Copelatus liwu Jiang, Jia & Hajek 2025, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Jiang, Zhuo-Yin
name: Hájek, Jiří
name: Zheng, Yi-Li
name: Jia, Feng-Long
name: Wang, Bei-Xin
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Dytiscidae
Copelatus
Copelatus liwu

description: Copelatus liwu Jiang, Jia & Hájek, sp. nov.
(Figs 1A–B, 2A–D)
Type locality. China, Hainan Province, Qiongzhong County, Limushan Mt., Sanxinglinling, ca. 19.1738N, 109.7245E.
Type material. Holotype: ♂ (SYSU), labelled: “ ae南ñDz中县 / NJḆƜ三aeṳĸ / 19.1738N, 109.7245E / 635.6m, 8.v.2022 / 姜卓ª [p] // CHINA: Hainan Province / Qiongzhong County / Limushan Mt., Sanxinglinling / 19.1738N, 109.7245E / 635.6m, 8.v.2022 / Zhuoyin Jiang leg. [p] // HOLOTYPE / COPELATUS / liwu sp. nov. / Jiang, Jia & Hájek det. 2023 [red label, p]”. Paratypes: 7 ♂, 4 ♀ (SYSU), same locality data as holotype; 1 ♂ (SYSU), labelled: “ ae南ñDz中县 / Oi 哥ĸ G361 / 19.0677N, 109.5564E / 671.8m, 4.v.2022 / 姜卓ª [p] // CHINA: Hainan Province / Qiongzhong County / Yinggeling Mt., G361 / 19.0677N, 109.5564E / 671.8m, 4.v.2022 / Zhuoyin Jiang leg. [p]”; 1 ♂ (NHMW), labelled: “ CHINA: Hainan (215) / 15km SW Dongxing / 1,5km W Jianfeng, 70m / 25. 1. 1996, Ji & Wang [p]”. All paratypes with the appropriate printed red label.
Description of holotype. Habitus (Fig. 1A) oblong oval, with continuous outline, broadest in anterior third of elytral length, dorsally slightly convex. Dorsal surface submatt.
Colouration. Head reddish brown, vertex slightly darker; pronotum dark brown with broadly reddish brown sides; elytra brown, laterally somewhat paler, with moderately broad, irregularly shaped, transverse basal orange band not reaching suture; appendages yellowish brown; ventral side reddish brown to brown.
Head. Moderately broad, ca. 0.7× width of pronotum, trapezoidal. Anterior margin of clypeus indistinctly concave. Reticulation consisting of moderately deeply impressed polygonal isodiametric meshes. Punctation double, consisting of fine punctures and coarse setigerous punctures; fine punctures spread sparsely on clypeus and slightly larger and more densely on vertex; row of coarse punctures present alongside inner margin of eyes, several punctures present at frontal level of eyes, and anterolaterally to eyes in fronto-clypeal depressions. Antenna with antennomeres long and slender.
Pronotum. Transverse (width/length ratio = 2.7), broadest between posterior angles, lateral margins moderately curved. Sides with lateral beading very thin and indistinct. Reticulation similar to that of head. Punctation double; rows of coarse setigerous punctures present along anterior margin; laterally close to sides, several punctures present also in shallow basolateral depressions along basal margin; fine punctures smaller and sparser than on head, spread throughout whole surface. Pronotum baso-laterally and especially laterally with numerous, irregularly distributed short longitudinal or oblique strioles. Centre of disc with short shallowly impressed longitudinal line.
Elytra. Base of elytra as broad as pronotal base; lateral margins of elytra almost parallel in basal third, then narrowing to apex. Six discal and one submarginal longitudinal striae present on each elytron: striae 2–4 beginning shortly behind base, striae 1, 5–6 beginning more posteriorly; stria 1 longest, ending close to apex; striae 2–5 somewhat shorter, ending subapically, even striae generally shorter than odd striae; stria 6 ending at apical fourth; submarginal stria long, beginning before elytral mid-length and ending at apical fourth. Reticulation of elytra similar to that of head and pronotum, but less impressed. Punctation consisting of coarse setigerous punctures and very fine sparse punctures; coarse punctures present along elytral striae and lateral margins of elytra, fine punctures spread irregularly on elytral surface.
Legs. Protibia angled proximally, distinctly broadened distally, club shaped. Pro- and mesotarsomeres 1–3 distinctly broadened, with rows of adhesive setae on their ventral side; claws simple.
Ventral side (Fig. 1B). Prosternum medially elevated, anterior margin sinuate. Prosternal process lanceolate, in cross-section convex, distinctly bordered laterally; reticulation not perceptible. Metaventrite with microsculpture consisting of polygonal meshes; lateral parts of metaventrite(“metasternal wings”) tongue-shaped, slender.Metacoxal lines ending distinctly far before posterior margin of metaventrite. Metacoxal plates covered with long, longitudinal strioles and some transverse wrinkles; reticulation consisting of elongate, oblique polygonal meshes. Metacoxal processes rounded at posterior margin. Abdominal ventrites I–II with longitudinal strioles; ventrites III–IV with oblique strioles laterally. Abdominal reticulation consisting of elongate polygonal meshes, longitudinal on ventrites I–II, oblique on ventrite III, and transverse on ventrites IV–VI. Punctation consisting of fine, sparsely distributed punctures; coarse setigerous punctures present medially on ventrites III–V, and medio-laterally on ventrite VI.
Male genitalia. Median lobe of aedeagus sickle-shaped in lateral view (Fig. 2B), broader in basal half and slender in apical half, apex rounded; at mid-length with two irregularly shaped auricular processes, one placed in longitudinal axis of median lobe, other one placed laterally, perpendicular to first process. In ventral view, median lobe turned right in apical fifth of its length (Fig. 2C). Parameres as in Fig. 2D.
Female. Identical to male in habitus and sculpture. Protibia simple, not angled proximally and only slightly broadened distally; pro- and mesotarsomeres not broadened, without adhesive setae.
Variability. All specimens of the type series are rather uniform. There is a slight variability in the dorsal colouration and in the number and lengths of strioles on lateral parts of the pronotum. Finally, there is some variability in the shape of the auricular processes of the median lobe of aedeagus (see Figs 2A and 2B).
Measurements. TL: 4.5–4.9 mm (mean value: 4.7 ± 0.2 mm); holotype: 4.9 mm. TL-h: 4.0– 4.4 mm (mean value: 4.2 ± 0.2 mm); holotype: 4.4 mm. MW: 2.1–2.2 mm (mean value: 2.2 ± 0.1 mm); holotype: 2.2 mm.
Differential diagnosis. Based on the presence of six dorsal striae and a submarginal stria on each elytron, the new species can be classified within the Copelatus irinus species group sensu Guignot (1961: 662). The characteristic shape of the median lobe with two auricular processes on the ventral side (Figs 2A–C) distinguishes the new species from all other Oriental Copelatus, except of C. nakai sp. nov. described below. For a differential diagnosis between C. liwu sp. nov. and C. nakai sp. nov., see under the latter species.
Collection details. In Limushan, Copelatus liwu sp. nov. was found in a slowly flowing water in the grass by the concrete road; it was collected together with Copelatus oblitus Sharp, 1882 near grass roots (Fig. 3A). It is also attracted at light traps (Fig. 3B). The single specimen from Yinggeling Mt. was found in a puddle with decaying leaves on the rocks beside the stream (Fig. 3C). The specimen from Jianfeng was collected in river, ca. 5 m wide, with sand and gravel, flowing through cultivated land (see Jäch & Ji 1998).
Etymology. The species name “ liwu ” (NJDZ) relates to a myth. It comes from “Liwu”, the proper name of the socalled “mother of the Li”. The Li are an ethnic group indigenous to the Hainan Island. The people of the Li believe to be descendants of Liwu who taught them survival skills, playing a vital role in their development. Therefore, the Li people respectfully call her “Limu” [= the mother of the Li]. The type locality of the new species, Limushan Mt., has long been praised as the cradle and sacred land of the Li people.
Distribution. Copelatus liwu sp. nov. is so far known only from three mountain localities in central and southwestern Hainan, China (Fig. 4).
description: Published as part of Jiang, Zhuo-Yin, Hájek, Jiří, Zheng, Yi-Li, Jia, Feng-Long & Wang, Bei-Xin, 2025, Two new species of Oriental Copelatus Erichson, 1832, with additional records of the genus from China (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae: Copelatinae), pp. 42-50 in Zootaxa 5632 (1) on pages 43-45, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5632.1.2, http://zenodo.org/record/15371613