Novochares sallaei (Sharp, 1882)

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 sallaei (Sharp, 1882)

Figs 4C , 20M-R , 23

Helochares sallaei Sharp, 1882: 75.

Helochares (s. str.) sellae Sharp, 1882; Knisch 1924: 199 [catalog; misspelled].

Helochares (s. str.) sallaei Sharp, 1882; Hansen 1999: 163 [catalog].

Philhydrus estriatus Blatchley, 1917: 139; Winters 1927 a: 24 [synonymy].

Novochares sallaei (Sharp, 1882); Girón and Short 2021: 205.

Type material examined.

Novochares sallaei Sharp, 1882: Holotype (female) by monotypy: " Helochares sallaei / type D. S./ Cordova, Mexico,/ Sallaé” [on card with specimen], “Holo-type” [red disc], “Cordova”, "Mexico/ Sallé. Coll.", “881” [upside down], "B.C. A. Col. I. 2./ Helochares / Novochares sallaei ,/ Sharp.", "Helocharis castaneus, Chev/ [illegible word] Sallé” [label folded over], " Helochares / Novochares sallaei Sharp/ M. E. Bacchus det. 1981/ Holotype". The female genitalia are dissected and mounted next to the specimen (NHMUK).

Philhydrus estriatus Blatchley, 1917: Lectotype (male): "TYPE [red rectangle]", "Dunedin, Fla./ W. S. B. Coll./ 1-12.1913". "Purdue/ Blatchley/ Collection", "LECTOTYPE/ Enochrus / Novochares estriatus / Blatchley/ Des. W.S. Blatchley 1930" (PERC). Paralectotype (1 ex.): Same date as holotype (1 female, PERC).

Additional material examined

(177 exs.). Belize: Belize District: Western Hwy nr. Zoo , 7.i.2003, leg. C.R. Bartlett, Pine Grassland, light trap (1, SEMC) . Costa Rica: Limon Province: Talamanca, Est. Gandoca , 22.v.2004, leg. Porras, Gamboa, Briceno, Morga, & Cardenas (2, SEMC) . Guatemala: Petén: Parque Nacional El Rosario, E of Sayaxche , 16.52414°N, 90.16000°W, 30.vi.2014, leg. R.S. Zack, BL/MV lights (81, SEMC, WSU, including DNA voucher SLE1212) . Mexico: Campeche: 14.9 mi S. of Champoton, Rte 180, 23.iv.1966, leg. G.E. Ball and D.R. Whitehead, Typha marsh (7, USNM); Zoh Laguna , 7-12.iv.1968, leg. Reyes & Cabrera (11, CAS) . Tamaulipas: Tampico , 21.vi.1965, leg. Freytag & Gibson (1, USNM) . Veracruz: 6 mi. N. Jesus Carranza (Isth. Tehuantepec), 200 ft., 25.vi.1961 (1, SEMC); La Granja , 30.vi.1964, leg. A.G. Baske, at light (1, SEMC); 0.8 mi. W Sontecomapan, 0-100 ft. elevation, 18-26.ix.1965, leg. G.E. Ball and D.R. Whitehead (1, USNM); 25 mi S. Acayucan, 4.vii.1965, leg. P.J. Spangler (69, USNM); Cordoba, 6-9.xi.1966, leg. A.B. Lau (1, USNM) . Yucatán: Muna , 49 mi. S., 14.vii.1963 (1, SEMC) . USA: Florida: Miami-Dade Co., Everglades National Park, vi.2000, leg. E.L. Nance (1, South Florida Collections Management Center [examined photos posted to Bugguide by M. Pintar]) .

Differential diagnosis.

Throughout much of its range, this species only co-occurs with members of the Novochares abbreviatus species group ( N. abbreviatus and N. oculatus ) which both are much more brown/tan in dorsal coloration and have very different aedeagal forms. This species co-occurs in southern Central America with N. chaquensis , but the aedeagal forms are quite different (compare Fig. 20A vs. Fig. 20M ). The small dorsally projecting ridge (Fig. 20P ) along the inner margin of each paramere is also unique within Novochares .

Description.

Body length 6.4-8.0 mm. Coloration: Dorsal surfaces brown to dark brown, with paler (brown to orange) margins of clypeus, pronotum, and elytra. Head: Maxillary palps nearly 1.2 × width of head, uniformly brown to orange 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 and broadly elevated, with low medial longitudinal ridge extending anteriorly. Abdomen: Apical emargination of fifth ventrite relatively shallow and broad, U-shaped. Aedeagus: (Figs 4C , 20M-R ) Overall shape pear-like, 2.0-2.3 × longer than wide, with outer lateral margins of parameres nearly evenly convex up to apical region; apical region of each paramere rounded, partly membranous, with outer margin smooth, not pointed; at closest point (near base of neck), dorsal inner margins of parameres separated by short distance or nearly touching each other; dorsal plate of median lobe with neck 0.3 × as broad as base; neck dorsally concave; arms of dorsal plate of median lobe nearly parallel, from parallel-sided (Fig. 20Q ) to broadened near mid-length (Fig. 20M ), nearly 0.2 × length of dorsal plate of median lobe; each arm acute or narrowly rounded at apex; notch between arms at base very narrow; gonopore placed at base of dorsal plate of median lobe; ventral plate of median lobe membranous, reaching base of neck of dorsal plate; basal piece 0.35 × length of a paramere. In lateral view, aedeagus oblique at base, with ventral outline of parameres 3.6 × longer than greatest width near mid-length; dorsal outline of aedeagus in lateral view slightly concave along basal 1/3, then nearly straight along second 1/3, and oblique to apex of parameres; ventral outline of aedeagus in lateral view straight.

Distribution.

Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala (new record), Mexico, USA (Florida) (Fig. 23 ).

Habitat.

Though most specimens seem to have been collected at lights, the species has been collected in marshes.

Remarks.

This species occurs from Mexico south to Costa Rica. It is also known from Florida, where its status as a native or introduced species has remained unclear. The oldest known specimens from Florida were collected in 1913 ( Blatchley 1917) from Dunedin in Pinellas County, along the central Gulf coast. Later, Young (1954) speculated that the species may have been introduced from Mexico from the lumber trade: "It is possibly a waif in Florida, having been transported by lumber ships from Mexico. (see L. J. Marchand, Fla. Acad. Sci., Quart. Jour., 9, 1948 [sic: 1946], for a discussion of the effects of the trade in cigar box lumber on the fauna of the Hillsborough River)" ( Young 1954: 174).

The article that Young cites is about the occurrence of a crab that was only known from Tabasco, Mexico and later found also in the Tampa Bay area. That author (Marchand), found that logs had been imported from Tabasco to lumber mills in the Tampa Bay area and suggested the Florida population of the crab in Tampa was an introduction. However, the first importation of logs from Tabasco was in 1915 ( Marchand 1946), while the first known Florida specimens of N. sallaei were collected in 1913 (from the Tampa area). This timeline makes it impossible that the cited lumber trade could be the cause of an introduction, and casts doubt on the introduction theory in general. Indeed, just a year later Young (1955) reported N. sallaei from the Everglades, a great distance away from Tampa and seemed to have second thoughts on his introduction hypothesis, stating "The rarity of the species in Florida caused me to conclude that it was a waif introduced by shipping from Mexico … To my chagrin, I now find that I have had at least seven specimens of H. sallaei in my collection for over a decade".

After a review of available data, we find no basis for asserting that N. sallaei is an introduced species and therefore consider it native to the United States and the state of Florida.

Figures

Figure 4. Aedeagi of the Novochares punctatostriatus, Novochares sallaei, and Novochares orchis species groups 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. dentatus B N. orchis C N. sallaei.

Figure 20. Aedeagi of the Novochares sallaei species group A-E N. chaquensis F N. garciai G-I N. dicranospathus J-L N. atratus M-R N. sallaei A-C Argentina D Costa Rica E Trinidad M-P Guatemala Q, R Mexico A, D-G, J, M, Q dorsal view B, H, K, N, R ventral view C, I, L, O lateral view P oblique view.

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).