Helochares (Hydrobaticus) laevis, Short & Girón, 2018

Short, Andrew Edward Z. & Girón, Jennifer C., 2018, Review of the Helochares (Hydrobaticus) MacLeay of the New World (Coleoptera: Hydrophilidae: Acidocerinae), Zootaxa 4407 (1), pp. 29-50 : 36

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.4407.1.2
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:B45E9ABD-CB52-4EE7-91D6-783E8E958AC5
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3803370
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/7705615A-0D93-4311-A72B-B5024E94B919
taxon LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:act:7705615A-0D93-4311-A72B-B5024E94B919
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Helochares (Hydrobaticus) laevis
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Helochares (Hydrobaticus) laevis View in CoL n. sp.

Figs. 4B View FIGURE 4 , 7J View FIGURE 7 , 10B View FIGURE 10 .

Type material. Holotype (male): “ MEXICO: Chiapas / San Cristobal las Casas / 17-21.vii.1964 / leg. P.J. Spangler ”, “grass chocked stream on edge of town” ( USNM).

Paratypes: (5): MEXICO: Chiapas: 20 km NE of San Cristobal de las Casas on road to Tenejapa, Las Ollas , “bog”, 6.iii.1965, leg. D. E. Breedlove (4 females, CAS, SEMC); same data as holotype (1 female, USNM) .

Differential diagnosis. Body size 6.2–6.8 mm. Clypeus dark yellow to orange with the central third darkened to dark brown. Elytra without any detectable serial punctures or striae ( Fig. 4B View FIGURE 4 ). Abdominal ventrites uniformly dark brown; pubescence dense and evenly distributed, the longest hairs shorter than those on the metaventrite. Aedeagus ( Fig. 7J View FIGURE 7 ) 2.3-times longer than its greatest width; apex of parameres truncate, with outer corners rounded; inner corners of apex of parameres forming an acute angle; lateral outer margins of parameres parallel along basal two thirds, slightly constricted at two thirds, diverging along apical third; maximum width of aedeagus at basal half, clearly narrower than maximum width of aedeagus at apical half; median lobe with apex gradually tapering to an acute point.

This species is extremely similar to H. politus , with the primary difference being in the form of the aedeagus ( Fig. 7J View FIGURE 7 ).

Description. In addition to differential diagnosis: pronotum dark brown to black in central half ( Fig. 4B View FIGURE 4 ). Ground punctation on head and pronotum moderately impressed, slightly less impressed on the elytra.

Distribution. Mexico (Chiapas) ( Fig. 10B View FIGURE 10 ).

Etymology. Laevis (L), after the smooth elytra which lacks any coarse serial punctures or striae.

Biology. One series was collected in a “bog”, while the other was collected in a “grass chocked stream”.