Oocyclus morgani/trujillo, 2009

Short, Andrew E. Z., Torres-Gavosto, Juan Martin & Hettinger, Ty, 2023, A review of the Oocyclus Sharp of Ecuador with description of 12 new species (Coleoptera: Hydrophilidae: Laccobiini), Zootaxa 5277 (1), pp. 91-112 : 111

Oocyclus morgani/trujillo group

( Figs. 4B , 6I , 7 )

Material Examined (72 exs.): ECUADOR: Napo Province: Just above San Rafael Falls , 1510m, 21.viii.1979, leg. J. Anderson, cascade-seep (3 exs., USNM) . Tungurahua Province: 18 km E Baños , 5130′, 25.i.1976, leg. P. Spangler et al., seepage over rock outcrops in roadcuts, (39 exs., USNM) ; 5 km S Baños , 4.v.1977, leg. P. Spangler & D. Givens (3 exs., USNM) ; 20 km E Baños , 28.i.1976, leg. P. Spangler et al., seepage over rock outcrops in roadcuts (6 exs., USNM) ; Baños , 27.i.1976, leg. P. Spangler et al., seepage over rock outcrops in roadcuts (20 exs., USNM) ; 6 km E Rio Negro , 20.v.1977, leg. W. Steiner (1 ex., USNM) .

Diagnosis. Smaller sized species (Length = 3.1–4.1 mm.). Posterolateral corners of pronotum spinose. Prosternal carinae set with a pair of spines anteriorly. Elytra with first row of systematic punctures bearing short, linear clumps of dense erect setae, giving it a “tufted” appearance. Elytral margins not explanate, without a fringe of long setae. Abdominal ventrites brown.

Remarks. There are several series of specimens in the material we examined (mostly from the Baños area of central Ecuador) that represent at least one additional species. Indeed, we had originally thought there might be two closely related species among this batch of material. There is no question they are different than any of the other 13 Ecuadorian species enumerated in this manuscript. However, they compare well with the descriptions of O. trujillo from Venezuela and O. morgani from Colombia. It should be noted that we have examined specimens of O. trujillo but only seen images of the dorsum and side of the pronotum of O. morgani . Both these two named species as well as the series from Ecuador are of similar size and share many of the same characters: spinose posterolateral corners of the pronotum, pale anterolateral corners of the pronotum, similar conditions of the pro and mesoventrites, and most distinctively, having the elytral series of punctures appearing as a series of short linear tufts of erect setae. There are some observable difference in the precise distribution of these tufts, but other species have shown broad conspecific variation in this feature (e.g. O. floccus , see Santana et al. 2023). While we believe it is very possible that these Ecuadorian specimens represent one or more new species, we here take a conservative approach until the differences between O. morgani and O. trujillo can be better illuminated.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Dorsal, ventral and lateral habitus views of Oocyclus species. (A) lepidus sp. n. (B) morgani/trujillo group

FIGURE 6. Aedeagi of Oocyclus species in Ecuador with angulate or spinose posterolateral corners of the pronotum. (A) ustulatus sp. n. (B) radiatus sp. n. (C) pakcha sp. n. (D) sumak sp. n. (E) ankas sp. n. (F) lepidus sp. n. (G) bellus sp. n. (H) zamora sp. n. (I) specimen of the morgani/trujillo species group (J) specimen of the morgani/trujillo species group.

FIGURE 7. Distribution of Oocyclus spp. in Ecuador.