Gyrinus (Oreogyrinus) feminalis Mouchamps, 1957

Gustafson, Grey T. & Short, Andrew E. Z., 2017, Review of the whirligig beetle genus Gyrinus of Venezuela (Coleoptera: Gyrinidae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 57 (2), pp. 479-520 : 512-514

Gyrinus (Oreogyrinus) feminalis Mouchamps, 1957

Gyrinus (Oreogyrinus) feminalis Mouchamps, 1957: 246 (original description).

Gyrinus feminalis is known only from its original description, based on two female specimens, said tobe depositedin the MNHN, with nofurtherlocality information than ‘Venezuela’ ( MOUCHAMPS 1957). The species was declared so distinct by MOUCHAMPS (1957) that he did not hesitate to describe it without the male. Upon a request to loan the type specimens from the MNHN, we were informed they could not be found. The specimens are also not in the collection of the Institut Royal des Science Naturelles de Belgique, in Brussels. Therefore, they could not be studied. The actual description of G. feminalis sounds suspiciously similar to thatof G. venezolensis , which ismentioned by MOUCHAMPS (1957), but notformally diagnosed. Furthermore, the most critical diagnostic feature provided by MOUCHAMPS (1957) for G. feminalis , isthe almosttotallysmooth pronotum, whichis alsosimilar to G. venezolensis (Fig.

Figs 60–67. Habitatof Gyrinus speciesinthe Venezuela, boxesindicatemicrohabitats.60–63 – VenezuelanAndes.► 60–61 – Lara State, Cascada del Vino, collecting event VZ09-0712-03A. 60 – macrohabitat of G. vinolentus sp. nov., G. Gustafson collecting. 61 – microhabitat, G. vinolentus sp. nov. swimming amongst emergent vegetation. 62–63 – Mérida State, between Jaji and Mérida, collecting event AS-06-035. 62 – macrohabitat of G. venezolensis Ochs, 1953 , A. E. Z. Short collecting in background.63 – microhabitat, G. venezolensis swimming amongst emergent vegetation. 64–67 – habitat of Gyrinus ovatus Aubé, 1838 in Falcón State Venezuela, boxes indicate micro habitats. 64 – Medanos de Coro, collecting event VZ09-0709-03A, macrohabitat. 65 – microhabitat, marginal vegetation, G. Gustafson collecting.66 – W.of Curimagua, Blackwater Lagoon, collecting event VZ09-0711-01A, macrohabitat. 67 – microhabitat, pond margins.

38). However, G. feminalis is stated as being most similar to G. baeri Régimbart, 1907 , from Peru.As the types appear lost, noother treatment of the species exists, andwith no specimens examined from Venezuela clearly matching the description (apart from G. venezolensis ), we place this species as a species inquirendum until the types are discovered.