Copelatus oblitus Sharp 1882
Creators: name: Jiang, Zhuo-Yin
name: Zhao, Shuang
name: Yang, Zhen-Yu
name: Jia, Feng-Long
name: Hájek, Jiří
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Dytiscidae
Copelatus
Copelatus oblitus

description: Copelatus oblitus Sharp, 1882
(Figs 14–15, 49–50)
Copelatus oblitus Sharp, 1882: 582. For full list of synonyms, see Nilsson & Hájek (2022a: 60).
Copelatus subfasciatus Zimmermann, 1919: 76; Jäch & Easton 1998: 44 (Macao: Friendship Monument).
Type locality. “ Singapore ”.
Type material. Holotype ♂ (BMNH), labelled: “ Type [p, round label with red frame] // Singapore / 695 [hw] // Sharp Coll. / 1905-313. [p] // Type 695 DS. / Copelatus / oblitus n.sp. / Singapore [hw]”.
Additional material examined. CHINA: Fujian: 1 ♂, Wuyishan Mts., Xiamei vill., 17.vii.2010, F. Jia leg. (SYSU). Guangdong: 2 ♂, Guangzhou, Honam Island, Pan-yu District, 1.iii.1948 (SYSU); 1 ♂, Fengkai County, Heishiding, 10.iv.1985, W. Wu leg. (SYSU); 11 ♂, 14 ♀, Fengkai County, Heishiding, 4.-6.vii.1987, G. Liang, L. Sheng, Q. Zhang, X. Wu, J. Chen & S. Zhong leg. (SYSU); 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Fengkai County, Heishiding, 13.viii.2010, F. Jia leg. (SYSU); 2 ♂, 1 ♀, Zhuhai, Qi’ao Island, 13.-15.vii.2005, Y. Jia leg. (SYSU); 8 ♂, 6 ♀, Zhuhai, Hengqin Island, 10.vii.2006, F. Jia leg. (SYSU); 4 ♂, 5 ♀, Danxiashan Mts., 23.v.2008, F. Jia leg. (SYSU); 1 ♂, 2 ♀, Danxiashan Mts., 21.vii.2011, S. Zhao leg. (SYSU); 4 spec., 30 km NE Shaoguan, Duanshi vill., Danxiashan NP, 25°02.7′N 113°43.8′E, 125 m, pool, 4.-5.v.2011, J. Hájek leg. (NMPC); 2 ♂, 4 ♀, Danxiashan NP, Yang Yuan Shan area, 25°02.7′N 113°43.8′E, 135 m, pools, J. Hájek & J. Růžička leg. (NMPC); 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Shenzhen, 8.-11.viii.2006, F. Jia leg. (SYSU); 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Shenzhen, Dapeng Peninsula, Getian vill., 22.4842N 114.5221E, 5 m, 26.v.2021, Z. Jiang leg. (SYSU); 2 ♂, 4 ♀, Nanling Mts., Dadongshan, 22.-25.vi.2009, F. Jia leg. (SYSU); 1 ♂, 2 ♀, Guangzhou, Sun Yat-Sen University campus, 23°05.77′N 113°17.43′E, 15 m, pools in park, 5.vi.2014, J. Hájek, J. Růžička & M. Tkoč leg. (NMPC); 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Shaoguan, Chebaling Nature Reserve, 23°14′46″N 113°33′56″E, 496 m, 28.- 29.v.2017, F. Jia, S. Wang & Z. Liang leg. (SYSU); 2 ♂, 6 ♀, Shaoguan, Chebaling Nature Reserve, 24°43′29″N 114°15′22″E, 335 m, 21.viii.2020, Z. Yang leg. (SYSU). Guangxi: 35 spec., 20 km N Lingchuan, 500 m, 21.- 24.vi.1997, BOLM leg. (ZSMG); 11 ♂, 7 ♀, Xing’an County, Maoershan Mts., 29.v.2010, S. Zhao leg. (SYSU); 1 ♂, 2 ♀, Shiwandashan National Forest Park, 21°54.4′N 107°54.2′E, 300 m, pool, 5.-9.iv.2013, M. Fikáček, J. Hájek & J. Růžička leg. (NMPC). Hainan: 10 spec., 6 km W Dongxing, 50 m, 25.i.1996, M. Jäch leg. (NHMW). Hong Kong: 1 ♂, Tai Po Kau, 27.-28.ix.1983, Dudgeon leg. (NHMW); 1 ♂, same data, but 30.iv.-1.v.1984 (NHMW); 1 ♂, 1 ♀, same data, but 21.-22.vi.1984 (NHMW); 17 spec., N.T., 3 km N Tai Po, 25.vi.1992, M. Jäch leg. (NHMW); 2 ♂, 1 ♀, University Campus, at light, 1996, G. de Rougemont leg. (NHMW); 25 spec., Lantau Isl., Ngong Ping vill., Po Lin Monastery env., 22°15.2-5′N 113°54.6′E, 480-590 m, stream, 26.-28.vi.2007, J. Hájek & J. Růžička leg. (NMPC); 1 ♂, 3 ♀, Cuk Keng, 24.ix.2013, F. Jia, Y. Lee & E. Chen leg. (SYSU); 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Lantau Isl., Discovery Bay, 12.vii.2010, J. Jelínek leg. (NMPC). Hunan: 2 ♂, 4 ♀, Yongzhou, Dupangling, Yueyan forest farm, 25°29′38″N 111°23′29″E, 350 m, 29.-30.viii.2020, Z. Yang leg. (SYSU). Jiangxi: 18 ♂, 13 ♀, Longnan, Jiulianshan Mts., 12.-13.viii.2008, F. Jia leg. (SYSU); 28 ♂, 24 ♀ Jinggangshan Mts., Shuangxikou, 26°31′4″N 114°11′3″E, 411 m, 3.-5.x.2010, S. Zhao leg. (SYSU); 1 ♂, Jinggang Shan Mts., Baiyinhu vill., 26°36.8′N 114°11.1′E, 800 m, stream, 23-29.iv.2011, M. Fikáček & J. Hájek leg. (NMPC). Macao: 1 ♂, Friendship Monument, 31.v.1998, E. Easton leg. (NHMW); 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Cotai Ecological Zone, 10.x.2020, F. Jia & W. Xie leg. (SYSU); 4 ♂, 3 ♀, Cotai Ecological Zone, 22°8′24″N 113°33′11″E, 12 m, 16.i.2021, Z. Mai & F. Jia leg. (SYSU); 3 ♂, 8 ♀, same data, but 24.-25.iv.2021 (SYSU).
Diagnosis. Smaller (TL: 4.3–5.3 mm), broadly oblong-oval species. Species variable in elytral colouration: head dark brown, clypeus and anterior part of frons often paler, reddish; pronotum dark brown, laterally broadly reddish; elytra dark brown to black, usually with thin, irregularly shaped, basal orange band reaching neither lateral margin nor suture; elytra paler in some specimens – light brown laterally from stria 4, rarely elytra completely brownish black. Pronotum with short longitudinal strioles laterally. Each elytron with six discal striae and one submarginal stria: stria 1 usually complete although beginning a little subbasally, rarely fragmented or absent in basal half of elytral length, ending close to elytral apex; striae 2–6 beginning at base; striae 2–3 and 5 ending subapically, stria 4 ending close to apex; stria 6 shortest, ending at apical fourth; submarginal stria long, beginning before elytral mid-length and ending at apical fourth (Fig. 14). Median lobe of aedeagus in lateral view sickle-shaped with apex slightly turned dorsally, with large finger-like process on ventral side and small dent on dorsal side near mid-length (Fig. 49). Parameres broad, ‘D’-shaped; apex short and broad; apical lobes long, club-shaped (Fig. 50). Females dimorphic; striolate form with dorsal surface matt, with coarse microreticulation and numerous strioles on pronotum and elytra except for apex (Fig. 15).
Collection details. This species inhabits various kind of both stagnant and running water. It is frequently collected in small side pools of forest streams (Figs 78, 80), but also from seepages, or even in wet leaf litter close to the water (Fig. 75). In Macao, during January–March (which are the coldest months with low precipitation) adults of C. oblitus were found under stones in wet soil, while during rainy summer, some specimens were collected in wet decayed leaves on the roof of a building; several specimens of C. oblitus were collected by light trap near a large lake by the sea side with low salinity seawater (concentration 7.81 ppt) and very dense reeds – this finding confirms not only a good flying ability of C. oblitus, but also its tolerance to brackish water.
Distribution. Widely distributed Oriental species, ranging from India to Sulawesi; its northernmost area of occurrence is represented in southern China (Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan) and southernmost Japan. First records from Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Hunan and Jiangxi (Fig. 82).
description: Published as part of Jiang, Zhuo-Yin, Zhao, Shuang, Yang, Zhen-Yu, Jia, Feng-Long & Hájek, Jiří, 2022, A review of Copelatus Erichson, 1832 of Mainland China, with description of ten new species from the japonicus complex (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae: Copelatinae), pp. 251-295 in Zootaxa 5124 (3) on pages 265-266, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5124.3.1, http://zenodo.org/record/6410696