Novochares yanomami, Short & Girón, 2023

Short, Andrew Edward Z. & Giron, Jennifer C., 2023, Revision of the Neotropical water scavenger beetle genus Novochares Giron & Short (Coleoptera, Hydrophilidae, Acidocerinae), ZooKeys 1171, pp. 1-112 : 1

Novochares yanomami sp. nov.

Figs 18C-E , 23

Type material.

Holotype (male): "VENEZUELA: Amazonas State/ 0°50'N, 66°9'44"W; 140m/ Cerro de la Neblina, Basecamp;/ 12-20.ii.1984; leg. D. Davis/ & T. McCabe" (USNM).

Differential diagnosis.

See differential diagnosis for N. bisinuatus .

Description.

Body length 5.1 mm. Coloration: Dorsal surfaces reddish brown, with slightly paler (reddish) clypeus and margins of pronotum and elytra. Head: Maxillary palps nearly 1.8 × width of head, uniformly reddish brown in color. Thorax: Ground punctation on pronotum and elytra relatively dense and shallowly impressed. Elytra without rows of serial punctures, each with very faint rows (one dorsal and two or three lateral) of scarce and weakly marked systematic punctures. Prosternum medially very weakly convex. Posterior elevation of mesoventrite weakly, broadly, and somewhat longitudinally elevated, with low medial longitudinal ridge extending anteriorly. Abdomen: Apical emargination of fifth ventrite shallow to moderately deep and broad, U-shaped. Aedeagus: (Fig. 18C-E ) Overall shape pear-like, 1.76 × longer than wide, with outer lateral margins of parameres evenly convex up to apical region; apical region of each paramere rounded, partly membranous, with outer margin weakly pointed; at closest point, dorsal inner margins of parameres separated by distance 0.28 × greatest width of a paramere; dorsal plate of median lobe with neck 0.33 × as broad as base; arms of dorsal plate of median lobe dorsally concave, nearly 0.38 × length of dorsal plate of median lobe; each arm basally diverging, apically converging, somewhat evenly broad along entire length, apically rounded and weakly pointing dorsally; notch between arms at base slightly narrower than base of an arm; gonopore placed at base of dorsal plate of median lobe; ventral plate of median lobe not visible; basal piece 0.36 × length of a paramere. In lateral view, aedeagus oblique at base, with ventral outline of parameres 2.6 × longer than greatest width near mid-length; dorsal outline of aedeagus in lateral view sinuate; ventral outline of aedeagus in lateral view nearly straight along basal 3/4.

Etymology.

Yanomami, in reference to the Yanomami indigenous group that inhabits the region where this species has been collected.

Distribution.

Only known from the type locality in southern Venezuela (Fig. 23 ).

Habitat.

Nothing is known about the habitat of this species.

Novochares tectiformis species group

Species group diagnosis. Body length 6.2-9.5 mm. Aedeagus: (Figs 5 , 25 - 28 ) Overall shape and relative length variable, joint basal margins of parameres broadly rounded; outer margin and apical region of each paramere variable; parameres longer than median lobe; apex rounded or truncate; parameres with apical region variable in degree of sclerotization; dorsal inner margin of each paramere highly variable; dorsal plate of median lobe (in dorsal view) with usually stout and strongly sclerotized basal apodemes; dorsal plate of median lobe highly variable, usually narrower along mid-section than at base and apex, sometimes forming a narrow neck (Fig. 27A, F ; at narrowest, neck 0.1 × as broad as dorsal plate of median lobe at base); notch between arms variable; shape and orientation of arms variable; gonopore sitting proximal to base of median lobe; ventral plate of median lobe (in ventral view) somewhat triangular, variable in length, shape of apex, and degree of sclerotization; dorsal surface of ventral plate of median lobe slightly concave (sides curved dorsally); basal piece nearly 0.25-0.35 × length of a paramere, with distal margin concave. In lateral view, aedeagus triangular, strongly oblique at base, with ventral outline of parameres 3-5 × longer than greatest width near base.

Composition. The Novochares tectiformis species group is composed of Novochares atlanticus (Clarkson & Ferreira Jr, 2014), N. bolivianus ( Fernández, 1989), N. coya ( Fernández, 1982), N. danta sp. nov., N. duo sp. nov., N. florifer sp. nov., N. mojenos sp. nov., N. mura sp. nov., N. piaroa sp. nov., N. pume sp. nov., N. tectiformis ( Fernández, 1982), N. trifurcatus sp. nov., N. xingu sp. nov., and N. yora sp. nov.

Figures

Figure 5. Aedeagi of the Novochares tectiformis species group along with schematic representations of the whole, the parameres (in blue), and the dorsal (in yellow) and ventral (in red) plates of the median lobe A N. trifurcatus B N. tectiformis C N. mura.

Figure 18. Aedeagi of the Novochares sallaei species group A, B N. bisinuatus C-E N. yanomami F-I N. fernandezae J, K N. unguis L N. clavieri M-P N. cochlearis A, C, F, J, L, M, O, P dorsal view B, H, N lateral view D, G ventral view E, I, K oblique view M, N Brazil O Venezuela P Suriname.

Figure 23. Distribution of Novochares sallaei species group. N. sallaei (red: circles, examined specimens; squares, literature / unconfirmed records), N. guadelupensis (yellow), N. yanomami (blue), N. kawsay (green).

Figure 25. Aedeagi of the Novochares tectiformis species group A-D N. duo E, F N. bolivianus G-L N. tectiformis A, E, F, G, K, L dorsal view B, H ventral view C, I lateral view D, J oblique view.

Figure 27. Aedeagi of the Novochares tectiformis species group A-C N. mura D, E N. xingu F-H N. danta I, J N. trifurcatus A, D, F, I dorsal view B, E, G ventral view C oblique view H, J lateral view.

Figure 28. Aedeagi of the Novochares tectiformis species group A-C N. piaroa D-F N. florifer G-J N. pume K, L N. tambopatense A, D, G, K dorsal view B, H ventral view C, F, I lateral view E, J, L oblique view.