Epimetopus flavicaptus, Fikáček & Barclay & Perkins & Sw, 2011

Fikáček, Martin, Barclay, Maxwell V. L., Perkins, Philip D. & Sw, London, 2011, Two new species of the Epimetopus mendeli species group and notes on its adult and larval morphology (Coleoptera: Hydrophiloidea: Epimetopidae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 51 (2), pp. 477-504 : 488-489

Epimetopus flavicaptus sp. nov.

Type locality. Ecuador, Napo Province, 4.4 km NNW of El Chaco, 00°18′48″S 77°50′21″W, 1680 m a.s.l.

Type material. HOLOTYPE ( QCAZ): J, ‘ ECUADOR, prov. Napo / 4.4 km NNW of EL CHACO / S00°18′48″ W77°50′21″ / 28–30.xi.2006; 1680 m / M. Fikáček & J. Skuhrovec lgt. // YPT [= yellow pan trap]: on the gravel banks of a / stony stream in the primary / forest (very rainy weather)’.

Additional material examined. 3 ♀♀ ( USNM): ‘ ECUADOR: / Napo / Tena / 27 May 1977 / W. E. Steiner’

Differential diagnosis. Body length 2.7 mm, body width 1.5 mm. Corresponding with E. mendeli sp. nov. in all described external characters except the following: elytral pale half-

moon-shaped spot very indistinct; abdominal ventrites with slightly uneven surface, shiny and lacking shagreen on whole surface except for extreme base.

Male genitalia. Aedeagus ( Figs. 4 , 28–29 ) 0.8 mm long. Phallobase symmetrical, narrowing basad, rectangular basally, slightly shorter than parameres. Paramere rather narrow in apical half, outer margin with a low blunt tooth in apical fifth, slightly concave on outer margin subapically, apex narrowly rounded. Median lobe wider than paramere; basal portion moderately wide, projecting into small lateral projections at basal third and small submedian projection in apical third; apical portion quadrilobate, with two sets of small hooks subapically.

Etymology. The species name refers the fact that the type specimen was collected in a yellow pan trap (flavus = yellow, Lat.; captus = that which is taken, Lat.). Adjective.

Biology. The holotype was collected in a yellow pan trap installed on the stony bank of a mountain stream flowing from the primary cloud forest.

Distribution. Known from two localities ca. 80 km apart on the eastern slope of the Andes Mts. in the Napo Province, Ecuador. However, as reliable identification is only possible using characters of the male genitalia, the identification of the above females is tentative and needs to be confirmed by a male from the same area.

Epimetopus angulatus Balfour-Browne, 1949 Type locality. Bolivia, La Paz Department, Yungas valley.

Type material examined. HOLOTYPE: J ( BMNH): ‘ Type // Yungas Valley / Bolivia. / 12–19.vi.1937 // H. E. Hinton / collector // Epimetopus / angulatus Type! / Balfour-Browne det. // Hinton Coll. / B.M.1939-583 ’. PARATYPES: 2 spec. ( BMNH): same label data as the holotype, but with the first label ‘Para- / type’.

Differential diagnosis. Body length 2.8 mm, body width 1.6 mm. Corresponding with E. mendeli sp. nov. in all described external characters except for elytral pale half-moon-shaped spot absent. For detailed description see BALFOUR- BROWNE (1949).

Male genitalia ( Fig. 5 ). Aedeagus 0.8 mm long. Phallobase symmetrical, strongly narrowing basad, subangulate basally, much shorter than parameres. Parameres very narrow in apical half, without a trace of a blunt tooth subapically, slightly concave on outer margin in apical fourth, subangulate at apex. Median lobe much wider than paramere, basal portion rather wide basally, strongly widened at midlength of median lobe projecting into large lateral and large submedian projections ca. at midlength of median lobe. Apical portion quadrilobate, with rather large sets of subapical hooks.

Biology. Unknown.

Distribution. Known from the type locality in Bolivia (BALFOUR- BROWNE 1949) and from the Tucumán Province in northern Argentina ( OLIVA 1986).

Figures

Figs. 1–5. General habitus and aedeagi of Epimetopus. 1–2 – E. mendeli sp. nov., general habitus (body length 3.4 mm): 1 – dorsal view; 2 – lateral view. 3–5 – aedeagus of the holotype: 3 – E. mendeli sp. nov., 4 – E. flavicaptus sp. nov., 5 – E. angulatus Balfour-Browne, 1949. Abbreviations: lap – lateral process of median lobe.

Figs. 26–29. Details of the aedeagal morphology. 26–27 – Epimetopus mendeli sp. nov., paratype from the type locality: 26 – ventral view; 27 – dorsal view. 28–29 – E. flavicaptus sp. nov., holotype:28 – ventral view; 29 – dorsal view. Abbreviations: dl – dorsal lobe; vl – ventral lobe.