Berosus repertus Oliva & Short

Oliva, Adriana & Short, Andrew E. Z., 2012, Review of the Berosus Leach of Venezuela (Coleoptera, Hydrophilidae, Berosini) with description of fourteen new species, ZooKeys 206, pp. 1-69 : 43-46

Berosus repertus Oliva & Short sp. n. Figs 22B, 23B

Type material.

Holotype (male): "VENEZUELA: Guarico State/ 8°31.705'N, 66°22.602'W, 145 m/ c. 65 km S. Las Mercedes,/ 9.i.2009; leg. Short, Miller/ García & Camacho; large/ lagoon w/veg.; VZ09-0109-01X", "[barcode]/ SM0844916/ KUNMH-ENT", "HOLOTYPE/ BEROSUS/ repertus sp. n./ des. Oliva & Short 2010" (MIZA). Paratypes (13): VENEZUELA: Apure State: Medanos de la Soledad, 7°20.175'N, 67°43.868'W, 49 m, marshy area, 17.i.2009, leg. Short, Camacho, Miller, VZ09-0117-02X (1 ex., SEMC). Barinas State: 10 km NE Barinas, 23.ii.1960, leg. P. & P. Spangler (9 exs., MIZA, SEMC, USNM). Guárico State: 20 km S. Calabozo, Rio Orituco, 8-13.ii.1969, leg. P. & P. Spangler (1 ex., USNM); 15 km S. Calabozo, Lago de Los Patos, 9-13.ii.1969, leg. P. & P. Spangler (1 ex., USNM); 32 km SW. Calabozo, 11.ii.1969, leg. P. & P. Spangler (1 ex., USNM).

Diagnosis.

Similar to Berosus palposus Knisch, 1921 form Brazil (Mato Grosso) in the shape of the male genitalia, but with a longer basal piece. The Brazilian species has remarkably long maxillary palpi, with the apical palpomere elongate, cylindrical and entirely dark, while the palpi of Berosus repertus are dark only on the apical one-fourth of the apical palpomere.

Description.

Body length: 4.1-4.5 mm. Shape elongately oval in dorsal aspect, moderately convex in lateral aspect. Eyes prominent. Labrum testaceous, melanic at base. Clypeus testaceous on the anterior margin, elsewhere melanic with strong metallic luster. Frons melanic with metallic luster. Pronotum testaceous with melanic discal spot, divided by a testaceous median line. Scutellum dark. Elytra testaceous with small ill-defined melanic spots. Venter of thorax black. Abdomen dark. Maxillary palpi with apical palpomere darkened on apical one-fourth. Femora testaceous, diffusely darkened at base.

Punctures on clypeus about the size of ommatidia, on frons about twice that size, on the base of frons a little larger, contiguous, rather polygonal than round; surface between punctures micropunctate. Pronotal punctures elliptical, moderately coarse, about twice the size of an ommatidion, spaces equivalent to 1-3 diameters, irregular; on the sides punctures round, finer and spaced by 2-3 times their diameter; between punctures there are numerous micropunctations a little smaller than an ommatidion. Scutellum shining, bearing a few punctures. Elytral striae shallow on disc, bearing punctures smaller than those on the pronotum; striae eight, ninth and tenth reduced to rows of punctures on anterior one-third. Interstriae flat, on disc densely micropunctate and bearing punctures about the same size as those on striae; on outer interstriae punctures obsolete. Elytral apices weakly produced in line with the second interstria. Spine-like hairs on all striae (Fig. 22B).

Mesoventral process laminar, with large anterior tooth, very strongly and angularly curved, directed backwards; concave behind ventral margin; posterior angle rounded, strongly raised, but much less so that anterior tooth. Metaventral process narrow, finely carinate in front of median depression; posterolateral angles produced into rounded laminae, posterior angle not raised. First ventrite carinate only between metacoxae, with moderately large, rounded lateral depressions. Fifth ventrite with shallow apical notch, the bottom of which bears two triangular teeth. Lateral margins of abdominal ventrites smooth.

Maxillary palpi elongate, slender; second palpomere longer than fourth, fourth longer than third. Basal pubescence on three-quarters of mesofemora and of metafemora, limit convex. Protarsus of male with first and second tarsomeres strongly thickened, with large adhesive soles, the first about twice as long as the second. Claws weakly arched, angular at base.

Male genitalia (Fig. 23D): basal piece three-fifths of total length, about two and a half times as long as wide. Parameres long, parallel-sided, broadly rounded at apices, with a rather short row of hairs which takes up about half of the unencased part of the parameres. Median lobe a little longer than as parameres, subcylindrical, rounded at apex, with long, fine, weakly raised tergal ridge and a rather small, but distinct sternal opening.

Etymology.

From Latin reperio, "to find", alluding to the fact that this species was discovered only after dissecting out the male genitalia.

Distribution.

Venezuela (Apure, Barinas, Guárico).

Remarks.

Most specimens were taken from standing waters.