Platynectes (Platynectes) tafelbergensis, Gustafson, Short & Miller, 2016

Short, Andrew Edward Z., Benetti, Cesar J. & Gustafson, Grey T., 2020, New records of Platynectes (s. str.) diving beetles from South America with description of two new species (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae: Agabinae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 60 (2), pp. 437-447 : 445

Platynectes (Platynectes) tafelbergensis

Gustafson, Short & Miller, ΝΖ1C New material examined (73 exs). BRAZIL: AΜΑΖοΝΑ S: Manaus County, Ducke Reserve, Igarapé Acará, 8.vi.2018, Forested pools and depressions with lots of detritus,leg. Short, BR18-0608-01A (4 exs, INPA, SEMC, including DNA Voucher SLE1999); Manaus County, Estrada da Praia Dourada, 3º01′40″S 060º04′43″W, 24.iv.2015, leg. C.J. Benetti (1 ex., INPA); Reserva Ducke, Igarapé Bolívia, 02º59′14″S 059º56′30″W, 07.vii.2002, leg. C.J. Benetti (1 ex., INPA). RοΝΒôΝΙΑ: Vale do Cachoeiras, -10.91764, -62.377, 359 m, 10.vii.2018, leg. Short, margin of small sandy-bottom stream, BR18-0710-02A (65 exs, including DNA voucher SLE1562; INPA, SEMC, NMW). SURINAME: B RοκοΡοΝΒο DΙ SΤRΙCΤ: Brownsberg Nature Park, near Capaci House, 04 56.934′N, 55 10.825′W, 460 m, 17.iii.2017, leg.A.E.Z. Short, small stream, SR17- 0317-01A (1 ex., SEMC; DNA voucher 1596). SΙΡΑLΙWΙΝΙ DΙ SΤRΙCΤ: Central Suriname Nature Reserve:Tafelberg Summit, near Caiman Creek Camp, leg. Short & Bloom, small stream, SR13-0818-03A (1 ex., SEMC, DNA Voucher SLE1601).

Distribution. This species was originally described from a series of specimens from the summit of Tafelberg Tepui in central Suriname. In 2016, we found one specimen in a small creek at Brownsberg Nature Park in Suriname demonstrating the species was not an endemic to Tafelberg. We were however, tremendously surprised to find series of this species at the Ducke Reserve in Manaus, and in a stream in Rondônia State, Brazil ( Fig. 14 ). The collecting event in Rondônia consisted of hundreds of specimens, and more could have been collected.

Remarks. Despite the more than 1,900 km distance between populations from Suriname and Rondônia, Brazil, the maximum genetic distance in COI is remarkably only 2.1% ( Fig. 1 ).

Figures

Figs 12–16. Distribution of Platynectes ‘Clade II’ sensu TƟUඌඌΑιΝτ et al. (2017) in South America. Circles represent previously published localities; stars represent localities newly reported in this paper.

Fig. 1. Maximum Likelihood phylogeny of sequenced Platynectes (s. str.) specimens based on the gene COI.