Ochthebius (s. str.) attritus LeConte, 1878

Valladares, Luis F. & Short, Andrew Edward Z., 2011, Revision of the Ochthebiinae of Venezuela (Coleoptera: Hydraenidae), Zootaxa 3021, pp. 63-68 : 67

Ochthebius (s. str.) attritus LeConte, 1878

Figs. 1C, 2C, 3A, 4A.

Material examined (25): VENEZUELA: Falcón State: Médanos de Coro , 11°26.215' N, 69°40.112' W, 8 m, pond in dunes, 9.vii.2010, leg. A. Short & W. Shepard, VZ09-0709-03Z (25 ex., MALUZ, MIZA, SEMC, CVL) .

Diagnosis. Habitus as in Fig. 1C. Length: 1.51–1.56 mm. Color: Head shining black with greenish reflections; pronotum brown with greenish metallic reflections; elytra and legs testaceous. Pronotum with postocular tooth; median groove connected to anterior foveae forming an anterior transverse depression; posterior foveae also posteriorly united. Males with a variable tooth at the apex of the labrum. Females with anterior edge of the labrum straight. Aedeagus ( Fig. 2C) in ventral view with the main piece narrow and the distal lobe L-shaped. The aedeagal morphology is quite variable in this species ( Perkins, 1980). The aedeagus from Venezuelan specimens are similar to those from Florida and Brazil and quite different to those from the Caribbean Islands ( Puerto Rico).

Distribution. Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico, U.S.A. (Florida, Texas) ( Perkins, 1980; Hansen 1998). New record for Venezuela (map: Fig. 3A).

Habitat. The single collecting event for this species in Venezuela was in a small pool in the Médanos de Coro, a large expanse of sand dunes along the northwest coast ( Fig. 4A).