Laccophilus gentilis suavis Sharp, 1882

Scheers, Kevin, Thomaes, Arno, Hájek, Zimmerman, Michat & Reynoso-Velasco, 2017, The Laccophilinae Gistel, 1848 of Belize (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae), Belgian Journal of Entomology 65, pp. 1-18 : 1-18

Laccophilus gentilis suavis Sharp, 1882

( Figs 1E , 2D , 3D , 4E )

= Laccophilus suavis Sharp, 1882

= Laccophilus championi Sharp, 1882

MATERIAL STUDIED. STANN CREEK: Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, pool with leaf litter next to stream, 16°46'49,3"N, 88°28'7,1"W, 06.V.2015, Leg. K. Scheers & A. Thomaes (1ex) TOLEDO: Punta Gorda, fishpond, 16°06'24,6"N, 88°48'25,5"W, 23.IV.2015, Leg. K. Scheers & A. Thomaes (8ex); Deep River FR, pond savannah, 16°31'11,7"N, 88°42'3,8"W, 19.IV.2015, Leg. K. Scheers & A. Thomaes (1ex); Bladen NR, pond transition savannah-forest, 16°32'26,3"N, 88°42'57,1"W, 20.IV.2015, Leg K. Scheers & A. Thomaes (4ex); BFree, Agami lagoon, 16°33'27,7"N, 88°42'14,8"W, 17.IV.2015, Leg. K. Scheers & A. Thomaes (1ex); Punta Gorda, temp. stream in forest, 16°06'37,6"N, 88°49'18,8"W, 25.IV.2015, Leg. K. Scheers & A. Thomaes (1ex); Indian Creek , Lake of former Lodge, 16°18'45,1"N, 88°49'31,4"W, 29.IV.2015, Leg. K. Scheers & A. Thomaes (43ex); Punta Gorda, shallow pool, 16°05'19,7"N, 88°48'53,4"W, 05.V.2015, Leg. K. Scheers & A. Thomaes (1ex) .

PUBLISHED RECORDS. ZIMMERMAN (1970) “ British Honduras ” without locality.

DIAGNOSIS. TL: 3.3–3.6 mm; MW: 1.75–1.9 mm. Head testaceous, pronotum testaceous with distinct anterior and posterior pitchy-black bands. Elytra pitchy-black with a testaceous fascia along the base indistinctly interrupted near the suture, a mark near lateral margin at about the middle, a subapical fascia not reaching the suture and a mark near the apex ( Fig. 1E ). Ventral parts completely testaceous to testeceous-rufous ( Fig. 2D ). Median lobe distinctive ( Fig. 3D ).

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11 DISTRIBUTION. Belize, Costa Rica, Cuba, Guatemala, Mexico (Campeche, Chiapas, Colima, Jalisco, Nayarit, Michoacán, Oaxaca, Quintana Roo, Sinaloa, Tabasco, Tamaulipas, Veracruz), Panama .

ECOLOGY. A tropical lowland species that is mostly distributed in coastal areas. It occurs mainly in grassy and muddy-bottomed pools and in duckweed-chocked, shaded sloughs or in pools of stabilized dunes immediately next to the ocean ( ZIMMERMAN, 1970). Also in Cuba this species was collected in the lowlands in permanent lagoons with abundant aquatic vegetation, muddy sediment, and turbid water ( MEGNA et al., 2011). There are, however, some records of higher elevations up to 1500 m a.s.l. ( ZIMMERMAN, 1970). In Belize this species was found in muddy ponds and lagoons rich in vegetation or at least with some patches of vegetation.

Figures

Fig. 1. Dorsal view of Laccophilinae species in Belize. A, Laccomimus pumilio (LeConte, 1878); B, Laccophilus duplex Sharp, 1882; C-D, Female of L. fasciatus fasciatus Aubé, 1838, C, with distinct elytral flange, D, without elytral flange; E, L. gentilis suavis Sharp, 1882; F, L. oscillator laevipennis Sharp, 1882; G, L. ovatus zapotecus Zimmerman, 1970; H, L. proximus Say, 1823; I, L. spangleri Zimmerman, 1970 (Photograph: F. Trus).

Fig. 2. Ventral view of Laccophilinae species in Belize. A, Laccomimus pumilio (LeConte, 1878); B, Laccophilus duplex Sharp, 1882 (pale specimen); C, L. fasciatus fasciatus Aubé, 1838; D, L. gentilis suavis Sharp, 1882; E, L. oscillator laevipennis Sharp, 1882; F, L. ovatus zapotecus Zimmerman, 1970; G, L. proximus Say, 1823; H, L. spangleri Zimmerman, 1970 (Photograph: F. Trus).

Fig. 3. Median lobe, left lateral view. A, Laccomimus pumilio (LeConte, 1878); B, Laccophilus duplex Sharp, 1882; C, L. fasciatus fasciatus Aubé, 1838; D, L. gentilis suavis Sharp, 1882; E, L. oscillator laevipennis Sharp, 1882; F, L. ovatus zapotecus Zimmerman, 1970; G, L. proximus Say, 1823; H, L. spangleri Zimmerman, 1970.

Fig. 4. Known distribution of Laccophilinae species in Belize. A, sampled sites; B, Laccomimus pumilio (LeConte, 1878); C, Laccophilus duplex Sharp, 1882; D, L. fasciatus fasciatus Aubé, 1838; E, L. gentilis suavis Sharp, 1882; F, L. oscillator laevipennis Sharp, 1882; G, L. ovatus zapotecus Zimmerman, 1970; H, L. proximus Say, 1823; I, L. spangleri Zimmerman, 1970 (white dots indicate sampled sites and black dots indicate sites where the species is recorded, elevation map as background in which dark shading increases with height).