Hemiosus molanoi González-Rodríguez & García-Hernández, 2019

González-Rodríguez, Liza M., García-Hernández, Andrea L. & Clarkson, Bruno, 2019, Two new species of the water scavenger beetle genus Hemiosus Sharp (Coleoptera: Hydrophilidae) from Colombian Andes, Zootaxa 4565 (4), pp. 493-500 : 495-496

Hemiosus molanoi González-Rodríguez & García-Hernández sp. nov.

( Figs. 1‒7 )

Type Material. Holotype (male) (MAUQ-14459) : “ Colombia: Quindío Department,/ Municipality: Córdoba,/ Neighborhood: Río Verde / 04°24' 12.0'', 075° 43' 26.6'', 1108 m m.a.s.l. / 31-01-2015 / L.M. González-Rodríguez. and A.L. García-Hernández coll. // Habitat: along riverbanks and in temporary ponds,/ substrates: stony/sandy, muddy/stony.” Condition of holotype: stored in 90% ethanol with the dissected male genitalia stored in microvials with glycerin. (Deposited in MAUQ). Paratypes (24): (same data as holotype: 3 males, 4 females; MAUQ (MAUQ-14460-14461)), (3 males, 3 females; UPTC), (3 males, 3 females; CZUT) , (3 males, 3 females; DZUP) .

Diagnosis. Total body length 2.8‒3.2 mm in males, 3.0‒4.0 mm in females. Pronotum and elytra testaceous with a pair of small black round spots in anteromedial position ( Fig. 1 ). Elytra testaceous with melanic areas ( Figs. 1, 6 ). Mesoventral process subrhomboid; in lateral view with three slightly raised tooth, anterior and posterior tooth shorter than median teeth ( Figs. 2, 3 ). Metaventral process wide, anterior carina as high as mesoventral process ( Fig. 4 ). Ventrite 1 with linear broad medial carina. Apical notch of ventrite 5 with triangular tooth ( Fig. 5 ). Aedeagus ( Fig. 7 ) with parameres subtriangular; median lobe shorter than parameres, appendices acuminate and shorter than median lobe; phallobase shorter than parameres in length, strongly asymmetrical in basal two-fifths, manubrium distinct.

Description. Size and form (Measurements of the holotype). Total length 3.00 mm; maximum width 1.40 mm; maximum width of head 0.80 mm; maximum width of pronotum 0.90 mm; humeral width 1.10 mm; elytral length 2.15 mm. Body widely oval, strongly convex in lateral view ( Fig. 1 ).

Color. Head melanic with strong metallic sheen ( Fig. 1 ). Mouthparts dark brown; labial and maxillary palps testaceous, darkened at apex and at apical third respectively; antennae pale brown ( Fig. 1 ). Pronotum testaceous with a pair of small black round spots in anteromedial position, separated by 4 times the width of one spot, without metallic sheen; elytra testaceous with melanic areas, punctures on elytral striae black ( Figs. 1, 6 ). Ventral face of thorax dark-brown to black. Anterior coxae dark-brown, trochanter and base of femora slightly lighter than coxae, remainder of anterior legs testaceous; middle and hind coxae, trochanter and basal third of femora dark brown, remainder of middle and hind legs testaceous.

Head. Head flattened in lateral view. Ground punctation on frons and clypeus strongly impressed and densely distributed, distance between punctures lesser than width of one puncture. Mentum shiny, glabrous, with scattered punctures and scattered setae only on lateral portions. Maxillary palps nearly as long as maximum width of head; labial palps nearly as long as mentum width.

Thorax. Pronotal margins smooth. Ground punctation on pronotal disc evenly distributed, punctures as large as those on head; distance between punctures slightly larger than width of one puncture. Serial punctures moderate in size, round, deeply impressed; about 3 times the size of punctures on pronotal disc; inner interstriae flat, about 3 times as wide as striae; outer interstriae narrow and convex; ground and systematic punctures on inner interstriae about half of the size of serial punctures on striae ( Fig. 6 ). Mesoventral process raised along anterior portion, subrhomboid in ventral view, longitudinally depressed along median-posterior portion, posterior portion slightly broad and long ( Fig. 2 ); in lateral view with three slightly raised tooth, anterior and posterior tooth shorter than median teeth ( Fig. 3 ). Metaventral process wide, anteriorly with carina projected between mesocoxae almost reaching the posterior margin of, and as elevated as, mesoventral process; posteriorly with edge of process produced, narrow and blunt; posterolateral margins not produced posteriorly ( Fig. 4 ).

Abdomen. Ventrite 1 with strongly raised linear broad medial carina, anteriorly extended between metacoxae, posteriorly reaching posterior margin; lateral carinae narrow, blunt, slightly raised, extending along basal half. Ventrite 2 with basal blunt carina extending along basal two-thirds. Apical notch of ventrite 5 with short median triangular tooth, lateral portions smooth, slightly raised ( Fig. 5 ). Aedeagus with each paramere subtriangular, inner margins slightly concave along apical half, narrowly rounded and slightly turned inwards at apex; median lobe shorter than parameres, gradually narrowing along medial two-fourths, rounded at apex; appendices acuminate and nearly as long as median lobe; phallobase elongated, nearly as long as parameres, maximum width subapically, strongly asymmetrical in basal two-fifths with manubrium distinct, narrow and rounded at base ( Fig. 7 ).

Variation. Coloration: there are variations on the coloration across specimens with some being lighter with darker melanic areas. Sexual: no obvious sexual dimorphisms were observed other than females being generally larger than males.

Etymology. The species epithet is attributed to honor Fredy Molano Rendón, for his passion and dedication to teaching entomology.

Natural history. Specimens were collected along riverbanks and in temporary ponds on muddy leaf litter as well as on muddy/stony and stony/sandy substrates ( Fig. 15 ).

Remarks. Hemiosus molanoi sp. nov. is fairly similar to H. fittkaui Oliva (northern Brazil) in the coloration pattern (head melanic with strong metallic sheen; maxillary palps darkened at apex; pronotum and elytra with melanic areas), in some features of the male genitalia (phallobase asymmetrical and median lobe rounded at apex), and in the aspect of the ventrite 5 (median portion of apical notch extended as a triangular tooth). The new species differs from H. fittkaui by the overall morphology of the meso- and metaventral processes; ventrite 1 with linear broad medial carina (Y-shaped and narrow in H. fittkaui ); ventrite 4 without medial carina (rudimentary carina in H. fittkaui ); phallobase nearly as long as parameres (shorter than parameres in H. fittkaui ); parameres narrowly rounded at apex (sharply acute in H. fittkaui ); median lobe shorter than parameres (hardly shorter than parameres in H. fittkaui ) and appendices of the median lobe acuminate and nearly as long as median lobe (appendices lanceolate and shorter than median lobe in H. fittkaui ).

Figures

FIGURES 1–7. Hemiosus molanoi, sp. nov., 1: dorsal habitus; 2: mesoventral process in ventral view; 3: mesoventral process in lateral view; 4: metaventral process in ventral view; 5: abdominal ventrites in ventral view; 6: left elytron in lateral view; 7: aedeagus in ventral view. Scale: fig. 1 = 1 mm, fig. 6 = 1 mm, fig. 7 = 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 15–16. Habitat of Hemiosus molanoi sp. nov. and Hemiosus quindiensis sp. nov.: 15: Colombia, Quindío Department, Córdoba Municipality, Río Verde; 16: Colombia: Quindío Department: La Tebaida Municipality, Pizamal, type locality of both species.