Laccophilus spangleri Zimmerman, 1970

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 spangleri Zimmerman, 1970

( Figs 1I , 2H , 3H , 4I )

MATERIAL STUDIED. BELIZE DISTRICT: La Democracia, ditch next to road, 17°21'38,7"N, 88°32'42,1"W, 08.V.2015, Leg. K. Scheers & A. Thomaes (1ex); La Democracia, ditch next to road, 17°21'38,7"N, 88°32'42,1"W, 09.V.2015, Leg. K. Scheers & A. Thomaes (2ex) TOLEDO: Deep River FR, pond savannah, 16°31'41,5"N, 88°42'30"W, 20.IV.2015, Leg. K. Scheers & A. Thomaes (1ex); Deep River FR, pond savannah, 16°31'42,7"N, 88°42'31,6"W, 20.IV.2015, Leg. K. Scheers & A. Thomaes (5ex); Punta Gorda, cattle pond, 16°05'12,8"N, 88°51'1,5"W, 25.IV.2015, Leg. K. Scheers & A. Thomaes (1ex) .

DIAGNOSIS. TL: 4.1–4.8 mm; MW: 2.3–2.7 mm. Head pale testaceous, sometimes with an orange tinge, area behind the eyes clearly darkened. Pronotum pale testaceous with a dark band along the anterior part, matching the darkened area on the head. Elytra pale testaceous with very distinct dark irrorations and with an elaborate pattern of pale markings. The dark color of the irrorations increases and coalesce along the margins of the pale markings ( Fig. 1I ). The elytra in the females have the epipleura distinctly flanged ( Figs 1I , 2H ) while they are unmodified in the males. Ventral parts pale testaceous ( Fig. 2H ). Median lobe as in Fig. 3H.

DISTRIBUTION. Belize (first records), Honduras, Mexico (Oaxaca, Veracruz), Nicaragua.

ECOLOGY. According to ZIMMERMAN (1970), L. spangleri is a tropical lowland species and seems to prefer temporary pools that are frequently subject to high surface temperatures and that are located on clay soils. In Belize it was encountered only at five sampled sites. In all

16 occasions it was found in low numbers in warm, sun-exposed ponds with a loamy substrate and very few vegetation in the savannah ( Fig. 6 ).

NOTE. In all material of Belize the elytra of the females have the epipleura distinctly flanged, clearly visible from above, while the males have the epipleura unmodified. According ZIMMERMAN (1970), however, the females of L. spangleri have the epipleura not flanged but have the apices of the elytra only slightly truncated. Possibly this character is regionally variable, which is, by example, also the case in the closely related Laccophilus vacaensis Young, 1953 ( ZIMMERMAN, 1970).

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).

Fig. 6. Warm, sun-exposed, vegetation free pond in the savannah with a loamy substrate in the Deep River Forest Reserve, the habitat of L. fasciatus fasciatus Aubé, 1838, L. proximus Say, 1823 and L. spangleri Zimmerman, 1970 (Photograph: K. Scheers).