Novochares unguis, 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 unguis sp. nov.

Figs 18J, K , 22D

Type material.

Holotype (male): "BOLIVIA: Santa Cruz Dept./ 3.7 km SSE Buena Vista/ Hotel Flora y Fauna/ 17°29'S, 63°33'W; A.R. Cline/ 1-12.v.2004; MV+UV lights (SEMC). Paratypes (46 exs.): Bolivia: “Bolivia” without additional data (1, USNM); Santa Cruz: Same data as holotype (14, SEMC); Inchilo Province, “Cafetal” by Rio Quebrada Palometilla, 5.viii.1990, forest clearing at UV light, leg. P. Parrillo & P. Bettella, "No. 001" (1, FMNH). Peru: Cuzco: Pilcopata, 600 m, 8-10.xii.1979 premontane moist forest, leg. J.B. Heppner (7, USNM); Villa Carmen Biological Station, South of Rio Pinipini, 27.v.2022, leg. Short et al., large marshy pool with detritus, PE22-0526-01E (2, MHNSM, SEMC, including DNA voucher SLE2460). Madre de Dios: Rio Tambopata Reserve, ca. 30 km SW Puerto Maldonado, 290 m, 16-20.xi.1979, leg. J.B. Heppner, subtropical humid forest (14, USNM [one is separated]); same data but 11-15.xi.1979 (4, USNM), same data but 2-5.xi.1979 (2, USNM); Tambopata, 12°50.204'S, 69°17.609'W, 208 m, Explorers Inn, S. Puerto Maldonado, "Ant trail", 11.i.2020, leg. S. Baca, forest pools connected by small trickle, PE20-0111-01A (1, SEMC, DNA Voucher SLE2136).

Differential diagnosis.

See differential diagnosis for N. clavieri .

Description.

Body length 5.8-6.3 mm. Coloration: Dorsal surfaces brown to dark brown, with paler (brown) margins of clypeus, pronotum, and elytra. Head: Maxillary palps nearly 1.5 × width of head, uniformly orange or brown in color. Thorax: Ground punctation on pronotum and elytra relatively 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 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 shallow to moderately deep and broad, U-shaped. Aedeagus: (Fig. 18J, K ) Overall shape pear-like, 2 × longer than wide, with outer lateral margins of parameres nearly evenly convex up to apical region; apical region of each paramere rounded, partly membranous, with outer margin very weakly pointed; at closest point, dorsal inner margins of parameres separated by distance 0.5 × greatest width of a paramere; dorsal plate of median lobe with neck 0.57 × as broad as base; neck dorsally concave; arms of dorsal plate of median lobe apically diverging, nearly 0.17 × length of dorsal plate of median lobe; each arm slightly outwardly curved, apically and gradually narrowing to narrowly rounded apex; notch between arms at base slightly wider than base of an arm; gonopore placed at base of fork of dorsal plate of median lobe; ventral plate of median lobe not visible; basal piece 0.4 × length of a paramere. In lateral view, aedeagus oblique at base, with ventral outline of parameres 3.7 × longer than greatest width near base; dorsal outline of aedeagus in lateral view nearly evenly convex; ventral outline of aedeagus in lateral view nearly straight up to apical region.

Etymology.

Unguis (L.), meaning claws, referring to the curved, insect-claw-like form of the apex of the dorsal plate of the median lobe.

Distribution.

Bolivia, Peru (Fig. 22D ).

Habitat.

Known from forested pools and streams margins.

Figures

Figure 18. Aedeagi of the Novochares sallaei species group A, B N. bisinuatus C-E N. yanomami F-I N. fernandezae J, K N. unguis L N. clavieri M-P N. cochlearis A, C, F, J, L, M, O, P dorsal view B, H, N lateral view D, G ventral view E, I, K oblique view M, N Brazil O Venezuela P Suriname.

Figure 22. Distribution of Novochares sallaei species group A N. cochlearis (red: circles, examined specimens; squares, literature / unconfirmed records), N. dicranospathus (yellow), N. pastinum (blue) B N. atratus (red: circles, examined specimens; squares, literature / unconfirmed records), N. clavieri (yellow), N. bisinuatus (blue), N. garciai (green) C N. chaquensis (red: circles, examined specimens; squares, literature / unconfirmed records), N. pichilingue (yellow) D N. fernandezae (red), N. tridentis (yellow), N. quadrispinus (blue), N. unguis (green).