Copelatus portior Guignot, 1956 Figures 5-6, 19

Copelatus portior Guignot, 1956: 53 (type locality: "New Hebrides [Vanuatu], Malekula Island").

Copelatus divisus Watts, 1978: 122 ("Seleo, Berlinhafen" [Papua New Guinea, Sandaun Province, Seleo Island); synonymy by Hendrich et al. (2019).

Material examined.

Guadalcanal: 1 ♂, Honiara, M.V. light, 8.-12.ix.1953, J.D. Bradley leg.; 1 ♂, Honiara, Kukum, 1962, P.J.M. Greenslade leg. ; 1 ♀, same data, but 19.v.1962; 1 ♂, same data, but 20.v.1963; 1♂, same data, but, 2.iii.1965; 1 ♂, 1 ♀, same data, but 12.v.1966 (all NHMUK); 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Mt. Austine, Barana vill. env., 09°28.0'S, 159°58.4'E, 280 m, 23.xi.-8.xii.2013 , J. Hájek leg. (NMPC, ZSMG).

Ontong Java: 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Keila, 31.i.1955, E.S. Brown leg. (NHMUK); 1 ♀, Leuaniua, 27.i.1955, E.S. Brown leg. (NHMUK) .

Diagnosis.

For complete description, see Hendrich et al. (2019). Medium sized (TL: 5.0- 5.7 mm), oblong-oval species. Species variable in elytral colouration: elytra from almost uniformly dark brown to black with only base and lateral sides yellowish, to almost yellowish-orange coloured with dark stripes along elytral striae (Fig. 5). Elytron with well-impressed six discal striae and a submarginal stria. Female dimorphic; striolate form with dorsal surface almost black, matt and with coarse microreticulation and numerous strioles on elytra and pronotum (Fig. 6). Median lobe in lateral view sickle-shaped; broad and subparallel in basal two thirds, thin and regularly curved in apical third; a distinct hammer-like process present in two thirds on ventral side (Fig. 19). Parameres broad, “D” -shaped; apical lobes moderately long, club-shaped.

Distribution.

The species is originally described from northern Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu. It is widely distributed in the Australasian Region: from Lesser Sunda Islands, through New Guinea, northern Australia, and Solomon Islands to Vanuatu. First record from the Solomon Islands.

Habitat.

Two specimens from Barana were recently collected in a streamlet flowing through secondary forest and gardens near the village; both of them were found in calm water with decaying leaves on the bottom (Fig. 26).