Laccophilus septicola Guignot, 1956

Bistroem, Olof, Nilsson, Anders N. & Bergsten, Johannes, 2015, Taxonomic revision of Afrotropical Laccophilus Leach, 1815 (Coleoptera, Dytiscidae), ZooKeys 542, pp. 1-379 : 135-136

Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Dytiscidae

Laccophilus septicola Guignot, 1956 Figs 101-102, 289-290, 444, 557

Laccophilus septicola Guignot 1956b: 220, 221 (original description, faunistics); Omer-Cooper 1967: 60 (discussion, Laccophilus pullatus Omer-Cooper Laccophilus septicola Guignot, Laccophilus alberticus Guignot and Laccophilus luteosignatus Gschwendtner are synonyms); Medler 1980: 155 (faunistics, list); Nilsson 2001: 250 (catalogue, faunistics, list, synonymy, Laccophilus luteosignatus Gschwendtner); Nilsson 2015: 213 (catalogue, faunistics, list, synonymy, Laccophilus luteosignatus Gschwendtner). Restored species.

Laccophilus alberticus Guignot 1959d: 163 (original description, faunistics, discussion); Omer-Cooper 1967: 60 (discussion, Laccophilus pullatus O-mer-Cooper, Laccophilus septicola Guignot., Laccophilus alberticus Guignot and Laccophilus luteosignatus Gschwendtner are synonyms); Nilsson 2001: 246 (catalogue, faunistics, list, synonymy, Laccophilus luteosignatus Gschwendtner; Nilsson 2015: 213 (catalogus, list, synonymy, Laccophilus luteosignatus Gschwendtner). Confirmed synonymy.

Type localities.

Laccophilus septicola : Senegal: Niokolo-Koba, Badi.

Laccophilus alberticus : Zaire: Lake Albert, Mwita.

Type material studied

(8 exs.). Laccophilus septicola : Holotype: male; "Mission IFAN au Parc National du Niokolo Koba Badi ( Sénégal) 15.VIII.-25.IX-1955 / Type / F. Guignot det. 1954 / F. Guignot det.1954 Laccophilus septicola sp. n. Type (MNHN). - Paratypes: "Mission IFAN au Parc National du Niokolo Koba Badi ( Sénégal) 15.VIII.-25.IX-1955 / Paratype / Dr. F. Guignot det. Laccophilus septicola Guign." (4 exs. IRSNB); same but "Ouassadou 12.VIII. 55" (1 ex. IRSNB).

Laccophilus alberticus : Holotype: male: "Congo Belge. Lac Albert: Mwita ( prét foret galerie) U.V. 22.XII. 1953 J. Verbeke - KEA 4083 / Type / F. Guignot det., 1956 Laccophilus alberticus sp. n. Type male" (IRSNB). - Paratype: "Congo Belge Lac Albert: Bezaha U.V. 19.12. 1953, 4070 / female symbol / Paratype" (1 ex. MNHN).

Additional material studied

(29 exs.): Sudan: "Upper Nile Malakal 5-20.1. 1963 Linnavuori" (22 exs. MZH; habitus in Fig. 444); same data and "ad lucem" (2 exs., MZH); "Sudan / Linnavuori" (1 ex. MZH); "L. Shambe 21.1. 1954 Omer-Cooper" (2 exs. AMGS). - Nigeria: "Marsk, Katsina-Dawura rd. 6.10.1963 JOC." (1 ex. AMGS). - Zaire: "Lac Albert Kasenyi UV 21.VI. 1953 4012" (1 ex. IRSNB).

Comments on synonymy.

Earlier synonymy of Laccophilus septicola and Laccophilus alberticus is verified by examination of their holotypes. Laccophilus septicola , being the older name is the valid name of the species. Furthermore, examination revealed that Laccophilus septicola is not synonymous with Laccophilus luteosignatus and Laccophilus pullatus .

Diagnosis.

Laccophilus septicola is characterized by pale ferrugineous to ferrugineous elytra in combination with peculiarly shaped penis (extreme apex slightly extended). Morphologically, in case of penis and body shape, Laccophilus septicola resembles much of Laccophilus pullatus and Laccophilus luteosignatus . These two species have, however, blackish to dark ferrugineous elytra, which separate them clearly from Laccophilus septicola , with its much paler main colour of elytra.

Description.

Body length 2.9-3.3 mm, width 1.6-1.8 mm. Dorsal, aspect of body almost without colour pattern (Fig. 444). Rarely humeral regions may be slightly paler forming minor pale spots.

Head: Pale ferrugineous. Submat, finely reticulated. Reticulation indistinctly double. Large meshes indistinct; only in part discernible and slightly more strongly developed than small meshes. Almost impunctate; fine punctures discernible at eyes.

Pronotum: Pale ferrugineous, mediobasally sometimes slightly darker, but lacks well delimited darkened area. Submat, finely microsculptured. Reticulation double; large meshes contain two to five small meshes. Small meshes sometimes weakly developed and hardly discernible. Punctation sparse, very fine, in part absent; discernible at frontal margin and laterally.

Elytra: Pale ferrugineous to ferrugineous. In comparsion with head and pronotum, elytra extensively slightly darker (Fig. 444). Rarely with somewhat vague, paler humeral spots. Submat, finely microsculptured. Double reticulation only in part discernible (at basal region). Punctation very fine and irregularly distributed; large areas lack punctures. Irregular, somewhat sparse punctures form a rather indistinct, discal row. Lateral, pre-apical furrow fine, finely pubescent.

Ventral aspect: Pale ferrugineous. Submat, very finely and partly indistinctly microsculptured. Basal ventrirtes with fine, curved striae. Almost impunctate. Metacoxal lines-process-area not distinctly modified. Metacoxal plates in anterior half with fine, in part rather indistinct, transversely located furrows. In posterior half furrows almost absent. Prosternal process slightly extended, rather slender, pointed. Apical ventrirte asymmetric; with a sublateral, sharp knob (Fig. 101).

Legs: Protarsus slender, claws moderately extensive and slightly curved. Pro- and mesotarsus with suckers.

Male genitalia: Penis in lateral aspect medially bent and from there penis narrows towards extreme apex, which is extended to a small tip (Figs 289-290).

Female: Apical ventrirte simple (Fig. 102). Pro- and mesotarsus almost as in male but lack suckers.

Distribution.

Senegal, Sudan, Nigeria, Zaire (Fig. 557). Only verified records accepted in map because of different earlier taxonomic opinion regarding species delimitations.

Collecting circumstances.

Not documented. In Sudan sampled at light collection.