Oocyclus zamora, Short & Torres-Gavosto & Hettinger, 2023

Short, Andrew E. Z., Torres-Gavosto, Juan Martin & Hettinger, Ty, 2023, A review of the Oocyclus Sharp of Ecuador with description of 12 new species (Coleoptera: Hydrophilidae: Laccobiini), Zootaxa 5277 (1), pp. 91-112 : 109-111

Oocyclus zamora sp. n.

( Figs. 1B , 6H , 7 )

Type Material: Holotype (Male): “ECUADOR, Zamora-/ Chinchipe Pr./ Loja (47kmE)/ 3June1976 / Andrea Langley”, “ ECUADOR-PEACE CORPS./SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION/AQUATIC INSECT SURVEY” ( USNM) . Paratypes (9 exs.): ECUADOR: Zamora-Chinchipe Province: Same data as holotype (9 exs., USNM, SEMC) .

Diagnosis. Medium-sized species. Posterolateral corners of pronotum weakly spinose. Prosternal carinae set with a pair of spines anteriorly. Elytra with first row of systematic punctures bearing short, linear clumps of dense erect setae, giving it a “tufted” appearance. Elytral margins not explanate, without a fringe of long setae. Abdominal ventrites brown.

Among Ecuadorian species with spinose posterolateral corners of the pronotum, O. zamora is most similar to specimens affiliated with the morgani/trujillo species group, as it shares the feature of tufts of setae on the elytra. However, the ground punctation is much coarser in O. zamora than other specimens, and the overall size of O. zamora is slightly larger.

Description. Size and Form. Length = 4.1–4.4 mm. Body oval, slightly convex ( Fig. 1B ). Color. Dorsum of head, pronotum, and elytra black, with very faint, iridescent green reflections. Anterolateral margins of pronotum with small pale spot. Elytra without distinct maculae. Maxillary and labial palps yellow. Mentum and stipes medium brown, slightly paler in color than the venter of the head.Thoracic and abdominal ventrites and legs dark brown. Head. Ground punctation on labrum, clypeus and frons moderately fine, distance between punctures 1.0–2.0× the width of one puncture. Systematic punctures on labrum consisting of several indistinct punctures, sometimes bearing a short seta. Frons with an irregular row of systematic punctures bearing setae mesad of each eye. Clypeus with a few very indistinct systematic punctures along anterolateral margins, slightly larger than surrounding punctation. Maxillary palps short, about as long as width of labrum; segment 2 slightly bulbous, apical segment approximately the same length as penultimate. Labial palps less than half as long as width of mentum; with clump of long setae on second segment. Mentum quadrate, smooth, anterior margin slightly convex and depressed. Thorax. Ground punctation on pronotum and elytra composed of fine, evenly distributed punctures. Pronotal systematic punctures fine, similar in size to ground punctures, bearing very short fine setae. Lateral margins of pronotum set with a few sparsely distributed setiferous punctures; with punctures almost appearing absent. Posterolateral corners of pronotum weakly spinose. Sutural punctation on elytra absent or unmodified from ground punctation; sutural interval not raised in posterior half. Margins of elytra not explanate. Elytra with five irregular rows of systematic punctures: rows 1–3 represented by small linear clumps of course erect setae, separated by gaps, giving the elytra “tufted” appearance. Rows 4–5 are represented by irregular series of large coarse punctures usually bearing a small recumbent setae. Prosternum with a clearly defined median carina; slightly elevated anteromedially, the elevation set with two spines. Elevated process of the mesoventrite narrow and elongate, more than twice as long as wide; surface nearly flat; set with 6 thickened, coarse spines. Metaventrite with oval glabrous area posteromedially, about as long as wide, length of glabrous area c. 1.5 times the length of metaventrite. Procoxae distinctly spinose and covered with dense pubescence. Protibiae with 9–12 spines on dorsal face. Abdomen. Ventrites covered with fine setae, the longest setae roughly as long as the longest setae surrounding the glabrous area of the metaventrite. Aedeagus as in Figure 6H .

Etymology. Named after the province in which it was collected, Zamora-Chinchipe.

Distribution. Known only from the type locality ( Fig. 7 ).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Dorsal, ventral and lateral habitus views of Oocyclus species. (A) ancho sp. n. (B) zamora sp. n. (C) yantzaza sp. n.

FIGURE 6. Aedeagi of Oocyclus species in Ecuador with angulate or spinose posterolateral corners of the pronotum. (A) ustulatus sp. n. (B) radiatus sp. n. (C) pakcha sp. n. (D) sumak sp. n. (E) ankas sp. n. (F) lepidus sp. n. (G) bellus sp. n. (H) zamora sp. n. (I) specimen of the morgani/trujillo species group (J) specimen of the morgani/trujillo species group.

FIGURE 7. Distribution of Oocyclus spp. in Ecuador.