Copelatus espinhasso Hájek, Benetti, Hamada, Hendrich & Balke, 2024

Hájek, Jiří, Alarie, Yves, Benetti, Cesar J., Hamada, Neusa, Springer, Monika, Hendrich, Lars, Villastrigo, Adrián, Torres, Rodulfo Ospina, Basantes, Michael S. & Balke, Michael, 2024, Underestimated diversity and range size of diving beetles in tank bromeliads-Coleoptera of ‘ hygrofloric’ lifestyle (Dytiscidae), Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society (Zool. J. Linn. Soc.) 200 (3), pp. 720-735 : 722-726

Copelatus espinhasso Hájek, Benetti, Hamada, Hendrich & Balke , sp. nov.

( Figs 1D , 2E )

Zoobank registration: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:5AC0F5A9-4B92-4F09-A5E8-C3064780940E .

Type material: Holotype ♂ ( INPA), labelled: ‘MB 8945 [p, green typing]// SNSB-Zoologische/ Staatssammlung München/ Digital imaging/ ZSM-COL-00181 [p]// Brazil: Minas Gerais, Serro/ Cachoeira Moinho de/ Esteira, afluente do rio Jequitinhonha [p]// 18º34’18’S, 043º29’31”W,/ 31.iii.2020 1040 m., G./ Jorge (MB8945) [p]// HOLOTYPE/ COPELATUS / espinhasso sp. nov. / J. Hájek et al. det. 2022 [red label, p]’ . Paratype: 1♀, same locality data as holotype and the respective red printed paratype label ( ZSMG) .

Description of male holotype: Habitus ( Fig. 1D ) broadly oblong oval, slightly attenuated posteriorly, broadest at 1/4 of elytral length, slightly convex. Dorsal surface submatt.

Coloration: Body black; base of pronotum and scutellar shield somewhat reddish translucent; ventral part of head, prosternum, abdomen, and appendages reddish brown.

Head: Small, c. 0.58 × width of pronotum, semi-elliptical. Anterior margin of clypeus convex.Antennae with antennomeres rather broad (antennomeres II–X c. 1.4 × longer than width), thus of stouter appearance. Reticulation consisting of fine, well impressed isodiametric polygonal meshes. Numerous short, shallow and isolated strioles present between eyes. Punctation double; several large setigerous punctures present in fronto-clypeal depressions, frontal depressions at level of anterior margin of eyes, and in depressions along inner margin of eyes; very fine and sparsely distributed punctures placed among meshes of reticulation.

Pronotum: Transverse, broadest at posterior angles. Anterior angles acute, posterior angles rectangular. Sides strongly and evenly curved, lateral beading distinct except for anterior corners. Anterior margin straight, posterior margin nearly straight with only indistinct sinuation medially. Reticulation similar to that of head, meshes somewhat more elongate. Surface of pronotum with numerous long shallow strioles; centre of disc with shallow longitudinal scratch. Punctation double; row of coarse setigerous punctures presents along anterior margin, laterally close to sides, and in basolateral depressions along basal margin; fine punctures placed among meshes of reticulation.

Elytra: Elytral striation consisting of six superficially impressed discal striae and a submarginal stria: all discal striae complete, except for stria 5 which is absent at base; submarginal stria long, but somewhat faint, starting at 1/3 of elytral length. Whole surface of elytra covered with fine, shallow long longitudinal striolae; striolae somewhat sparser and shorter and transverse in apical part of elytra. Surface reticulation consisting of very fine, superficially impressed polygonal meshes; meshes elongate in basal half, but isodiametric or transverse in apical half of elytra. Punctation double; large setigerous punctures present along lateral margin of elytra; badly perceptible, very fine punctures sparsely distributed among meshes of reticulation.

Legs: Protibia modified, slightly angled near base, distinctly broadened distally, club shaped. Pro- and mesotarsomeres 1–3 distinctly broadened, ventrally with adhesive setae. Natatorial setae present on dorsal side of all tibiae and on both sides of metatarsomeres.

Ventral side: Prosternum sinuate anteriorly, obtusely keeled medially. Prosternal process shortly lanceolate, in cross-section convex, apex obtuse; process distinctly bordered; reticulation consisting of well impressed polygonal meshes; punctation consisting of setigerous punctures along margin. Metaventrite with microsculpture consisting of polygonal meshes, meshes distinctly transverse laterally; lateral parts of metaventrite (ʻmetasternal wingsʼ) tongue-shaped, slender. Metacoxal lines well impressed, abbreviated (absent in basal third). Metacoxal plates covered with long longitudinal strioles; reticulation consisting of extremely elongated, longitudinal polygonal meshes. Metacoxal processes rounded and incised at posterior margin. Abdominal ventrites I–II with longitudinal strioles; ventrites III–IV with oblique strioles laterally. Abdominal reticulation consisting of elongate polygonal meshes, longitudinal on ventrites I–II, oblique on ventrite III and transverse on ventrites IV–VI. Punctation double; coarse setigerous punctures present medially and medio-laterally on ventrites III–VI; fine punctures sparsely distributed on surface of ventrites, clusters of somewhat coarser punctures present laterally on ventrite V and basolaterally on ventrite VI.

Male genitalia: Median lobe in lateral aspect ʻCʼ- shaped; broad in basal two-thirds, in apical third sinuous and narrowing to obtusely pointed apex; in ventral aspect median lobe attenuated continuously to pointed apex ( Fig. 2E ). Parameres broad, ʻDʼ- shaped.

Female: Female does not differ in external morphology from male except for nearly straight, apically less broadened protibia, slender pro- and mesotarsi without adhesive setae, and sparser and shorter striolation of pronotum and elytra. The single female available is smaller than the male—see measurements.

Variability: A slight variability in dorsal coloration can be seen between the male holotype and the female paratype: anterior margin and sides of pronotum are reddish translucent, and indistinct basal transverse reddish spot is perceptible on elytra between striae 2 and 4 in female.

Measurements (N = 2): TL ♂: 6.3 mm; Tl-h ♂: 5.7 mm; MW ♂: 3.4 mm. TL ♀: 5.4 mm; Tl-h ♀: 4.9 mm; MW ♀: 2.8 mm.

Identification: In habitus, this new species is the most similar to another Brazilian species C. bimaculatus ; however, it can be easily recognized from the latter by the presence of only six dorsal striae on each elytron ( Fig. 1D ). Compared with the other bromeliadicolous Copelatus , C. espinhasso sp. nov. can be recognized with certainty by the characteristic shape of the median lobe of the aedeagus—in lateral view, the median lobe is in apical third sinuous on dorsal side, gradually attenuating to obtusely pointed, dorsally slightly curved apex ( Fig. 2E ).

Etymology: The new species is named after its area of occurrence—Serra do Espinhaço; the name is a noun in the nominative singular.

Collecting circumstances: The specimens were collected at 1040 m altitude in the water layer between leaf axils of bromeliads, growing on trees on the narrow vegetation margin of a stream, in the ‘Cerrado’ biome.

Distribution: So far known only from the type locality in Serra do Espinhaço, Minas Gerais State, Brazil ( Fig. 3 ).

Figures

Figure 1. Habitus of bromeliadicolous Copelatus. A, C. bimaculatus (Santo Amaro da Imperatriz).B, C. bimaculatus (Nova Friburgo). C, C. bromeliarum (Henri Pittier).D, C. espinhasso (holotype). Scale bar = 2.0 mm.

Figure 2. Male genitalia of Copelatus. A, C. bimaculatus (Santo Amaro da Imperatriz). B, C. bimaculatus (Nova Friburgo).C, C.bromeliarum (El Tucuche).D, C. bromeliarum (Henri Pittier). E, C. espinhasso (holotype).F, C. florae (Alto de Piedra). G, C. florae (Manaus). H, C.panguana (holotype). a, median lobe in lateral view. b, median lobe in ventral view.c, paramere.Scale bar = 1.0 mm.

Figure 3. Distributional map of bromeliadicolous Copelatus species.