Hydraena franklyni Deler-Hernández & Delgado, 2012

DELER-HERNÁNDEZ, ALBERT & DELGADO, JUAN A., 2012, The Hydraenidae of Cuba (Insecta: Coleoptera) I: Contribution to the fauna of eastern Cuba, Zootaxa 3478 (1), pp. 213-238 : 218-220

Hydraena franklyni Deler-Hernández & Delgado , new species

( Figs. 7 , 11 , 21, 22 , 27–29 , 33, 34 , 50, 51 , 57 , 59 )

Type material: Holotype (male): CUBA. Santiago de Cuba: Male (dry-mounted) ( CUMS): “CUBA: Santiago de Cuba, Gran / Piedra, Foso del Museo La Isabélica / 20º00’22’’N 75º36’59’’W, 1144 m / 11-VII-2011, coll.: A. Deler- / Hernández, hábitat higropétrico” . Paratypes: 1 male, 4 females (in alcohol) ( BSC-E): same data as holotype . 2 males, 7 females (in alcohol) ( BSC-E): same data, 11-VII-2011 . 7 males, 7 females (dry-mounted) ( CUMS, MCZ, NHMW, MPC): Same data, 29-I-2012 .

Description: Male as in Fig. 27 . Body length (taken from anterior margin of labrum to elytral apex) approximately 1.4 mm. Colour: Head (dorsal) dark brown to black; pronotal disc dark brown; anterior and posterior angles of pronotum slightly paler or testaceous; elytra dark brown; maxillary palpi, antennae and legs pale brown to testaceous; tip of maxillary palpi darkened.

Head: frons punctures not large, but slightly denser near eyes than medially; interstices shining. Clypeus finely punctulate and shining medially.

Thorax: Pronotum moderately arcuate laterally; anterior margin straight behind eyes and emarginate behind frons; with distinct anteroexternal foveolae; punctures on disc moderately deeply impressed and separated by two puncture diameters on pronotal disc and one puncture diameter towards margins; interstices glabrous and shining. Elytra elongate oval, moderately wide in cross section, conjointly rounded apically and slightly excised; lateral explanate margins wide, not reaching apex; with 14−15 (10 between suture and shoulder) regular rows of moderately impressed punctures, slightly smaller than punctures of pronotum. Procoxae separated by median carina of prosternum, mesocoxae separated by less than half distance of median and internal carina of mesoventrite, metacoxae separated by approximately same distance as median and internal carina of mesoventrite; metaventrite with plaques weakly raised, located at sides of a deep median depression, moderately wide, straight and slightly converging toward one another anteriorly. Legs moderately short and stout; pro- and mesotibia broad; protibia with a small spine on inner surface near the apex as in Fig. 28 ; metatibia as illustrated in Fig. 29 , gradually enlarged from base to apex; arcuate in basal half.

Abdomen: Ventrite VII and speculum as in Fig. 11 ; ventrite VII subquadrate, speculum slightly separated from ventrite, moderately long. Terminal tergite as in Fig. 7 , rounded. Male genitalia as in Figs. 33–34 ; main piece stout, strongly dilated both in lateral and ventral views; with three distinct processes at the apex, with the gonopore bearing process elongate, and the other two lobe-like; parameres inserted near 0.5 length of main piece, lightly widened apically, right paramere inserted more proximally than left one.

Female: Similar to the male in shape and size; Pro- and metatibia not modified; gonocoxite as in Fig. 21 ; last tergite as in Fig. 22 ; spermatheca as in Figs. 50–51 , with two separated sclerotized pieces, the caudal one c-shaped; spermathecal duct enlarged distally.

Differential diagnosis: This species is unique among the Hydraena from the New World in having an aedeagus with a strongly widened main piece ( Figs. 33–34 ). The closest aedeagus in shape is that of H. spangleri Perkins, 1980 , since both species have a wide main piece with three processes at the apex. Both species have the right paramere inserted more proximally than the left, but the parameres have very different lengths in the two species.

Etymology: The species epithet is a noun in the genitive case after Franklyn Cala-Riquelme, excellent colleague and friend, who assisted in fieldwork during several collecting trips.

Distribution: Currently known only from the type locality in eastern Cuba ( Fig. 57 ).

Habitat: Hygropetric as in Fig. 59 . This new species has been collected on sunny, exposed, humid rock faces (seepages) and among associated patches of the hornwort Phaeoceros wrightii (Steph.) Hässel (Anthocerophyta) in a well preserved rainforest habitat at 1144 m a.s.l.

Figures

FIGURE 27. Habitus of Hydraena franklyni (holotype). Scale = 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 28–29. Male tibia. 28, protibia of Hydraena franklyni (paratype). 29, mesotibia of H. franklyni (paratype). Scale = 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 2–7. Terminal male tergite. 2, Gymnochthebius fossatus. 3, Ochthebius attritus. 4, Hydraena decui. 5, H. perkinsi. 6, H. guadelupensis. 7, H. franklyni. Scale = 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 8–13. Male ventrite VII and speculum gastrale. 8, Gymnochthebius fossatus. 9, Ochthebius attritus. 10, Hydraena decui. 11, H. franklyni. 12, H. guadelupensis. 13, H. perkinsi. Scale = 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 21–26. Gonocoxite and last female tergite. 21, gonocoxite of Hydraena franklyni. 22, last female tergite of H. franklyni. 23, gonocoxite of H. guadelupensis. 24, last female tergite of H. guadelupensis. 25, gonocoxite of H. perkinsi. 26, last female tergite of H. perkinsi. Scale = 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 31–34. Male genitalia. 31, Hydraena guadelupensis (lateral view). 32, H. guadelupensis (ventral view). 33, H. franklyni (lateral view, holotype). 34, H. franklyni (ventral view, holotype). Scale = 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 45–55. Spermathecae. 45, G.fossatus(lateral view). 46, G. fossatus (ventral view). 47, O. attritus (ventral view). 48, H. decui (lateral view). 49, H. decui (ventral view). 50, H. franklyni (lateral view). 51, H. franklyni (ventral view). 52, H. guadelupensis (lateral view). 53, H. guadelupensis (ventral view). 54, H. perkinsi (lateral view). 55, H. perkinsi (ventral view). Scale = 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 56–58. Distribution maps for all species of Hydraenidae in eastern Cuba. 56, squares = G. fossatus, circles = O. attritus. 57, squares = H. franklyni, circles = H. guadelupensis. 58, squares = H. decui, circles = H. perkinsi.

FIGURES 59–61. Habitats of Hydraenidae species. 59, habitat and type locality of H. franklyni. Gran Piedra, Santiago de Cuba (Photo by A. Deler-Hernández, 04-III-2012). 60, habitat of G.fossatus and H. perkinsi. Temporary pool, Dos Caminos, San Luis, Santiago de Cuba (Photo by A. Deler-Hernández, 20-VII-2011). 61, habitat of H. decui. Stream, Gran Piedra, Santiago de Cuba (Photo by L. O. Mélian, 09-XI-2011).