Laccophilus amicus Guignot, 1955

Bistroem, Olof, Nilsson, Anders N. & Bergsten, Johannes, 2015, Taxonomic revision of Afrotropical Laccophilus Leach, 1815 (Coleoptera, Dytiscidae), ZooKeys 542, pp. 1-379 : 133-134

Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Dytiscidae

Laccophilus amicus Guignot, 1955 Figs 98, 442, 550

Laccophilus amicus Guignot 1955b: 1096, 1098 (original description, faunistics); Nilsson 2001: 240 (catalogue, faunistics); Nilsson 2015: 208 (catalogue, faunistics).

Type locality.

Guinea: Kindia.

Type material studied

(1 ex.). Holotype, female: "IFAN 1964 Kindia Guinee Fse A. Villiers / Type / F. Guignot det. 1955 Laccophilus amicus sp. n. Type female" (MNHN).

Additional material studied

(1 ex.). Liberia: "Suakoko 19.12. 1951 / 6-9 pm light trap Blickenstaff" (1 ex. USNM; habitus in Fig. 442).

Diagnosis.

Only female known, which makes diagnosing difficult. According to Guignot (1955b) Laccophilus amicus resembles externally of Laccophilus tschoffeni Régimbart (here located in species group 11 ( deceptor )) but with distinctly smaller body. At present, the small body, in combination with peculiar elytral colour pattern is the most useful characters for identification of the species. Laccophilus amicus seems to be closely related to Laccophilus restrictus and Laccophilus bellus , on the basis of external similarity. Further study will reveal, whether Laccophilus amicus proves to be synonymous with Laccophilus restrictus .

Description

(only female). Body length 3.3-3.4 mm, width 1.8 mm. Habitus dorsal aspect as in Fig. 442.

Head: Pale ferrugineous. Finely microsculptured, reticulation double. Large meshes only slightly stronger developed than small meshes. Large meshes, when discernible, contain 2-5 small meshes. Mesh-size-classes cannot always be distinguished. Almost impunctate; a few very fine, scattered punctures may be discerned at eyes.

Pronotum: Pale ferrugineous, anteriorly and basally in middle with vague dark ferrugineous to ferrugineous areas. Basal dark area bilobed. Finely microsculptured, reticulation double. Large meshes only slightly stronger developed than small meshes. Large meshes, when discernible, contain 2-5 small meshes. Mesh-size-classes cannot always be distinguished. Almost impunctate, frontally and laterally with very fine, sparse punctures.

Elytra: Ferrugineous to brownish, with, pale ferrugineous markings. At base, posterior to middle and apically with pale area expanded; dark ferrugineous to brown irrorations are there sparser (Fig. 442). Rather shiny, although finely microsculptured. Reticulation double but especially large meshes weakly developed and only indicated by mesh-rudiments. Fine, irregular punctures form a discal row. Dorsolateral and lateral rows of punctures indistinct; indicated by a few scattered punctures. Posterolaterally with a fine, slightly pubescent pre-apical furrow.

Ventral aspect: Pale ferrugineous; no colour pattern. Rather shiny, very finely microsculptured. Reticulation in part hardly discernible, almost absent. Almost impunctate. Curved striae on abdomen very fine, in part reduced and indistinct. Prosternal process slender, pointed. Metacoxal furrows very indistinct and reduced; some weak fragments only discernible. Apical ventrite symmetric (Fig. 98).

Legs: Pale ferrugineous to ferrugineous. Pro- and mesotarsus slender.

Male: Thus far unknown.

Distribution.

Guinea, Liberia (Fig. 555).

Collecting circumstances.

Almost unknown. In Liberia collected with light trap.