Neobidessodes bilita ( Watts, 1978 ) S QLD, NSW, VIC, 2009

HENDRICH, LARS, HAWLITSCHEK, OLIVER & BALKE, MICHAEL, 2009, The epigean Australasian species of Neobidessodes gen. n. diving beetles- a revision integrating morphology, cybertaxonomy, DNA taxonomy and phylogeny (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae, Bidessini), Zootaxa 2288 (1), pp. 1-41 : 11-14

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.2288.1.1

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03AF8026-0975-0303-FF26-516A3288FBC0

treatment provided by

Felipe

scientific name

Neobidessodes bilita ( Watts, 1978 )
status

comb. nov.

Neobidessodes bilita ( Watts, 1978) View in CoL comb.n.

( Figs 8 View FIGURES 5–8 , 18 View FIGURES 18–20 , 22 View FIGURES 22 , 27 View FIGURE 27 , 28 View FIGURE 28 , 40, 41 View FIGURES 36–41 )

Bidessodes bilita Watts, 1978 View in CoL : Watts (1978: 30); Watts (1985: 24); Lawrence et al. (1987: 335); Biström (1988: 7); Nilsson (2001: 111); Watts (2002: 31, 43); Balke & Ribera (2004: 115); Hendrich & Balke (2009: 49).

Type locality. Stanthorpe, Southeast Queensland, Australia.

Type material. Holotype. Male : “Stanthorpe Q [Queensland] Jan 1961, C W [Chris Watts leg.]” [handwritten label], “ Holotype ” [printed red label], “ Holotype Bidessodes bilita C.Watts det. 1976” [white, handwritten label with red frame] ( ANIC).

Paratypes. 1 male and 1 female, same data as holotype, “ Paratype Bidessodes bilita C.Watts det. 1976” [white, handwritten label with blue frame] ( SAMA) ; 1 female: “ Cabbage Tree Creek, Canberra-coast road, New South Wales, 19.VIII.1965 ”, “ Paratype Bidessodes bilita C.Watts det. 1976” [white, handwritten label with blue frame] ( SAMA) .

Additional material studied. 19 specimens. New South Wales . 12 exs., S NSW, 6.5 km SW Eden, Towamba Road 2 km N Nullica, 556 m, 16.XI.2006, 37.04.412S 149.51.200 E, L. & E. Hendrich leg. ( NSW 111 ) , two specimens with “DNA M.Balke 1900”, “DNA M.Balke 1901” [green printed labels] ( CLH, ZSM) .

Victoria: 1 ex., S VIC, 12 km SW Orbost, Simpson Creek , 30.XI.1998, C.H.S. Watts leg. ( SAMA) ; 3 exs., S VIC, 12 km SW Orbost, Simpson Creek , 5.XI.1997, C.H.S. Watts leg. ( SAMA) ; 2 exs., S VIC, 12 km SW Orbost, Simpson Creek , 16.I.1997, C.H.S. Watts leg. ( SAMA) ; 1 ex., S VIC, Simpsons Creek 12 km SW Orbost at Princess Hwy , 31 m, 18.XI.2006, 37.45.095S 149.20.436 E, L. & E. Hendrich leg. ( VIC 116 ) ( CLH) .

Re-description. Measurements. TL = 2.20–2.25 mm, TL-H = 2.00– 2.05 mm; MW = 1.00– 1.05 mm.

Colour: Antennae and palpi yellowish, head testaceous, somewhat darkened near eyes, pronotum testaceous. Elytron dark brown with some rather vague sublateral and lateral oblong yellow markings ( Fig. 8 View FIGURES 5–8 ). Ventral side, including legs and epipleura, testaceous, prosternal process and metacoxal plates somewhat darkened.

Sculpture and structure. Elongate oblong. Head with relative strong punctures particularly at base. Pronotum and elytron with rather dense, medium-sized punctures and weakly to moderately microreticulate, finely pubescent. Pronotal striae deep and well marked, length 1/4 to 1/3 of that of pronotum, weakly incurved. Elytra lacking basal and sutural striae. Elytron with a weak subapical flange or bulge. Underside with a few moderately large weak punctures at sides, midline with moderately dense smaller punctures. Metacoxal lines raised, well separated, weakly diverging anteriorly.

Male. Pro- and mesotarsi weakly expanded. Mesotibia quite strongly curved especially on inner edge. Median lobe of aedeagus ( Fig. 18a, b View FIGURES 18–20 ) and right paramere ( Fig. 18c View FIGURES 18–20 ).

Female. Pro- and mesotarsi simple. Inner edge of mesotibia nearly straight.

Affinities. The small size, the almost unicolorous dorsal surface, the slightly flanged subapical part of elytra, the well marked pronotal striae, and the strongly curved male tibiae distinguish N. bilita from all other known Australian Neobidessodes . Furthermore, the form of the median lobe and parameres are very distinctive ( Fig. 18a, b, c View FIGURES 18–20 ).

Distribution. Victoria, New South Wales and Southeast Queensland ( Watts 1985, Lawrence et al. 1987) ( Fig. 22 View FIGURES 22 ).

Habitat. A rarely collected species. Neobidessodes bilita inhabits rest pools of smaller intermittent streams and creeks, mainly in wet forested areas, with peaty water and at least partly shaded by dense stands of shrubs and emergent vegetation. The only new records are known from two lowland creeks in the southeastern border region between New South Wales and Victoria. At Eden ( Fig. 40 View FIGURES 36–41 ) N. bilita is associated with the dytiscids Antiporus femoralis (Boheman, 1858) , Chostonectes sharpi Sharp, 1882 , Exocelina australiae (Clark, 1863) , Hyphydrus elegans (Montrouzier, 1860) , Limbodessus gemellus (Clark, 1862) , Necterosoma penicillatum (Clark, 1862) , Platynectes spec. , Rhantus suturalis (W.S. Macleay, 1825) , Sternopriscus hansardii (Clark, 1862) and S. tarsalis Sharp, 1882 . At Simpson Creek ( Fig. 41 View FIGURES 36–41 ) the species co-occurs with A. femoralis , Chostonectes gigas (Boheman, 1858) , C. sharpi , Hydrovatus opacus Sharp, 1882 , Hyphydrus elegans , Limbodessus compactus (Clark, 1862) , L. gemellus , N. penicillatum , N. undecimlineatum (Babington, 1841) , R. suturalis , Sternopriscus clavatus Sharp, 1882 , S. mouchampsi Hendrich & Watts, 2004 and S. tarsalis . Contrary to all other species of the genus, except N. grossus , it seems that at most sites the population density is quite low as it was not possible to collect large series of specimens.

ANIC

Australian National Insect Collection

SAMA

South Australia Museum

ZSM

Bavarian State Collection of Zoology

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Coleoptera

Family

Dytiscidae

Genus

Neobidessodes

Loc

Neobidessodes bilita ( Watts, 1978 )

HENDRICH, LARS, HAWLITSCHEK, OLIVER & BALKE, MICHAEL 2009
2009
Loc

Bidessodes bilita Watts, 1978

Hendrich, L. & Balke, M. 2009: 49
Balke, M. & Ribera, I. 2004: 115
Watts, C. H. S. 2002: 31
Nilsson, A. N. 2001: 111
Bistrom, O. 1988: 7
Lawrence, J. F. & Weir, T. A. & Pyke, J. E. 1987: 335
Watts, C. H. S. 1985: 24
Watts, C. H. S. 1978: 30
1978
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