Novochares quadrispinus, Short & Girón, 2023

Short, Andrew Edward Z. & Giron, Jennifer C., 2023, Revision of the Neotropical water scavenger beetle genus Novochares Giron & Short (Coleoptera, Hydrophilidae, Acidocerinae), ZooKeys 1171, pp. 1-112 : 1

Novochares quadrispinus sp. nov.

Figs 17D , 21E, F , 22D

Type material.

Holotype (male): SURINAME: Sipaliwini District/ 4.42313°N, 57.19198°W, 104 m/ Kabalebo Nature Resort/ Moi Moi Creek; 10-14-iii.2019/ Rock & detrital pools along creek/ Short & Class; SR19-0310-01A" (NZCS). Paratypes (18 exs.): Brazil: Pará: Rio Xingu Camp, Altamira (60 km S), 12.x.1986, leg. P. Spangler & O. Flint, pond at second palm grove on trail 1, Colln #21 (1, USNM); same data but 1.x.1986, jungle stream on trail 1, Colln. #3 (1, USNM). Guyana: Region 6: Upper Berbice Basecamp 1, 4°09.289'N, 58°10.717'W, 96 m, 21.ix.2014, leg, Short, Salisbury and La Cruz, muddy detrital pools in drying creekbed near camp, GY14-0921-02A (1, SEMC); Upper Berbice, N. Basecamp 2, 4°47.030'N, 58°01.850'W, 89 m, 28.ix.2014, leg. Short, Salisbury, & La Cruz, artificial pools by logging road, GY14-0928-01A (1, CBDG). Region 7: Takutu Mountains, 6°15'N, 59°5'W, 2-14.xii.1983, leg. P.D. Perkins (1, SEMC). Suriname: Para: along Martin Luther King Hwy, 5°32.856'N, 55°6.710'W, 2 m, 23.vii.2012, leg. Short et al., marsh by road, SR12-0723-02A (1, SEMC). Sipaliwini: Raleighvallen Nature Reserve, base of Voltzberg, 4°40.432'N, 56°11.079'W, 86 m, 16.iii.2016, leg. Short et al., pooled up stream, SR16-0316-01B (2, SEMC); Raleighvallen Nature Reserve, trail from plateau to Voltzberg, 17.iii.2016, leg. J. Girón, stream with roots and mud, SR16-0317-04A (3, NZCS, SEMC); Raleighvallen Nature Reserve, Coppename River, Voltzberg trail; detrital pools in stream bed, 17.iii.2016, leg. A. Short, SR16-0319-01A (1, SEMC); Raleighvallen Nature Reserve, Voltzberg Station, 4°40.910'N, 56°11.138'W, 78 m, stream margins, 30.vii.2012, leg. Short & McIntosh, detrital pools along stream, SR12-0730-01B (4, SEMC, including DNA vouchers SLE536 and SLE537, TTU-Z); same data as holotype except margins of detrital pool in drying creekbed, SR19-0310-01G (2, SEMC).

Differential diagnosis.

The four-pronged apex of the dorsal plate of the median lobe is unique in Novochares , no other species has four well-developed and apically acute projections (Fig. 21E ).

Description.

Body length 5.9-7.0 mm. Coloration: Dorsal surfaces brown to dark brown, with slightly paler (brown to orange) margins of clypeus, pronotum, and elytra. Head: Maxillary palps nearly 1.3 × width of head, uniformly brown to orange in color (Fig. 17D ). Thorax: Ground punctation on pronotum and elytra relatively dense and shallowly impressed. Elytra without rows of serial punctures, each with very faint rows (one dorsal and two or three lateral) of scarce and weakly marked systematic punctures. Prosternum medially very weakly convex. Posterior elevation of mesoventrite weakly, broadly, and somewhat longitudinally elevated, with low medial longitudinal ridge extending anteriorly. Abdomen: Apical emargination of fifth ventrite relatively deep and broad, U-shaped. Aedeagus: (Fig. 21E, F ) Overall shape pear-like, 2.5 × longer than wide, with outer lateral margins of parameres nearly evenly convex up to apical region; apical region of each paramere rounded, partly membranous, with outer margin very weakly pointed; at closest point, dorsal inner margins of parameres separated by distance 0.5 × greatest width of a paramere; dorsal plate of median lobe with neck 0.6 × as broad as base; neck dorsally concave; each arm of dorsal plate of median lobe with thin and narrow lateral branch; arms apically diverging and opposed, nearly 0.2 × length of dorsal plate of median lobe; each arm apically and gradually narrowing to acute apex; notch between arms at base nearly 1/2 as wide as base of an arm; gonopore placed near mid-length of dorsal plate of median lobe; ventral plate of median lobe membranous, extending to second 1/3 of neck of dorsal plate; basal piece 0.4 × length of a paramere. In lateral view, aedeagus oblique at base, with ventral outline of parameres 2 × longer than greatest width near mid-length; dorsal outline of aedeagus in lateral view slightly concave along basal 1/3, then nearly straight to apical region; ventral outline of aedeagus in lateral view evenly convex up to apical region.

Etymology.

Quadrispinus, referring to the four-pointed apex of the dorsal plate of the median lobe.

Distribution.

Brazil (Para), Guyana, Suriname (Fig. 22D ).

Habitat.

This species had been most commonly collected in pools in drying creek bed in the forest and other similar riparian detrital pools.

Figures

Figure 17. Dorsal habitus of Novochares spp. A N. guadelupensis B N. pichilingue C N. cochlearis D N. quadrispinus.

Figure 21. Aedeagi of the Novochares sallaei species group A-D N. pastinum E, F N. quadrispinus G-J N. tridentis K, L N. pichilingue A, E, G, K dorsal view B ventral view C, F lateral view D, I (dorsal) J (ventral) L oblique view.

Figure 22. Distribution of Novochares sallaei species group A N. cochlearis (red: circles, examined specimens; squares, literature / unconfirmed records), N. dicranospathus (yellow), N. pastinum (blue) B N. atratus (red: circles, examined specimens; squares, literature / unconfirmed records), N. clavieri (yellow), N. bisinuatus (blue), N. garciai (green) C N. chaquensis (red: circles, examined specimens; squares, literature / unconfirmed records), N. pichilingue (yellow) D N. fernandezae (red), N. tridentis (yellow), N. quadrispinus (blue), N. unguis (green).