Tassilodytes parisii ( GRIDELLI , 1939)

Fery, Hans & Bouzid, Slimane, 2016, Notes on Graptodytes SEIDLITZ, 1887, re-instatement of G. laeticulus (SHARP, 1882) as valid species and description of Tassilodytes nov. gen. from Algeria (Coleoptera, Dytiscidae, Hydroporinae, Siettitiina), Linzer biologische Beiträge 48 (1), pp. 451-481 : 468

Tassilodytes parisii ( GRIDELLI, 1939) (nov.comb.)

Graptodytes parisii GRIDELLI, 1939: 408 ; GUIGNOT 1959: 408; FRANCISCOLO 1983: 645; FERY 1995: 33; RIBERA & FAILLE 2010: 11.

T y p e l o c a l i t y: Algeria,Tassili,TinelFokki (ca. 24.76N 9.91E).

T y p e m a t e r i a l: Holotype: ♀, "Tassili, Tin El Fokki, Ottobre 1936, G. Scortecci" [printed], " Holotypus " [red, printed], " Graptodytes Parisii n. sp. [most probably hw Gridelli], DET. E GRIDELLI 1939 [printed]", " Tassilodytes gen. n. parisii ( Gridelli, 1939) , Fery & Bouzid det. 2016" [printed] (MCSN); scans of the labels are given in Fig. 32 .

This is one of those extremely rare species which are known only from a single specimen. We know also of only four publications (except the original description) in which the name of this species is mentioned, but the species is here not treated in detail because none of the authors of these publications has seen the holotype. Nobody except GRIDELLI himself seems ever to have studied the holotype and the species has never been found again; in particular, the male of this species is unknown. The senior author had the opportunity to study the holotype for a while, and thus we can provide a thorough redescription and add several new features to GRIDELLI' s original description from the year 1939.

Figures

Figs 30-32: Tassilodytes parisii (GRIDELLI, 1939) (30) holotype, dorsal surface; (31) same, ventral surface; (32) holotype labels (scale bar 4.0 mm).