Hydaticus (Prodaticus) arabicus Guignot, 1951

Hájek, Jiří & Reiter, Antonín, 2014, Adephagous water beetles (Coleoptera: Gyrinidae, Haliplidae, Noteridae, Dytiscidae) of Yemen and Dhofar region (Oman) with description of a new Hyphydrus from Socotra Island, Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 54, pp. 63-99 : 84-85

Hydaticus (Prodaticus) arabicus Guignot, 1951

( Figs 31–34 )

Published records. GAHAN (1895:286): Yemen (as Hydaticus histrio Clark,1864 ); data repeated by BALFOUR- BROWNE (1951: 192) (as H. histrio ); GUIGNOT (1951: 21) (original description of H. arabicus ); and BRANCUCCI (1981: 229). Type material. HOLOTYPE: J, ‘ Hadramaut /Arabia / 94-235.[printed] // arabicus Rég. / n. sp.(Brit.Mus.) [handwritten] // TYPE [printed, red label] // HOLOTYPE [printed, red label] // Hydaticus / arabicus / Guign. Type [handwritten]’ (MNHN). PARATYPE: J, ‘ Hadramaut / Arabia / 94-235. [printed] // J [printed] // Paratype [printed, red label with black frame]’ (MNHN).

Additional material examined. 1 J 1 ♀, with the same locality data ( BMNH).

Notes. A species known only from the type series from Hadramaut, Yemen, originally from BMNH. It was first studied by M. Régimbart, who kept two specimens for his collection, but did not manage to describe it. Later, F. Guignot discovered two males in Régimbart’s collection ( MNHN) with manuscript name “ Hydaticus arabicus ” and described it ( GUIGNOT 1951) without knowledge of two additional specimens still in BMNH. Here we present those additional specimens, one of which is the only known female. Whereas all males have reduced longitudinal yellow stripes on disc of elytra ( Fig. 31 ), female has stripes complete ( Fig. 33 ), much resembling the widely distributed Oriental Hydaticus histrio . However, both species differ in shape of median lobe of aedeagus, whose apex is distinctly curved in H. arabicus ( Fig. 32 ; see also BRANCUCCI 1981: fig. 8).

Distribution. Hadramaut region, Yemen. The occurrence of the species in Oman (cf. NILSSON & HÁJEK 2013) was based on an unpublished record by G. Wewalka, which was however misidentified H. satoi dhofarensis Pederzani, 2003 (G. Wewalka, pers. comm.).

Figures

Figs 31–34. Hydaticus arabicus Guignot, 1951. 31 – male habitus (14 mm); 32 – median lobe in lateral view; 33 – female habitus (16 mm); 34 – labels of specimens from BMNH. Not in scale.