Novochares punctatostriatus, Short & Girón, 2023

Short, Andrew Edward Z. & Giron, Jennifer C., 2023, Revision of the Neotropical water scavenger beetle genus Novochares Giron & Short (Coleoptera, Hydrophilidae, Acidocerinae), ZooKeys 1171, pp. 1-112 : 1

Novochares punctatostriatus sp. nov.

Figs 14B , 15L-Q , 16A

Type material.

Holotype (male): "PERU: Madre de Dios/ Rio Tambopata Res.; 290m/ 30 air km SW of Puerto Maldonado/ 16-20.xi.1979; subtropical moist forest/ leg. J.B. Heppner" (USNM). Paratypes (262 exs.): Brazil: Amapá: Oiapoque (ca. 22 km S) on BR-156, leg. Short, forested detrital pools, BR18-0720-01B (1, SEMC, including DNA Voucher SLE2094). Amazonas: Tapauá, Humaita (ca. 240 km N) on BR-319, -5.50298, -62.12392, 54 m, 11.vii.2018, leg. Short, margin of stream, BR18-0712-01B (2, INPA, SEMC, including DNA Voucher SLE1969). Pará: Altamira (ca. 60 km S), Rio Xingu Camp, 52°40'W, 3°50'S, 12.x.1986, leg. P. Spangler & O. Flint (10, USNM). Rondônia: Machadinho d’Oeste, Tabajara (ca. 7.5 km W) on RO-133, -8.92368, -62.12491, 82 m, 8.vii.2018, leg. Short, river with sandy bottom and rocks, BR18-0708-04A (1, SEMC, including DNA Voucher SLE2037); Novo Uniao, Vale do Cachoeiras, -10.91764, -62.377, 359 m, 10.vii.2018, leg. Short, small sandy-bottom stream margin, BR18-0710-02A (1, SEMC, including DNA Voucher SLE2090). São Paulo: Piracicaba, dates between 10.ii.1965 and 2.xii.1965, blacklight, C.A. Triplehorn (68, USNM). French Guiana: Route de Petit Saut, Crique Maman Lézard, 5.06701°N, - 52.99783°W, 39 m, 1.iii.2020, leg. Short & Neff, margin of creek with detritus, FG20-0301-01A (1, SEMC); Same data but detrital pools in drying creakbed, FG20-0301-01B (1, SEMC); Carbet ONF Montagne de fer, Piste de montagne de fer (formerly road Degrad Florian), Crique Petit Laussat, 5.40697°N, - 53.55468°W, 10 m, leg. Short, detrital pools, FG20-0302-01C (3, SEMC); Piste de montagne de fer (formerly Degrad Florian road), tributary of Crique Florian, 5.29688°N, - 53.52458°W, 25 m, leg. Short & Neff, small pools in stream channel with sand and detritus, FG20-0303-01A (3, SEMC); same data but leg. Short, margin of clearwater creek, FG20-0303-01B (2, SEMC); St. Laurent du Maroni, Sentier des Malgaches, 5.48627°N, - 54.00238°W, 14 m, leg. Short & Neff, pond margins in secondary forest, FG20-0304-01A (1, SEMC); Piste de montagne de fer (formerly road Degrad Florian), 5.40697°N, - 53.55468°W, 10 m, leg. Short & Neff, forested detrital pools, FG20-0305-01A (7, SCC, SEMC); Carbet communal St-Elie, Route de Saint-Elie, tributary of Crique Toussaint, 5.29653°N, - 53.05205°W, 42 m, leg. Short & Neff, margins of clearwater stream, FG20-0305-03B (2, SEMC); Paracou, Station de recherche CIRAD, Crique Verlot, 5.27966°N - 52.92846°W, 8 m, leg. Short & Neff, forested detrital pools, FG20-0306-01A (1, SEMC); Bagne des Annamites Park, Crique Anguille, 4.83287°N, - 52.5145°W, 17 m, leg. Short & Neff, small sandy stream with detritus, FG20-0307-01B (2, SEMC). Guyana: Region 6: Upper Berbice circa 1 km west of Basecamp 1, 4°09.143'N, 58°11.207'W, 105 m, 22.iv.2014, leg, Short, Salisbury and La Cruz, margins of creek, GY14-0921-03H (1, SEMC). Region 8: Konawaruk River, Basecamp 2 (NARIL camp), 14.ix.2014, leg. Salisbury & La Cruz, small puddle along road, GY14-0914-03 (1, SEMC); Konawaruk River, Basecamp 2 (NARIL basecamp), 5°07.539'N, 59°06.732'W, 80 m, 15.ix.2014, leg. Salisbury and La Cruz, unnamed clear water creek, slow flowing and shallow, GY14-0915-02 (1, SEMC). Region 9: along road to Parabara, 2°09.557'N, 59°17.569'W, 268 m, 1.xi.2013, leg. Short, Isaacs and Salisbury, forest pools near Mushai Wao, GY13-1101-02A, (2, SEMC); Parabara, trail to mines, 2°05.095'N, 59°14.174'W, 250 m, 2.xi.2013, leg. Short, Isaacs and Salisbury, detrital pools in forest, GY13-1102-01A, (1, SEMC); Parabara north side of river, 2°06.492'N, 59°13.653'W, 274 m, 3.xi.2013, detritus margins and leaf packs, GY13-1103-02A (1, SEMC); Karaawaimin Taawa, Basecamp and surroundings, 2.42284N, 59.06157W, 11-13.iii.2022, leg. Short & Edward, detrital pools near camp, GY22-0311-01A (1, SEMC); pooled up sandy creek GY22-0311-01D (2, SEMC); Karaawaimin Taawa, Trail from Camp 1 to Camp 2, 14.iii.2022, leg. Short & Edward, palm swamp, GY22-0314-04A (4, SEMC); Karaawaimin Taawa, Camp 2 and surroundings, 15.iii.2022, leg. Short & Edward, stream with palm detritus, rocks, and sand, GY22-0315-01A (1, SEMC); Karaawaimin Taawa, Camp 3 and surroundings, 16-18.iii.2022, leg. Short & Edward, small pool in streambed, GY22-0316-01D (1, SEMC); same data but forest pools, GY22-0316-01C (3, SEMC); Karaawaimin Taawa, Camp 4 and surroundings, 18-21.iii.2022, leg. Short & Edward, small stream, GY22-0318-01C (8, SEMC); same data but pools in creekbed, GY22-0318-01D (8, SEMC); same data but second small stream, GY22-0318-01E (18, CBDG, SEMC); Karaawaimin Taawa, Trail between Camps 3 and 4, 21.iii.2022, leg. Short & Edward, small pool in forest, GY22-0321-01B (3, SEMC). Peru: Cuzco: Pilcopata, 600 m, 8-10.xii.1979 premonate moist forest, leg. J.B. Heppner (3, USNM); Pilcopata (ca. 3 km NE), on nearby mountain road, 30.v.2022, leg. Short et al., pools and roadside ditches, PE22-0530-01B (1, SEMC); same data but small stream and adjacent grassy pool, PE22-0530-01C (1, SEMC). Madre de Dios: same data as holotype (22, USNM, SEMC); Manu Pakitza, 12°7'S, 10°58'W, 250 m, 18.viii.1988, UV light, leg. O. Flight & N. Adams (1, USNM); same locality but 14-23.ix.1988, malaise traps, "trail 2, 1st stream" (1, USNM); Amazonas Lodge, N Atalaya, 12°52.2'S, 71°22.6'W, 480 m, 10-13.xi.2007, leg. D. Brzoska, flight intercept trap, PER1B07 002 (2, SEMC); Villa Carmen Biological Station (ca. 2 km N of Pilcopata), South of Rio Piñipiñi, 26.v.2022, leg. Short et al., small streams in bamboo thicket, PE22-0526-01A (1, SEMC); same data but large marshy pool along trail with abundant detritus, PE22-0526-01E (1, SEMC); Villa Carmen Biological Station (ca. 2 km N of Pilcopata), North of Rio Piñipiñi, 28.v.2022, leg. Short et al., small detrital pools, PE22-0526-02F (3, MHNSM, SEMC). Suriname: Saramacca: Coesewijne Savanna, 6.iii.2012, leg. Short, forested pool in muddy road, SR12-0306-03B (9, SEMC). Sipaliwini: Camp 1 on Kutari River, 2°10.521'N, 56°47.244'W, 228 m, 20.viii.2010, leg. Short and Kadosoe, forest stream, CI-RAP Survey, forested swamp, SR10-0819-01A (7, SEMC); Iwaana Saamu, forest swamp, 26.viii.2010, leg. Short, SR10-0826-01A (1, SEMC); Camp 3, Werehpai, 2°21.776'N, 56°41.861'W, 237 m, 3-7.ix.2010, leg. Short and Kadosoe, pooled up detrital creek, SR10-0903-01A (3, SEMC, including DNA Voucher SLE452); same data except detrital forest pools, SR10-0903-02A (1,SEMC); same data except sandy forest creek, SR10-0904-01A (3, SEMC); Upper Palumeu, Camp 1, 2.47700°N, 55.62941°W, 275 m. leg. A. Short, 10-16.iii.2012, Flight Intercept Trap, SR12-0310-TN1 (3 SEMC); Raleighfallen Nature Reserve, trail to Raleighfallen, 04°42.480'N, 56°13.159'W, 24 m, 27.vii.2012, SR12-0727-03A (1, SEMC); same data but leg. C. McIntosh, detrital pools near creek in forest, SR12-0727-03D (2, SEMC); Raleighvallen Nature Reserve Voltzberg trail, 04°40.910'N, 56°11.138'W, 78 m, 30.vii.2012, SR12-0730-01A (1, SEMC); same data but detrital pools along stream, SR12-0730-01B (2, SEMC); Raleighfallen Nature Reserve, Fungu island, 04°43.459'N, 56°12.658'W, 30 m, 1.viii.2012, SR12-0801-01D (2, SEMC); Raleighvallen Nature Reserve, base of Voltzberg, 4°40.432'N, 56°11.079'W, 86 m, 16.iii.2016, leg. Short et al., pooled up stream, SR16-0316-01B (2, SEMC); Raleighvallen Nature Reserve, Lolopaise area, 4°42.48'N, 56°13.15908'W, 24 m, intermittent stream pools, 19.iii.2016, leg. Toussaint et al., SR16-0319-02C (1, SEMC); Raleighvallen Nature Reserve, Coppename River, Voltzberg trail, 17.iii.2016, leg. A. Short, detrital pools in stream bed, SR16-0319-01A (10, NZCS, SEMC); Kabalebo Nature Resort, Moi Moi Creek, leg. Short, detrital pool, SR19-0310-01G (3, SEMC, including DNA Voucher SLE1802); same data except leg. Short and class, SR19-0310-01M (2, SEMC). Suriname: Krakka-Phedra Road, 25.x.1962, leg. B. Malkin (12, USNM).

Differential diagnosis.

The distinctive rows of serial punctures on the lateral and posterior regions of the elytra serve to separate this species from all other Novochares except a few others in the Novochares punctatostriatus species group. This species is the most commonly encountered and widespread of the six known species in the group, occurring from the eastern Guiana Shield (Guyana, Suriname), west to the foothills of the Peruvian Andes, and south São Paulo, Brazil. It is also one of the largest species in the group. The lack of lateral denticles on the dorsal plate of the median lobe separates this from other Novochares punctatostriatus species group taxa except for N. pertusus sp. nov. (see diagnosis of that species).

Description.

Size and form: Body length 5.2-8.8 mm. Coloration: Dorsal surface of head dark brown, sometimes with gradually paler clypeus and labrum; pronotum and elytra dark brown, with broad pale margins. Head: Maxillary palps as long as to slightly longer than width of head, uniformly orange in color (Fig. 14B ). Thorax: Ground punctation on pronotum and elytra relatively dense and shallowly impressed. Elytra with defined rows of serial punctures, except on central elytral disc. Prosternum flat to medially weakly and broadly convex. Posterior elevation of mesoventrite transverse, blunt, and low. Aedeagus: (Fig. 15L-Q ) lateral projection on apical region of outer margin of each paramere pointed and strongly protruded; at closest point, dorsal inner margins of parameres separated by distance slightly narrower than greatest width of a paramere; lateral margins of dorsal plate of median lobe smooth, lacking denticles; arms of dorsal plate of median lobe slightly converging at apex; each arm with outer and inner margins straight at base, curved at apex (outer margin concave, inner margin convex); apical region of arm broader than base of arm, apex broadly rounded and oblique, with inner margin extending beyond outer margin; notch between arms very narrow, much narrower than base of an arm, narrowing even more towards apex; ventral plate of median lobe moderately sclerotized, at widest point seemingly wider than dorsal plate of median lobe, with apex broadly to narrowly rounded, reaching to slightly surpassing base of fork of dorsal plate; basal piece 0.35 × length of a paramere.

Etymology.

Puctatostriatus (L.) in reference to the distinct rows of elytral serial punctures.

Distribution.

Brazil ( Amapá, Amazonas, Rondônia, São Paulo), French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, and Suriname (Fig. 16A ).

Habitat.

This species is most commonly found in the detrital margins of densely forested lowland streams. Some collections have also been made in forested detrital pools, especially those that are riparian in origin. It has also been collected at lights and in malaise traps.

Remarks.

This relatively distinct and widespread taxon is very likely a complex of very closely related species. The pairwise genetic divergence in COI is nearly 9% among the ten individuals we sequenced from Peru to Suriname and French Guiana. This is the largest observed intraspecific divergence among any Novochares examined here, though not unprecedented in Acidocerinae : both Helochares maculicollis Mulsant, 1844 and H. normatus (LeConte, 1861) showed intraspecific variation of greater than 9% ( Short and Girón 2018) but these too also likely represent species complexes. We examined the aedeagus from a variety of populations, and indeed there are subtle variations. The apex of the ventral plate of the median lobe varies in length and shape. The width of the notch between the arms of the dorsal plate of the median lobe can be very narrow and be essentially not visible to be as broad as 1/4 the width of an arm at base. However, we were not able to correlate this variation with any structure in the molecular tree. We have taken a conservative approach, and favor treating all these populations as one widespread, somewhat variable species.

Figures

Figure 14. Dorsal habitus of Novochares spp. A N. dentatus B N. punctatostriatus C N. pertusus D N. triangularis.

Figure 15. Aedeagi of the Novochares punctatostriatus species group A-D N. dentatus E, F N. spangleri G, H N. geminus I N. triangularis J, K N. pertusus L-Q N. punctatostriatus A-C Venezuela D Ecuador L-N Suriname O Peru P, Q Brazil. A, E, G, I, J, L, O, P dorsal view H, M, Q ventral view C, F, N oblique view K lateral view.

Figure 16. Distribution of Novochares punctatostriatus species group A N. punctatostriatus (red), N. pertusus (yellow) B N. dentatus (red), N. triangularis (yellow), N. spangleri (blue), N. geminus (green).