Copelatus dentatipenis Jiang, Hájek & Jia, 2022

Jiang, Zhuo-Yin, Zhao, Shuang, Yang, Zhen-Yu, Jia, Feng-Long & Hájek, Jiří, 2022, A review of Copelatus Erichson, 1832 of Mainland China, with description of ten new species from the japonicus complex (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae: Copelatinae), Zootaxa 5124 (3), pp. 251-295 : 255-256

Copelatus dentatipenis Jiang, Hájek & Jia , sp. nov.

( Figs 4 , 33–34 )

Type locality. China, Jiangxi Province, Jinggangshan Mts., Pingshuishan Mt. , ca. 26°30.4′N 114°06.9′E ; 1590 m.

Type material. Holotype, ♂ ( SYSU), labelled: “ 江M井LJ山平水山 / 28.IV.2011 / Āφ人：fl爽 // CHINA: Jiangxi Province / Jinggangshan Mts. / Pingshuishan Mt. / 26°27’1”N, 114°21’14”E [Sic! See the type locality.] / 1768 m, 28.iv.2011 / Shuang Zhao leg. [p] // HOLOTYPE / COPELATUS / dentatipenis sp. nov. / Jiang, Hájek & Jia det. 2021 [red label, p]” . Paratypes: 4 ♂, 1 ♀, “ CHINA: Jiangxi Province / Jinggangshan Mts., Huyangta / 26°29’9”N, 114°07’3”E / 1490 m, 28.iv.2011 / Shuang Zhao leg. [p]” ( SYSU) ; 2 ♂, 2 ♀, “ CHINA, JIANGXI prov., 28.vi.2011 / Jinggang Shan Mts. / Huyangta (fen, stream) / 26°29.9’N, 114°07.3’E, 1490 m, M. Fikáček & J. Hájek ” ( NMPC, ZSMG) ; 1 ♂, “ CHINA: Jiangxi prov. / Jinggangshan Mts. , Pingshui- / shan; 26°30.4’N, 114°06.9’E, / 1590 m 28.iv.2011; lgt. Fikáček, / Hájek, Kubeček, Jia, Song, Zhao // sifting; moist leaf litter in a / sparse / forest with bamboo + of mosses / (partly Sphagnum ) in a dried up / fen in a low Azalea forest” ( NMPC) ; 1 ♂, “ Kuatun (2300m) 27,40n. Br. / 117,40ö. L. J. Klapperich / 18. 3. 1938 (Fukien) [violet label, p]” ( NMPC) ; 1 ♀, “ Kuatun (2300m) 27,40n. Br. / 117,40ö. L. J. Klapperich / 6. 4. 1938 (Fukien) [violet label, p]” ( ZFMK) ; 5 ♂, 3 ♀, “ CHINA: Hunan Province / Chenzhou City / Mangshan Mt., Jiangjunzhai / 24°57’1”N, 112°55’58”E / 1263.12 m, 27.viii.2020 / Zhenming Yang leg. [p]” ( SYSU) . All paratypes with the appropriate printed red label.

Description of male holotype. Habitus ( Fig. 4 ) oblong-oval, with continuous outline, broadest in anterior 1/3 of elytral length, slightly convex. Dorsal surface shiny.

Colouration. Head dark brown, clypeus orange; pronotum dark brown, laterally broadly orange; elytra pale brown with broad, irregularly shaped, basal orange band reaching suture; appendages orange; ventral side dark brown.

Head. Moderately broad, ca. 0.64× width of pronotum, semicircular. Anterior margin of clypeus indistinctly concave. Antenna with antennomeres long and slender. Reticulation consisting of moderately deeply impressed polygonal isodiametric meshes. Punctation double, consisting of coarse setigerous punctures, and fine punctures spread sparsely on surface; row of coarse punctures present alongside inner margin of eyes, several punctures present also in fronto-clypeal depressions.

Pronotum. Transverse (width/length ratio = 2.75), broadest between posterior angles, lateral margins moderately curved. Lateral sides with beading very thin and indistinct. Reticulation similar to that of head. Punctation similar to that of head; rows of coarse setigerous punctures present along anterior margin, close to lateral sides, several punctures present also in shallow baso-lateral depressions along basal margin.Pronotum baso-laterally and especially laterally with numerous, irregularly distributed short longitudinal strioles. Centre of disc with shallowly impressed median longitudinal smooth line.

Elytra. Base of elytra as broad as pronotal base; lateral margins of elytra slightly diverging in basal third, then distinctly narrowing to apex. Six discal and one submarginal longitudinal striae present on each elytron: all striae beginning at base; stria 1 longest, ending close to apex; striae 2–5 somewhat shorter, ending subapically, even striae generally shorter than odd striae; stria 6 ending at apical fourth; submarginal stria long, beginning before elytral mid-length and ending at apical fourth. Reticulation similar to that of head and pronotum, but less impressed. Punctation consisting of coarse setigerous punctures and very fine sparse punctures; coarse punctures present along elytral striae and lateral margins of elytra.

Legs. Protibia modified, angled near base, distinctly broadened anteriorly, club shaped. Pro- and mesotarsomeres 1–3 distinctly broadened, with four rows of adhesive setae on their ventral side; claws simple.

Ventral side. Prosternum sinuate anteriorly, obtusely keeled medially. Prosternal process shortly lanceolate, in cross-section convex, apex obtuse; process distinctly bordered laterally; reticulation consisting of shallow, hardly perceptible polygonal meshes. Metaventrite with microsculpture consisting of polygonal meshes; lateral parts of metaventrite (“metasternal wings”) tongue-shaped, slender. Metacoxal lines nearly complete, absent only very close to metaventrite. Metacoxal plates covered with short, longitudinal strioles and some transverse wrinkles; reticulation consisting of elongate, longitudinal polygonal meshes. Metacoxal processes rounded at posterior margin.Abdominal ventrites I–II with longitudinal strioles; ventrites III–IV with oblique strioles laterally. Tuft of setae present anteromedially on ventrites III–V; ventrite VI with setigerous punctures laterally on either side. Abdominal reticulation consisting of elongate polygonal meshes, longitudinal on ventrites I–II, oblique on ventrite III and transverse on ventrites IV–VI. Punctation consisting of fine, sparsely distributed punctures.

Male genitalia. Median lobe of aedeagus in lateral view sickle-shaped, narrowing in apical third to skewed, dorsally slightly extended apex; in 2/3 of its length with small tooth on ventral side ( Fig. 33 ). Parameres moderately broad, ‘C’-shaped; apex short and broad; apical lobes long, club-shaped ( Fig. 34 ).

Female. Identical to male in habitus and sculpture. Protibia simple, not angled basally and only slightly broadened distally; pro- and mesotarsomeres not broadened, without adhesive setae.

Variability. All specimens of the type series are rather uniform. There is only slight variability in number and length of strioles presenting laterally on pronotum, and in extent of basal orange band on elytra; small differences were detected also in the shape of the tooth on ventral side of male median lobe (see Figs 33a–c ).

Measurements. TL: 5.2–5.6 mm (mean value: 5.4 ± 0.1 mm); holotype: 5.5 mm. TL-h: 4.7–5.1 mm (mean value: 4.9 ± 0.1 mm); holotype: 5.1 mm. MW: 2.5–2.7 mm (mean value: 2.6 ± 0.1 mm); holotype: 2.7 mm.

Differential diagnosis. Based on the presence of six dorsal striae and a submarginal stria on each elytron, the new species can be classified within Copelatus irinus Régimbart species group. Elongate habitus, complete elytral striation and male median lobe without distinct process place C. dentatipenis sp. nov. in the complex of species previously reported from China under C. japonicus (see above). Copelatus dentatipenis sp. nov. is in habitus almost identical with C. chinensis from central-eastern China, it can be reliably distinguished only based on male genitalia: the median lobe of C. dentatipenis sp. nov. is comparatively broader medially, with distinct angle in 2/3 of its length on dorsal side; slender apical part is longer than in C. chinensis , and the apex is less pronounced; finally, small, but distinct tooth is present on ventral side in 2/3 of lobe length (see Figs 31 and 33 ).

Collection details. In Jiangxi, the new species was collected in a small pool with thick layer of decaying leaves ( Fig. 72 ), close to a small stream and marsh; in that pool, C. dentatipenis sp. nov. was associated with another copelatine Dytiscidae : Lacconectus formosanus (Kamiya, 1938) . One specimen was sifted from wet moss in the marsh.

Etymology. The species name is composed from the Latin adjective dentatus (-a, -um) (= toothed, with tooth), and a noun penis (penis, masculinum), referring to the median lobe of the new species having a distinct tooth. The specific epithet is a noun in the nominative singular.

Distribution. Southeastern China (Fujian, Hunan and Jiangxi provinces) ( Fig. 81 ).

Figures

FIGURE 81. Map of distribution of Copelatus in China Mainland.

FIGURES 1–4. Habitus of Copelatus in China. 1. C. bacchusi (♂; Xishuangbanna, Yunnan); 2. C. chinensis (♂; Lankeshan, Zhejiang); 3. C. chinensis (holotype ♀ of C. collocallosus); 4. C. dentatipenis sp. nov. (holotype ♂; Jinggangshan, Jiangxi). Scale bar 1 mm.

FIGURES 29–38. Male genitalia of Copelatus. 29, 31, 33, 35, 37. median lobe in lateral view; 30, 32, 34, 36, 38. paramere. 29–30. C. bacchusi (Hainan); 31. C. chinensis (a. Lakeshan, Zhejiang; b. Yanjiajie, Hunan; c. Tainmushan, Zhejiang); 32. C. chinensis (Tianmushan, Zhejiang); 33. C. dentatipenis sp. nov. (a. holotype, Jinggangshan, Jiangxi; b. Guadun, Fujian; c. Mangshan, Hunan); 34. C. dentatipenis sp. nov. (holotype, Jinggangshan, Jiangxi); 35–36. C. felicis sp. nov. (holotype, Baishui, Yunnan); 37. C. diversistriatus sp. nov. (a. holotype, Pu’er, Yunnan; aa. detail of lateral carina with spines; b. Attapeu, Laos; c. NE Mintaingbin Forest Camp, Myanmar); 38. C. diversistriatus sp. nov. (holotype, Pu’er, Yunnan). Scale bar 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 71–78. Habitat of Copelatus in China. 71. Tianmushan, Zhejiang (C. chinensis); 72. Jinggangshan, Jiangxi (C. dentatipenis sp. nov.); 73. Tongbiguan, Yunnan (C. diversistriatus sp. nov.). 74. Dadongshan, Guangdong (C. nanlingensis sp. nov.); 75. Macao (C. oblitus in wet soil); 76. Dali, Yunnan (C. rimosus); 77. Kongshu, Yunnan (C. rosulae sp. nov.); 78. Danxiashan, Guangdong (C. oblitus and C. zimmermanni).