Helochares (Hydrobaticus) politus n. sp.

Figs. 4A, 5I, 7I, 10B.

Type material. Holotype (male): “ GUATEMALA: Departamen-/to de Huehuetenango,/ 11 km N. Santa Eulalia / on road to San Mateo / Ixtantan,/ 2865m 5.II>1965/ D. E. Breedlove ” (CAS).

Differential diagnosis. Body size 6.6 mm. Clypeus dark yellow with the central third darkened to dark brown. Elytra without any detectable serial punctures or striae (Fig. 4A). Abdominal ventrites uniformly dark brown; pubescence dense and evenly distributed, the longest hairs shorter than those on the metaventrite. Aedeagus (Fig. 7I) 2.5-times longer than its greatest width; apex of parameres rounded, with outer corners widely rounded; inner corners of apex of parameres forming a nearly right angle; lateral outer margins of parameres parallel, slightly constricted near midlength; maximum width of aedeagus at basal half, nearly as wide as maximum width of aedeagus at apical half; median lobe with apex gradually tapering to an acute point.

This species is extremely similar to H. laevis, from which it can only be definitively separated by the form of the aedeagus (Fig. 7I).

Description. In addition to differential diagnosis: pronotum dark brown to black in central half (Fig. 4A). Ground punctation on head and pronotum moderately impressed, slightly less impressed on the elytra.

Distribution. Guatemala (Fig. 10B). The single specimen was taken at a very high elevation (2865m).

Etymology. Politus (L), after the smooth elytra which lacks any coarse serial punctures or striae.

Biology. Nothing is known about the biology of this species.