Laccophilus adjutor Guignot, 1950

Bistroem, Olof, Nilsson, Anders N. & Bergsten, Johannes, 2015, Taxonomic revision of Afrotropical Laccophilus Leach, 1815 (Coleoptera, Dytiscidae), ZooKeys 542, pp. 1-379 : 184-186

Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Dytiscidae

Laccophilus adjutor Guignot, 1950 Figs 150-151, 333-334, 481, 564

Laccophilus adjutor Guignot 1950b: 271 (original description, faunistics); Guignot 1955c: 182 (faunistics); Omer-Cooper 1957: 8, 9, 10, 90 (description, faunistics, discussion); Omer-Cooper 1958a: 59 (faunistics); Omer-Cooper 1958b: 37, 38, 39 (description, faunistics); Guignot 1959a: 550, 552, 556 (discussion, description, faunistics); Guignot 1959d: 161 (discussion); Omer-Cooper 1965: 77, 79 (discussion, earlier records of Laccophilus adjutor by Omer-Cooper belong to Laccophilus necopinus Guign.); Omer-Cooper 1967: 58 (discussion); Nilsson and Persson 1993: 80, 94 (discussion, faunistics); Nilsson 2001: 240 (catalogue, faunistics); Nilsson 2015: 208 (catalogue, faunistics).

Type locality.

Uganda: Ounyoro province, Kadjoura marsh.

Type material studied

(2 exs.). Holotype: male: "Ouganda Ounyoro Marais Kadjoura pres Hoima Ch. Alluaud 1909 / Male symbol / Paratype" (MNHN). [Comments: the original description lists only holotype and allotype and no paratype and accordingly type material consists of two specimens both from same locality. One additional specimen is provided with a holotype label but it does not fit with given type locality (see below). The male specimen with a paratype label, however, fits with given type locality and obviously this specimen is the real holotype. This enigmatic situation is considered a case of mislabeling.] Allotype (= paratype): female: Same data as holotype, but "Allotype / female symbol / Laccophilus adjutor Guign. Allotype, female symbol" (1 ex. MNHN).

Additional material studied

(40 exs.). Nigeria: "Stream of Assab 36 mi from Jos 13.4. 1963 JOC" (1 ex. AMGS); "Stream, escarpment, road Jos-Wambe 13.4. 1963 JOC." (1 ex. AMGS). - Uganda: "Ouganda Occidental Province de Toro env. de Fort Portal Ch. Alluaud 1909 / male symbol / Type / Laccophilus adjutor Guign. Type male symbol" (1 ex. MNHN; not holotype, see above); "Prov. d’Ounyoro Albert Nyanzas.-e Rivière Mousisi Alluaud 1909 / février / Guignot det. Laccophilus adjutor sp. n. / paratype" (2 exs. IRSNB); "Ounyoro Marais Kadjoura près Hoima Alluaud 1909 / paratype" (2 exs. IRSNB); "Paratype / Mus. Paris Ouganda Ounyoro Marais Kadjoura pres Hoima Ch. Alluad 1909 / F. G. det. 57 Laccophilus adjutor Guign." (1 ex. AMGS). [Comment: not type material; later obviously provided with paratype labels.] "Uganda Kibale K 15, 12.9. 1991 Nummelin leg." (2 exs. MZH); Same but "6.9. 1991" (1 ex. MZH); "W Prov. Kibale Forest, swamp K 14, 8.4. Nummelin leg." (1 ex. MZH); "Kampala 9.12. 1929 Hopkins" (2 exs. BMNH, 1 ex. MZH); same but "4.9. 1929" (1 ex. BMNH). - Kenya: "B.O.A. Kibwezi 26.11. 1907 Scheffler" (1 ex. ZMHB). - Zaire: "Parc National Albert, 2.3. 1957 P. Vanschuytbroeck/Secteur Nord r. dr. Moyenne-Lume affl. dr. Semliki 1340 m" (8 exs. MRAC, 2 exs. MZH; habitus in Fig. 481); same but "10.10. 1957/Secteur Nord riv. Lutakira, affl. dr. Semliki 910 m" (1 ex. MRAC); same but "26.8. 1956/Secteur Nord May ya Moto 1320 m" (2 exs. MRAc); same but "27.8. 1957/Secteur Nord rive de Semliki, rte Muramba, 905 m" (3 exs. MRAC); same but "23.8. 1957/Secteur Nord, rive dr. Semliki, rte Muramba, 905 m"(1 ex. MRAC); same but "11.2. 1957/Secteur Nord Katamangu affl. g. Butahu 1300 m." (1 ex. MZh); same but "27.8. 1957/Secteur Nord, river Ihunga, af. dr. Semliki 1300 m" (1 ex. Mrac); same but "6.12. 1956/Secteur Nord, Lume, affl. dr Semliki route Beni-Katwe 1000 m" (1 ex. MRAC); same but "19.9. 1955, 2690 m (ex. plankton)/Secteur Nord, Lusilube -affl. Semliki-Piste Mwenda-Katuka alt. 1860 m" (1 ex. MRAC). - Tanzania: "DOA, 1.9. 1911 W Ruanda 1850 m Sümpf, Meyer" (1 ex. NHMB). - Angola: "Luanda Airport-Catete Road 21 km, 23-25.8. 1949 Malkin B. / small deep pond, sand and gravel bottom" (1 ex. BMNH).

Diagnosis.

Laccophilus adjutor resembles much of especially Laccophilus necopinus and Laccophilus conjunctus in regard of male genitalia and external appearance. From Laccophilus necopinus , the species is separated by having a shorter and more curved penis. From Laccophilus conjunctus , Laccophilus adjutor is separated by having, in general, slightly larger body and by elytral, dark colour pattern, which is formed as separate longitudinal markings. Elytra of Laccophilus conjunctus are predominantly dark with limited pale markings. The male genitalia of Laccophilus adjutor and Laccophilus conjunctus are quite similar and future studies may show that the two species are conspecific.

Description.

Body length 3.4-3.8 mm, width 1.8-2.0 mm. Habitus and dorsal colour pattern (Fig. 481). Exhibits only slight variation in dorsal colour pattern.

Head: Pale ferrugineous to ferrugineous. Finely microsculptured; reticulation indistinctly double. Large meshes only slightly more strongly developed than small meshes. Large meshes, when discernible, contain 3-6 small meshes. Almost impunctate, except at eyes where some irregularly distributed fine punctures are discernible.

Pronotum: Pale ferrugineous, frontally and mediobasally blackish to dark ferrugineous. Reticulation indistinctly double; large meshes generally contain 3-6 minor meshes. Very finely punctate. Punctures irregularly distributed and partly indistinct; densest at foremargin and laterally.

Elytra: Pale ferrugineous with blackish to dark ferrugineous colour pattern; pale subbasal area slightly irregular. Posteriorly, with irregular, longitudinal markings which are sometimes partly confluent (Fig. 481). Finely and densely microsculptured, submat; with double reticulation but large meshes strongly reduced, hardly discernible. Very fine, irregularly distributed punctures discernible. Lateral, pre-apical furrow shallow, finely pubescent.

Ventral aspect: Blackish ferrugineous to dark ferrugineous, except prothorax, pale ferrugineous to ferrugineous. Submat, with very fine microsculpture. Basal ventrites with curved striae. Almost impunctate. Transversely located, shallow furrows on metacoxal plates in anterior half rather distinct; in posterior half indistinct, almost absent. Prosternal process rather slender, posteriorly somewhat extended, apically pointed. Apical ventrite; asymmetric with one lateral knob (Fig. 150).

Legs: Protarsus rather slender and protarsal claws slender, moderately curved and somewhat extended. Pro- and mesotarsus provided with suckers.

Male genitalia: Penis in lateral aspect almost straight; extreme apex with a small, rounded extension; external outline of penis in apical portion provided with a distinct membranous part (Figs 333-334).

Female: Apical ventrite medioapically somewhat extended and keeled (Fig. 151). Pro- and mesotarsus slender.

Distribution.

Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya, Zaire, Tanzania, Angola (Fig. 564). Only personally verified records are mapped because of widespread earlier confusion in deciding the species-identity.

Collecting circumstances.

Almost unknown.