Laccophilus poecilus Klug, 1834

Bistroem, Olof, Nilsson, Anders N. & Bergsten, Johannes, 2015, Taxonomic revision of Afrotropical Laccophilus Leach, 1815 (Coleoptera, Dytiscidae), ZooKeys 542, pp. 1-379 : 165-166

Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Dytiscidae

Laccophilus poecilus Klug, 1834 Figs 135-136, 321-322, 467, 529

Laccophilus poecilus Klug 1834: fig. 8 (original description); Schaum 1864: 106 (faunistics); Sharp 1882: 287, 821 (description, faunistics); v. d. Branden 1885: 23 (catalogue, faunistics); Régimbart 1895: 133 (description, faunistics); Zimmermann 1920a: 24 (catalogue, faunistics); Zimmermann 1930: 21, 23 (description, faunistics); Guignot 1959a: 532, 533, 534, 538 (description, biology, faunistics, discussion); Guignot 1961a: 932 (biology); Alfieri 1976: 31 (faunistics, discussion); Nilsson 2001: 249 (catalogue, faunistics); Nilsson 2003: 77 (faunistics, list); Angus 2003: 16 (synonym Laccophilus ponticus Sharp); Bennas and Sàinz-Cantero 2006: 60, 62 (faunistics, list); Nilsson 2015: 216 (catalogue, faunistics).

Laccophilus variegatus (Germar & Kaulfuss, 1816), Zimmermann 1920a: 27 (catalogue, faunistics); Guignot 1959a: 533, 538 (praeoccupied, Geoffroy 1785); Angelini 1982: 82 (faunistics); Nilsson 2015: 216 (catalogue, faunistics, synonymy, Laccophilus poecilus Klug).

Laccophilus ponticus Sharp, 1882, Nilsson and Holmen 1995: 149 (description, faunistics, biology); Angus 2003:16 (synonymy, lectotype designation of Laccophilus poecilus Klug); Nilsson 2015: 216 (catalogue, faunistics, synonym Laccophilus poecilus Klug).

Comments on synonymy.

Synonymy follows earlier studies. List of references is not complete and includes only studies with an African dimension.

Type locality.

Egypt.

Type material studied

(1 ex.): Lectotype: female: "9987 / P(not readable) / Aegypten Ehrenberg Nr. 9987/ Laccophilus poecilus / Laccophilus poecilus Klug, Brancucci Klug det. M. Brancucci 92 / Lectotype des., Laccophilus poecilus Klug. R.B. Angus det. 2003 (1 ex. ZMHB).

Additional material studied

(15 exs.). Algeria: "Ouargla / Coll. Régimbart 1908 / Laccophilus poeclius Kl." (1 ex. MNHN). - (non-African): Greece: "Corfu, U. & J. Sahlb."(11 exs. MZH; habitus in Fig. 467). - Croatia: "Bokanjac Zadar D. Nowak 9-1899" (1 ex. MZH). - Croatia-Bosnia-Herzegovina: "Narenta Gabela U. Sahlb." (1 ex. MZH).

Specimen with unclear labelling.

"Merw Ahnger" (1 ex. MZH).

Diagnosis.

Laccophilus poecilus is characterized by peculiar elytral colour pattern (resembles elytral colour pattern in species group 11 ( deceptor group)) in combination with broad, truncate penis apex (lateral aspect). Penis, external curvature, with deep incision anterior to base of penis - only African species, exhibiting this feature.

Description.

Body length 3.6-4.0 mm, width 2.0-2.1 mm. Dorsal, colour pattern of body generally distinct, slightly variable but with same ground-plan (Fig. 467).

Head: Pale ferrugineous, posteriorly towards pronotum narrowly darker; ferrugineous to dark ferrugineous. Submat, finely microsculptured. Reticulation double; large meshes only slightly more strongly developed than fine meshes. Large meshes may contain 2-4 smaller meshes. Impunctate, except at eyes, with scattered, irregular punctures.

Pronotum: Pale ferrugineous. Frontally at area between eyes with vague, ferrugineous to dark ferrugineous marking. At base in middle, with a rather distinct, bilobed, blackish to dark ferrugineous spot. Submat, rather finely microsculptured. Reticulation double. Large meshes somewhat more strongly developed than small meshes. Large meshes contain 2-4 small meshes. Almost impunctate, except at margins. At margins except basally in middle with fine, scattered punctures.

Elytra: Dark to blackish ferrugineous with distinct, somewhat variable, pale ferrugineous markings (Fig. 467). Submat to rather shiny, finely microsculptured. Reticulation double. Large meshes only slightly more strongly developed than small meshes. Large meshes, when discernible, contain 2-5 small meshes. Laterally, large meshes in part reduced. Almost impunctate. Discal row of punctures consists of fine, irregular punctures. Outside discal row with scattered, irregularly distributed fine punctures, not forming distinct rows. Pre-apical, lateral row of punctures form a shallow furrow with some hairs.

Ventral aspect: Pale ferrugineous to ferrugineous. No distinct colour pattern but apical half of abdomen generally somewhat darker. Submat, finely microsculptured. Abdomen extensively with microsculpture absent or very fine. Almost impunctate; apical ventrite with sharp knob on one side and some scattered punctures (Fig. 135). Ventrites with fine, slightly curved striae. Metacoxal plates with some 10 almost transversely located furrows, which posteriorly, gradually become indistinct. Prosternal process slender, apex moderately extended and pointed.

Legs: Pro- and mesotarsus somewhat enlarged and extended, provided with distinct suckers.

Male genitalia: Penis in anterior portion enlarged gradually to broad, truncate apex (Fig. 321). In lateral aspect with external outline of penis at base provided with a distinct, deep incision illustrated in Fig. 322.

Female: Pro- and mesotarsus slender. Apical ventrite lacks asymmetric knob on one side (Fig. 136).

Distribution in Africa: Egypt, Algeria (Fig. 529). Nilsson (2003) gives also Morocco.

Collecting circumstances.

Guignot (1959a) reports the species in standing water of desert areas. Nilsson and Holmen (1995) report that the species in Scandinavia is mainly known from brackish water, where it occurs in sheltered bays on silty bottoms with dense vegetation ( Phragmites and Scirpus ). Also known from inland fresh water, e.g. from peaty water bodies.