Ochthebius (Aulacochthebius) libertarius, Aguilera, Ribera and Hernando

Perkins, Philip D., 2023, Taxonomic revision of African water beetles in the genus Ochthebius Leach (1815) subgenus Aulacochthebius Kuwert (1887) (Coleoptera: Hydraenidae), Zootaxa 5228 (5), pp. 501-546 : 528-529

O. (Aulacochthebius) libertarius Aguilera, Ribera and Hernando

Figs. 1 , 14 , 30

Aulacochthebius libertarius Aguilera, Ribera and Hernando 1998: 630 .

Material examined: Ethiopia: Oromia, 5 km SW Addis Alem, 44 km W Addis Abeba, named Berga River , 2140 m a.s.l., (9°1′27.64′′N, 38°21′7.82′′E), 25.ii.2014, leg. M. A. Jäch (27) (6 NMW) . Morocco Aït-Baha 20.vii.1997 / Oued Aït Baha 30°03′45′′N 9°06′93′′W / leg. Aguilera, Ribera & Hernando (paratype male, NMW) . Senegal:

Village Sare Sara , 21 km ESE Kolda, 19.00–21.00, 6.iii.1977, leg. Cederholm — Danielsson — Hammarstedt — Hedquist — Samuelsson (2 LUM) .

O. (Aulacochthebius) libertarius was originally described from Morocco. I have examined specimens, including males for each locality, from Morocco (a male paratype), Ethiopia, and Senegal. This species is clearly a member of the O. (A.) continentalis Group. It has the basic pronotal shape and the strongly punctate elytral series present in the group. The aedeagus of O. (A.) libertarius as figured in Aguilera et al. (1998) is unfortunately very inaccurate: it is depicted as being sharply pointed at the distal end of the main-piece, and the main-piece is drawn as being symmetrical. High magnification shows that the distal end is in fact truncate, and the main-piece, like others in the subgenus, is asymmetrical and more complicated in details ( Fig. 14 ). The aedeagus is somewhat similar to that of O. (A.) solitarius n. sp., but differs in details, and the habitus of the two species ( Figs. 14 , 18 ) are quite different from one another; the two species are in different species groups.

Differential diagnosis. Differentiated from other similar members of the O. (A.) continentalis Group by the combination of the dorsum of head and pronotum with very sparse, very fine setae, the pattern of the hydrofuge pubescence on the abdominal ventrites, and by the aedeagus ( Fig. 14 ).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Dorsal habitus of species in the O. (A.) exaratus Group (upper row), and the O. (A.) continentalis Group (remainder).

FIGURE 14. O. (A.) libertarius Aguilera, Ribera & Hernando, paratype habitus and aedeagus.

FIGURE 18. O. (A.) solitarius n. sp., holotype habitus and aedeagus.

FIGURES 29–30. Geographical distributions. 29. O. (A.) mpumalangicus n. sp., O. (A.) tenuipunctus Régimbart and O. (A.) solitarius n. sp. 30. O. (A.) libertarius Aguilera et al. and O. (A.) continentalis Orchymont.