Helobata larvalis ( Horn, 1873 )

Clarkson, Bruno, Santos, André Dias Dos & Ferreira-Jr, Nelson, 2016, On Brazilian Helobata Bergroth, 1888 (Coleoptera: Hydrophilidae): description of two new species, new records, and key to species, Zootaxa 4126 (4), pp. 548-562 : 557-558

Helobata larvalis ( Horn, 1873)

(Figs. 18–19)

PLATE 4. Figs. 18 to 19. Helobata larvalis ( Horn, 1873) . Habitus: 12: dorsal view, 13: ventral view.

Material examined (4 exs.). BRAZIL: Amazonas State: Itacoatiara municipality: “R. Amazonas, Paraná da Trindade, Lírio do Vale, Lago do Albano, -2,41418o -57,49993o, Armadilha U.V., A18UV, 24-IX-2003, P. de Marco & N. Ferreira-Jr.” (1 female: DZRJ, Coleoptera 5709); Ceará State: São Gonçalo do Amarante municipality: “Rio Cauhipe, Ponte CE 421, 18-XII-2007, N. Ferreira-Jr leg.” (1 female: DZRJ, Coleoptera 2802 ); Mato grosso State: Poconé municipality: “Transpantaneira, MT-060, Km 47, ponte, 29-VII- 2013, 113 m alt., 16°39’54.5”S, 56°47’37.7”W, B. Clarkson, B.H.L. Sampaio, N. Ferreira-Jr legs.” (1 female: DZRJ, Coleoptera 5710); “Fazenda Ipiranga, Pousada Piuval, charco a caminho da Baia do Piuval, 28-VII- 2013, 183 m alt., 16°22’58.2”S, 56°36’10.4”W, B. Clarkson, B.H.L. Sampaio, N. Ferreira-Jr legs” (1 female: DZRJ, Coleoptera 5711).

Additional material examined. USA: California State: Los Angeles (?): “La// Coll Hubbard/ & Schwarz// larvalis / Horn [handwritten]” (1 male: USNM, Hubbard & Schwarz collection) [examined by BC in 2014]; Tuolumne County: Sonora City: “Son// HoloTYPE / 2985// H./ larvalis Horn. [handwritten]// MCZ Type / 101” (1 female: MCZT _101, Horn collection, Syntype) [Pictures from MCZ Insects Database available in http:// mczbase.mcz.harvard.edu/guid/ MCZ:Ent:101, 10.x.2015].

Diagnosis. Moderate-sized species (about 4.50 to 5.85 mm in length). Dorsum (Fig. 18) pale brown with conspicuous dark brown areas; head and pronotum with or without metallic sheen; pronotum with faintly delimited central brown area; with well-defined black spots around scutellum and on humeral humps; dark spots pattern on dorsum of elytra varied on examined specimens and those described on literature. In Brazilian specimens, these spots are on anterior third (interstria 4), on medial portion (interstria 8), and on posterior third (interstria 2) (Fig. 18); abdominal ventrites dark to light brown (Fig. 19). Clypeal disc and frons shagreened on interstices of ground punctuation; fine and very short, decumbent setae distributed on anterior half of the clypeus, absent on frons; anterior clypeal margin convex, strongly truncate medially (Figs. 18–19); frontoclypeal suture distinct (Fig. 18). Maxillary palpomere 3 and 4 subequal in length. Mentum finely rugose on lateral portions (Fig. 19). Punctures on elytral rows fine, irregularly spaced on row 10 (Fig. 18). Posteromedial elevation on mesoventrite semitrapezoidal, very wide (1.75x longer than wide), with strongly raised lateral carinae, oblique, converging and widely distant anteriorly; not strongly connected with the metaventral projection (Fig. 19). Metaventral projection (between mesocoxae) forming an elevated longitudinal carina, not strongly connected with, and conspicuously higher than, metaventral medial carina (Fig. 19). Maximum width of phallobase on apical margins, manubrium short and wide, slightly truncated at base; parameres longer than median lobe, inner margins oblique on basal half, slightly concave on apical half in ventral view, outer margins convex, apex slightly acuminated, slightly bent inwards; median lobe with deep apical emargination on dorsal lobule (ca. 0.30x length of median lobe); ventral lobule much shorter than dorsal lobule (ca. 0.80x length of median lobe), with apex visible in dorsal view, rounded, not produced ventrally, not visible in lateral view (See Fernandez & Bachmann (1987): Figs. 5–7).