Oocyclus rupestris, Short & Torres-Gavosto & Hettinger, 2023

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 : 102-103

Oocyclus rupestris sp. n.

( Figs. 5A , 7 )

Type Material: Holotype (Male): “ECUADOR, Cotopaxi / Latacunga, 117kmW/ 1 July 1975 3000′/ Andrea Langley / Jeffrey Cohen ”, “ ECUADOR-PEACE CORPS./SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION/AQUATIC INSECT SURVEY” ( USNM) . Paratypes (6 exs.): ECUADOR: Cotopaxi Province: Same data as holotype (6 exs., UNSM, SEMC) .

Diagnosis. Smaller species. Posterolateral corners of pronotum rounded. Prosternal carinae without spines. Elytra with irregular rows of punctures that bear decumbant or recumbant setae. Elytral margins not explanate, with a fringe of long setae. Abdominal ventrites dark brown with lateral pale patches

Among Ecuadorian species, O. rupestris is one of only two species (the other is O. sharpi ) in which the mesoventral process is set with thin hairs instead of thickened spines. The species can be distinguished from O. sharpi by the present of a pale spot on the anterolateral corners of the pronotum (lacking in O. sharpi ).

Description. Size and Form. Length = 3.2–3.8 mm. Body oval, moderately convex. Color. Dorsum of head, pronotum, and elytra black, with very faint iridescent green reflections. Anterolateral margins of pronotum with small pale spot. Elytra with very faint iridescent green maculae which often appear faint and with defuse borders. Maxillary and labial palps yellow. Mentum and stipes dark brown, similar in color to the venter of the head. Thoracic ventrites dark brown, legs light brown to orange. Abdominal ventrites dark brown with lateral margins of ventrites -4 with a paler orange patch. Head. Ground punctation on labrum, clypeus and frons moderately fine, distance between punctures 1.0–2.0× the width of one puncture. Systematic punctures on labrum consisting of several indistinct punctures, sometimes bearing a short seta. Frons with an irregular row of systematic punctures bearing setae mesad of each eye. Clypeus with a few very indistinct systematic punctures along anterolateral margins, slightly larger than surrounding punctation. Maxillary palps short, about as long as width of labrum; segment 2 slightly bulbous, apical segment approximately the same length as penultimate. Labial palps less than half as long as width of mentum. Mentum quadrate and slightly rugose, anterior margin slightly convex and depressed. Thorax. Ground punctation on pronotum and elytra composed of fine punctures of irregular size, some very fine and some almost appearing coarse. Ground punctation on pronotum and elytra often bearing fine setae, giving the specimens a hairy appearance. Pronotal systematic punctures with short fine setae, roughly 1.5x the size of surrounding ground punctures, anterior and posterior series each forming an irregular field. Lateral margins of pronotum and elytra set with setiferous punctures, creating a yellow fringe. Posterolateral corners of pronotum rounded. Sutural punctation on elytra absent or unmodified from ground punctation; sutural interval not raised in posterior half. Elytra with five irregular rows of systematic punctures: the first row is represented by a sparse but continuous row of coarse punctures bearing erect setae. The remaining rows are represented by loose, irregular series of coarse punctures that usually bearing a small decumbent or recumbent seta. Prosternum with a clearly defined median carina; slightly elevated anteromedially, the elevation covered in dense pubescence and not set with spines or thick setae. Elevated process of the mesoventrite roughly twice as long as wide, surface nearly flat; set with several long setae that are not thickened into spines. Metaventrite with oval glabrous area posteromedially, ca. as long as wide, length of glabrous area slightly more than half the length of metaventrite. Procoxae covered with dense pubescence and without any trace of spines. Protibiae with 9–11 spines on dorsal face. Abdomen. Ventrites covered with sparsely setae, the longest setae about as long or longer than the setae surrounding the glabrous area of the metaventrite. Aedeagus as in Figure 5A .

Etymology. Rupestris, referencing the habitat of living on cliffs and rocks.

Distribution. Only known from the type locality ( Fig. 7 ).

Figures

FIGURE 5. Aedeagi of Oocyclus species in Ecuador with rounded posterolateral corners of the pronotum. (A) rupestris sp. n. (B) sharpi, paratype from Costa Rica (C) sharpi, specimen from Ecuador (D) sharpi, specimen from Ecuador (E) kichwa sp. n. (F) kichwa sp. n. (G) yantzaza sp. n. (H) ancho sp. n.

FIGURE 7. Distribution of Oocyclus spp. in Ecuador.