Pneuminion punctatum, Perkins, Philip D., 2004

Perkins, Philip D., 2004, A revision of the South African endemic water beetle genus Pneuminion Perkins (Coleoptera: Hydraenidae), Zootaxa 538, pp. 1-38 : 11-12

Pneuminion punctatum new species

( Figures 1 , 9 , 18, 29 )

Type Material. Holotype (male): South Africa: Transvaal Prov., Mpumalanga, God’s Window, 1700 m, 24.52S ­ 30.54E, wet rockface, 4.2.1997, Endrödy­Younga (#3277); deposited in the TMSA. Paratypes: Same data as holotype, (4 TMSA). Transvaal Prov., Mt. Sheeba, under river stones, 24.51S ­ 30.45E, 27.xi.1986, Endrödy­Younga (#2322), (1 TMSA). Representative duplicate specimens deposited in MCZ.

Diagnosis. Recognized by the black dorsum, the distinctively punctate frons disc and pronotum, the shining interpunctal surfaces of the pronotal reliefs, the well developed unilinear rows of granules of the setal bases on the elytral intervals and series, and the comparatively deep pronotal postocular emarginations ( Figs. 1 , 9 ). Very similar in dorsal sculpture to P. natalensis ; reliable determinations will be based on study of the quite dissimilar male genitalia.

Description. Size (mm x 100; length/width): body (length to elytral apices) 163/69, head 26/44, pronotum 37/63, elytra 98/69. Aedeagus: main­piece length 38, total length 52.

Dorsum piceus, legs and maxillary palpi dark brown; dorsal setae short, inconspicuous. Labrum and clypeus weakly shining, finely sparsely punctate. Frons disc moderately coarsely densely punctate, interpunctal surfaces smooth, shining, punctures separated by ca. 1.5xpd; fovea in front of ocellus strongly densely punctate, subrugulose, medial margin gradually sloping.

Pronotum punctate throughout, much more densely coarsely in foveae than on reliefs, rugulose or subrugulose laterally, weakly shining on disc, dull laterally; punctures on reliefs small, slightly heart­shaped, separated by ca. 1xpd, interpunctal surfaces very smooth and shining; punctures in U­shaped foveae coarser and more strongly heartshaped; oblique anterior fovea on each side shallowly connecting to midlongitudinal fovea; posterior U­shaped fovea well­developed; setae at lateral margin flat on cuticle in dry specimens. Pronotal postocular emargination deeper and less symmetrical in females than males.

Elytral intervals very slightly raised, each with a unilinear row of slightly overlapping setae; serial punctures deep, moderately large, 2– 3 x larger than those of pronotal reliefs, narrower than intervals, each with a short seta, setae not overlapping and not forming uninterrupted line like setae of intervals; intervals and serial punctures with distinctive granule at anterior margin of each setal base; explanate margin narrow in males, slightly wider in females.

Aedeagus: main­piece length 38, total length 52; main­piece thick walled and tapering markedly in distal one­half, ridge/groove to support duct nearly parallel with margin; duct comparatively short; paramere setae comparatively sparse ( Fig. 18).

Etymology. Named in reference to the markedly punctate dorsum.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Pneuminion punctatum holotype. Structures and sculpture.

FIGURE 9. Pneuminion punctatum holotype. Dorsal and lateral habitus.

FIGURES 29 – 30. Pneuminion distribution maps. — 29. P. punctatum. — 30. P. natalensis.