistroem, Olof, Nilsson, Anders N. & Bergsten, Johannes, 2015, Taxonomic revision of Afrotropical Laccophilus Leach, 1815 (Coleoptera, Dytiscidae), ZooKeys 542, pp. 1-379 : 18-19

Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Dytiscidae

Laccophilus mirabilis Guignot, 1956 Figs 19, 383, 527

Laccophilus mirabilis Guignot 1956d: 78 (original description, faunistics); Rocchi 1991: 86 (faunistics, list); Nilsson 2001: 247 (catalogue, faunistics); Nilsson 2015: 214 (catalogue, faunistics).

Type locality.

Madagascar: Bas Mangoky.

Type material studied

(3 exs.). Holotype: female: "Type / Station Agric Bas Mangoky / Institut Scientifique Madagascar /Guignot det., 1956 Laccophilus mirabilis Type" (MNHN). - Paratypes: "Station Agric Bas Mangoky / female symbol / Paratype" (2 exs. MNHN; habitus in Fig. 383).

Diagnosis.

Laccophilus mirabilis belongs to a distinct group of species characterized by body shape, being longer, thicker and relatively more slender than other African Laccophilus species. Other diagnostic features are the body microsculpture, which is simple and fine and shape of penis which is narrow and in dorsal view peculiarly, slightly twisted. Laccophilus mirabilis is thus far, however, only known from female but it can be separated from closely related, continental African species by being somewhat larger and by exhibiting different colour pattern of body.

Description.

Body length 5.1-5.7 mm, width 2.8-3.0 mm. Only slight variation observed in elytral colour pattern (Fig. 383).

Head: Pale ferrugineous to pale brownish. Submat, finely and distinctly microsculptured. Reticulation simple, of one kind. Impunctate, except at eyes; with a few, fine and irregularly placed punctures. Additionally, in a small depression located a short distance from eyes towards middle with some fine punctures. Frontally along anterior edge with a faint, somewhat irregular impression.

Pronotum: Dark ferrugineous to ferrugineous. Laterally pronotum becomes gradually paler; pale ferrugineous. Submat, finely but distinctly microsculptured. Reticulation simple, of one kind. At margins except basally in middle with fine, sparse and irregularly located punctures. Extremely small, scattered punctures may be discerned on disc.

Elytra: Pale ferrugineous to ferrugineous, with fairly distinct dark ferrugineous markings (Fig. 383). Submat, finely and distinctly microsculptured. Reticulation simple, of one kind. Very fine, somewhat sparse and irregular punctures form a discal, dorsolateral and lateral row of punctures.

Ventral aspect: Blackish to dark ferrugineous. Prothorax ferrugineous to pale ferrugineous. Almost impunctate, except apical ventrite, which especially on apex is distinctly punctate (Fig. 19). Rather shiny, very finely and densely microsculptured. Abdomen (all visible ventrites) with somewhat sparse, curved striae. Metacoxal plates with some 10 shallow, transversely located, furrows. Prosternal process slightly enlarged, apex short, pointed.

Legs: Pro- and mesotarsus rather slender.

Male: Unknown.

Distribution.

Madagascar (Fig. 527).

Collecting circumstances.

Unknown.