Novochares cochlearis ( Fernandez , 1982)

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 cochlearis ( Fernandez, 1982)

Figs 6B , 17C , 18M-P , 22A

Helochares (s. str.) cochlearis Fernández, 1982b: 89; Fernández 1989: 148 [in key].

Novochares cochlearis ( Fernández, 1982); Girón and Short 2021: 204.

Type material.

Holotype male from Argentina (Corrientes, Santo Tomé) deposited in MACN (not seen).

Material examined

(83 exs.). Bolivia: Beni Department, Cercado Province, 9.5 km N. of Trinidad , 17.vi.1999, leg. K.B. Miller (1, SEMC) . Brazil: Amapá: Oiaqpoque (ca. 5.5 km NE), balneario, 18.vii.2018; leg. Short; seepage area, BR18-0718-01B (DNA Voucher SLE1922) . Bahia: Roda Velha , ca. 25 km S on BR-20, -12.97821, -45.99091, 805 m, 22.ii.2018, leg. Benetti & Team, marginal marsh of river, BR18-0222-03A (16, SEMC, INPA, including DNA Voucher SLE1628) . Mato Grosso: Jacare, Zingu National Park, xi.1965, M. Alvarenga, at light (1, USNM); Luizlandia do Oeste , 18 km W on BR-40, -17.99086, -45.78403, 768 m, 3.iii.2018, leg. Benetti & team, marsh area in valley next to stream, BR18-0303-01A (DNA Voucher SLE2080) . Roraima: BR-401, ca. 6 km SW of Bonfim, 3°21.615'N, 59°53.361'W, 100 m, 12.i.2018, leg. Short, Benetti & Santana, large marsh with abundant vegetation, BR18-0112-02A (3, SEMC); Caracaraí, ca. 30 km SE, on BR-174, 1°35.091'N, 61°00.118'W, 80 m, 16.i.2018, leg. Short, Benetti, & Santana, marsh, BR18-0116-05A (1, SEMC) . São Paulo: Piracicaba , 12.xii.1965, leg. C.A Triplehorn (3, UNSM), same data except 6.x.1965, blacklight trap (1, USNM); same data except 15.i.1966 (1, USNM) . French Guiana: St. Laurent du Maroni, Sentier des Malgaches, 5.48627, -54.00238, 14 m, 4.iii.2020, leg. Short & Neff, pond in secondary forest, FG20-0304-01A (6, SCC, SEMC); “Guyane”, Mission Balachowsky-Gruner , Foret d'Acarouany , 19.x.1969 (1, USNM) [note: this male specimen was labeled by P. Spangler as being compared with the type of " Helochares guianus BB". Guyana: " Hope LT.", 16-20.vii.1962, leg. J. Maldonado C. (2, USNM); " Essequibo R.", Moraballi Creek , 19.x.1929, Oxford University Expedition, “clearing” (1, USNM). Paraguay: 3.9 km South Villarrica, 2.xii.1973, leg. O. Flint Jr. (8, USNM); Paraguarí Department, Arroyo Caanabe , 12.iv.1980, leg. P.J. Spangler. Suriname: Pará: Along Martin Luther King Highway, SR 12-0723-02A (1, SEMC); SR12-0306-01A (4, SEMC; TTU-Z). Trinidad And Tobago: Trinidad , Piarco, 15-16.vii.1969, leg. P. & P. Spangler (3, USNM). Venezuela: Apure: road between San Fernando and Rio Capanaparo, 0.5 km N. Rio Claro, 7°10.162'N, 67°38.69'W, 50 m, 4.i.2006, leg. Short & Torres, roadside ditch/swale, AS-06-009 (3, SEMC, TTU-Z); ca. 6 km S. Rio Cinaruco, Road between Rio Orinoco & Rio Cinaruco , 8.i.2006, morichal and marsh along road, leg. Short, AS-06-019 (2, SEMC). Barinas: Ciudad Bolivia, approx. 13 km SE, large Hacienda, 8°19.394'N, 70°28.238'W, 173 m, 21.i.2012, leg. Short, Arias, & Gustafson, marsh, VZ12-0125-02A (1, SEMC). Bolívar: Los Pijiguaos, outcrop/ morichal, 6°35.617'N, 66°49.238'W, 60-80 m, 12.i.2009, leg. Short, Camacho, García, Joly, & Miller, algae on rocky margin of morichal, VZ09-0112-01B (1, SEMC). Guárico: San Nicolasito Field Station , 8°8.296'N, 66°24.459'W, 10.i.2009, leg. Short & Miller, VZ 09-0110-02X (16, SEMC, including DNA voucher SLE1196); Las Mercedes, approx. 65 km S, 8°31.705'N, 66°22.602'W, 145 m, 9.i.2009, leg. Short, García, Camacho, & Miller, large vegetated lagoon, VZ09-0109-01X (5, SEMC). Monagas: S of Maturin, morichal at road crossing, 9°16.398'N, 62°56.246'W, 22 m, 2.ii.2010, leg. Short, García, & Joly, morichal margin, VZ10-0202-02A (6, MIZA, SEMC, including DNA voucher SLE1175). Zulia: between Machiques and Tukuko, 9°51.883'N, 72°43.285'W, 96 m, 29.i.2009, leg. Short, Camacho, & García, roadside marsh, VZ09-0129-03X (1, SEMC); El Tucuco, 420 m, 12-27.v.1971, leg. C.J. Rosales, J. Salcedo, A. Ramirez (2, MIZA).

Differential diagnosis.

The form of the aedeagus of this species is extremely distinctive, with both the broadly triangular and undulating parameres and the spoon-shaped dorsal plate of the median lobe (Fig. 18M-P ). There is no other species that even closely resembles this aedeagal form.

Description.

Body length 5.0-6.5 mm. Coloration: Dorsal surfaces brown to dark brown, with slightly paler (brown to orange) margins of clypeus, pronotum, and elytra. Head: Maxillary palps 1.4-1.6 × width of head, uniformly orange to brown in color (Fig. 17C ). 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 flat to medially very weakly convex. Posterior elevation of mesoventrite weakly, broadly, and roundly elevated, with low medial longitudinal ridge extending anteriorly. Abdomen: Apical emargination of fifth ventrite relatively deep and broad, U-shaped. Aedeagus: (Fig. 18M-P ) Overall shape somewhat rhomboid, 1.7 × longer than greatest width, with outer lateral margins of parameres irregularly convex; apical region of each paramere with outer margin smooth, not pointed; at closest point, dorsal inner margins of parameres separated by distance 0.7 × greatest width of a paramere; dorsal plate of median lobe with narrowest point of neck near base of plate, 0.15 × as broad as base, gradually widening towards apical region; apical region of dorsal plate of median lobe dorsally concave, variable in length and shape, from oval to rhomboidal; gonopore placed at base of dorsal plate of median lobe; ventral plate of median lobe weakly sclerotized, not visible; basal piece strongly reduced. In lateral view, aedeagus strongly oblique at base, with ventral outline of parameres 3.4 × longer than greatest width near base; dorsal outline of aedeagus in lateral view somewhat concave along basal 1/2.

Distribution.

Argentina, Bolivia (new record), Brazil (new record; Amapá, Bahia, Minas Gerais, Roraima, São Paulo), French Guiana (new record), Guyana (new record), Paraguay, Suriname (new record), Trinidad and Tobago (new record), Venezuela (new record) (Fig. 22A ).

Habitat.

This species has generally been collected in lentic habitats such as marshes, pond margins, and roadside ditches.

Remarks.

This species has a very distinct aedeagus, with the flattened and ear-like shape of the median lobe unlike any others we have seen. The species is widely distributed in South America, and there is some variation in the precise shape of the dorsal plate of the median lobe, ranging from more circular (Fig. 18M ) to more elongate (Fig. 18P ) as well as the width and sinuosity of the outer margins of the parameres. There is also a higher (but not extreme) level of genetic divergence in COI between the northern and southern populations we sampled (maximum intraspecific difference of 5.1%; Fig. 1 ). It is possible that further detailed study of this species will reveal it to be a species complex.

The apical region of the dorsal plate of the median lobe in Fig. 18O is broken along the midline, which does not represent intraspecific variation.

There is a dissected male specimen from Guyana of this species in the USNM that is labeled " Helochares guianus JBB" [J. Balfour-Browne]. There is no record of this name ever having been published in the literature.

Figures

Figure 1. Phylogeny of Novochares spp. Part 1: Novochares punctatostriatus, Novochares tectiformis, Novochares sallaei, Novochares orchis, Novochares minor, and Novochares garfo species groups. Inferred from COI and 28 S combined sequence data. Numbers next to taxon names are extraction numbers (see Table 1). The Novochares portion of the phylogeny of Acidocerinae based on five gene fragments as presented in Short et al. (2021) is reproduced in the lower left corner for comparative purposes.

Figure 6. Morphological features of Novochares spp. A, B mesoventrite C, D dorsal view of the head A N. tectiformis B N. cochlearis C Aulonochares ligulatus D N. pertusus.

Figure 17. Dorsal habitus of Novochares spp. A N. guadelupensis B N. pichilingue C N. cochlearis D N. quadrispinus.

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).