Taxonomic revision of Agraphydrus Régimbart, 1903 I. China and Taiwan (Coleoptera: Hydrophilidae: Acidocerinae)
Author
Komarek, Albrecht
Author
Hebauer, Franz
text
Zootaxa
2018
2018-07-30
4452
1
1
101
journal article
29292
10.11646/zootaxa.4452.1.1
30d459c8-2b2f-4cdf-8637-460394de28ec
1175-5326
1445140
CDDB3757-1416-42B3-950B-4DC6A48239A9
Agraphydrus
Régimbart, 1903
Agraphydrus
Régimbart 1903c
: 33
. Type species:
Agraphydrus punctatellus
Régimbart, 1903
Gymnhelochares
Orchymont 1932
: 692
. Type species:
Helochares geminus
(
Orchymont, 1932
)
Pseudohelochares
Satô 1960
: 76
. Type species:
Pseudohelochares narusei
(
Satô, 1960
)
;
Satô 1965
: 128
Pseudopelthydrus
Jia 1998
: 225
ff. Type species:
Pseudopelthydrus longipalpus
(
Jia, 1998
)
;
Komarek 2003
: 384
Megagraphydrus
Hansen 1999
: 137
. Type species:
Megagraphydrus siamensis
(
Hansen, 1999
)
;
Minoshima
et al
. 2015
: 7
Subgeneric classification.
Gymnhelochares
Orchymont, 1932
was described as a subgenus of
Helochares
Mulsant, 1844
based on two Oriental species, at a time when
Agraphydrus
was also considered by
Orchymont (1932)
a subgenus of
Helochares
. A third species was added to
Gymnhelochares
by
Balfour-Brown (1958)
.
Satô (1965)
re-established
Agraphydrus
as separate genus, and
Hansen (1991)
transferred
Gymnhelochares
as a “provisional” subgenus to
Agraphydrus
.
Reduced meso- and metafemoral pubescence was considered as distinguishing feature for
Gymnhelochares
by
Orchymont (1932)
. In many new species this character revealed to be clinal, and highly reduced femoral pubescence is present in species which are otherwise very different. For the subgenus
Agraphydrus
s. str.
a unique diagnostic character has never been proposed and could not be identified in the present study. Consequently, this taxon should be regarded as paraphyletic. This implies that the previously used subgeneric subdivision of
Agraphydrus
is phylogenetically unjustified.
Gymnhelochares
is therefore synonymized with
Agraphydrus
s. str.
Systematic punctures.
The distinction between two kinds of elytral punctures arranged in rows can be traced back to Régimbart (1901) who observed “séries principales” and “séries accessoires” on the elytra of hydrophilids.
Régimbart (1903a
,
1903b
, 1904) applied the term “séries systématiques” and “points systématiques” for pronotal punctures arranged in certain patterns.
Orchymont (1911
,
1913
,
1921
,
1922
,
1927
,
1929
,
1932
, 1942) used the term “séries systématiques”, “pores systématiques”, “systematische Porenreihen” describing the appearance and position of these punctures on head, pronotum and elytra in different hydrophilid taxa.
Hansen (1991)
readopted and redefined the concept of “systematic punctures”, recognizing the necessity to differentiate between systematic punctures and “primary” serial elytral punctures. Oliva (1922) observes three kinds of elytral punctures: “hairs borne on granules or inserted in punctures”, “trichobothria”, and “micropores”. Systematic puctures are considered “trichobothria” also by
Short (2008)
and
Short & Fikáček (2013)
.
Short (2008)
distinguishes between ground punctation, serial punctures and systematic punctures. Electron microscopic investigations (
Oliva 1992
,
Short 2008
,
Fikáček
et al
. 2012
) revealed a characteristic structure of the systematic punctures bearing a very fine seta, often damaged and hardly to detect in dried specimens, probably serving as mechanoreceptors (
Fikáček
et al
. 2012
) in the aquatic environment. Systematic punctures can be detected by their position (
Hansen 1991
) and arrangement, they can “usually be easily detected as vestiges on the ventral face of the elytra”. Following the criteria of quality and position (
Remane 1952
,
1961
), I consider systematic punctures as homologue structures.
In most species of
Agraphydrus
four rows of systematic punctures are discernible on the elytra. In
A. attenuatus
,
A. insidiator
,
A. politus
, and
A. puzhelongi
a differentiation between systematic and serial punctures is not possible. In these cases we use the mere descriptive formulation “coarse punctures in rows”.
A full redescription of the genus
Agraphydrus
will be provided in one of the forthcoming contributions.
Diagnosis.
Agraphydrus
belongs to the subfamily
Acidocerinae
(
Short & Fikáček 2013
), together with
Acidocerus
Klug
,
Chasmogenus
Sharp
,
Dieroxenus
Spangler
,
Globulosis
García,
Helochares
Mulsant
,
Helobata
Bergroth
,
Helopeltarium
Orchymont
,
Horelophopsis
Hansen
,
Peltochares
Régimbart
,
Quadriops
Hansen
,
Tobochares
Short & García
, and
Troglochares
Spangler. It
can be characterized and differentiated from the genera mentioned above by the following characters:
Body length 1.4̄
4.8 mm
(in contrast to
Peltochares
with
9–11 mm
body length, and some large species of
Helochares
and
Helobata
). Habitus slender to broad (E.I.=1.0̄1.6); mostly oval shaped or with parallel-sided elytra, few species with elytra widening posterior to midlength (shared with
Acidocerus
,
Horelophopsis
and many species of
Helochares
); generally weakly to moderately convex dorsally, rarely strongly convex (strongly convex in
Globulosis
); elytra not explanate laterally (in contrast to
Acidocerus
,
Helobata
,
Helopeltarium
,
Peltochares
, and
Quadriops
). Outline of body not inerrupted between pronotum and elytra (in contrast to
Horelophopsis
).
Head
. Labrum not concealed by anteriorly enlarged clypeus (in contrast to
Helobata
and
Helopeltarium
), anterior margin of clypeus slightly to distinctly emarginate (emargination absent in
Helobata
and
Quadriops
); compound eyes present (in contrast to
Troglochares
), not subdivided (in contrast to
Quadriops
), not excised anteriorly (in contrast to
Dieroxenus
,
Helobata
,
Helopeltarium
and some species of
Helochares
). Antennae with eight or nine antennomeres.
Mentum
without ventral ridge (in contrast to
Helobata
), with anterior impression (shared with all
Acidocerinae
). Maxillary palpi 0.7̄1.5 × as long as width of head anterior to eyes (shared with most genera of
Acidocerinae
, shorter in
Horelophopsis
and
Quadriops
; longer in
Peltochares
); palpomeres straight, not curving mesad, palpomere 2 club-shaped (in contrast to all other genera of
Acidocerinae
with either mesad bending palpomere 2, 3 or 4, or (
Horelophopsis
) with swollen palpomere 2. Ground punctation and systematic punctures present.
Thorax
. Pronotum with ground punctation and systematic punctures (shared with most genera of
Acidocerinae
), punctation not granulate (in contrast to
Acidocerus
). Prosternum not carinate (in contrast to
Acidocerus
), procoxal cavities open posteriorly (in contrast to
Helobata
). Mesoventrite simply bulged or with low transverse ridge; rarely with low carina (shared with
Dieroxenus
and
Horelophopsis
; strong carina present in
Chasmogenus
). Metaventrite without projection (carinate in
Helobata
). Elytra with irregular series of very course punctures in few species, without regular serial punctures or striae (ten rows of regular serial punctures or punctate striae present in
Acidocerus
,
Horelophopsis
,
Peltochares
,
Quadriops
,
Tobochares
, and in some subgenera of
Helochares
); scutellary stria absent (present in
Horelophopsis
,
Peltochares
, and in some
Helochares
), pubescence on mesofemur present (shared with all
Acidocerinae
), on metafemur present or absent (absent only in
Quadriops
). Tarsi five-segmented (shared with all
Acidocerinae
).
Abdomen
. Apical emargination of abdominal ventrite 5 present or absent (absent in
Globulosis
,
Horelophopsis
,
Quadriops
,
Tobochares
,
Troglochares
, and some
Helochares
).