Agaporomorphus sharynae Miller, 2014, sp. n.
Creators: name: Miller, Kelly B.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2014
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Dytiscidae
Agaporomorphus
Agaporomorphus sharynae

description: Agaporomorphus sharynae sp. n.
(Figs 1–4, 17–23)
Type locality. Venezuela, Amazonas, Communidad Caño Gato, small tributary of Rio Sipapo, 4º58.838'N 67º44.341'W.
Material examined. Holotype: ♂ in MIZA labeled, “ VENEZUELA: Amazonas State 4°58.838'N, 67°44.341'W; 95 m Communidad Caño Gato, on Rio Sipapo. 16.i.2009; leg. Short, Miller, Camacho, Joly & Garcia VZ09–0116– 01x: along stream/ HOLOTYPE: Agaporomorphus sharynae K.B. Miller [red label with black line border]”. Paratypes in MIZA and MSBA, 6♀, labeled same as holotype except “ PARATYPE: Agaporomorphus sharynae K.B. Miller [blue label with black line border].”
Diagnosis. Agaporomorphus sharynae sp. n. lacks a distinctive bursa copulatrix in the female which distinguishes it from other genera within Copelatinae. The new species is a member of the A. knishi group sensu K.B. Miller (2005). Members of this group have convoluted male genitalia with series of setae on the dorsal surface (K.B. Miller, 2005). Male specimens of A. sharynae sp. n. differ from the other members of the A. knishi group by the combination of absence of modified antennae, an apparent stridulatory device, and the medio-apical spine on abdominal ventrite V. Agaporomorphus silvaticus K.B. Miller, 2005 also lacks modified antennomeres, but that species has very different male genitalia (Figs 11–13). Males of A. sharynae sp. n. have modified anterior protarsal claws with a large basal expansion and subbasal emargination along the ventral margin with the posterior claw slightly shorter than the anterior (Fig. 18). Unique features of the male genitalia of A. sharynae sp. n. include atypically large apical, transparent lobes and the setae on the median lobe present only as a series of sparse, short setae along the left side of the dorsal surface (Fig. 2). The lateral lobes are characterized by a large, membranous subapical lobe and two large regions of setae with those in the medial cluster long and prominent (Fig. 4).
Description. Measurements and habitus. TL = 3.3–3.5 mm (holotype = 3.5 mm), GW = 1.6–1.7 mm (holotype = 1.7 mm), HW = 0.8–0.9 mm (holotype = 0.8 mm), EW = 0.5–0.6 mm (holotype = 0.5 mm), TL/GW = 2.0–2.1 (holotype = 2.1), HW/EW = 1.5–1.7 (holotype = 1.6). Body shape elongate oval, lateral margins continuous between pronotum and elytron; body dorsoventrally compressed.
Coloration (Fig. 1). Head yellow-brown to brown, lighter anteriorly and darker around eyes. Pronotum yellow-brown to brown medially, yellow laterally, darker narrowly along anterior and posterior margins. Elytra with most of surface yellow-brown to brown; with yellow in broad, basal, diffusely-demarcated band; lateral margins diffusely yellow. Appendages and ventral surfaces yellow, darker on metatibia and metatarsus.
Sculpture and structure. Pronotum with microsculpture consisting of fine cells, with few very fine punctures interspersed; lateral pronotal bead fine, absent in anterior one-fifth. Elytron covered with extremely fine microstriae, otherwise smooth, impunctate or with few punctures in indistinct longitudinal lines. Prosternum medially strongly carinate, carina extending onto prosternal process; prosternal process moderately short, medially with a distinct, sharp longitudinal carina extending to apex, laterally with strongly beaded margins, apex pointed. Metacoxae smooth, impunctate; metacoxal lines closely approximated. Metafemur moderately broad, length about 3 × greatest width.
Male genitalia. Median lobe in lateral aspect (Fig. 2) moderately robust, with broad expansion ventrad, apex elongate triangular, with extremely large, distinct posteriorly-directed round, transparent lobe; left side of median lobe with elongate, linear series of fine, short setae, no setae on right side; in ventral aspect (Fig. 3) robust, broad, with complicated asymmetrical folding and structures, apical lobes bilaterally symmetrical and prominent. Lateral lobes (Fig. 4) bilaterally symmetrical, in lateral aspect long with elongate basal, curved process, with prominent cluster of long setae medially; apical half with large membranous lobe bearing distinct cluster of long setae (Figs 4); apex very slender with few elongate apical setae (Fig. 4).
Female genitalia (Fig. 17). Gonocoxa elongate and slender, apically slightly expanded and rounded with small cluster of fine, elongate sensory setae; laterotergite slender and apically curved. Bursa absent or extremely small; spermathecal duct slender and long, slightly expanded proximate to spermatheca which is elongate, expanded and coiled; fertilization duct short, very slender; vagina elongate, slender.
Sexually dimorphic features. Male protarsal claws modified, anterior claw with basal expansion and subbasal emargination on ventral margin (Fig. 18); male pro- and mesotarsal claws about 3/4 length of tarsomere V; male without apical lobe on mesotarsomere V; male protarsomeres I and II broadened, protarsomere I with two large adhesive setae, protarsomere II without adhesive setae; male mesotarsomeres I and II slightly broadened, mesotarsomere I with one large, medial adhesive seta and two large, apical adhesive setae, mesotarsomere II with two smaller, apical adhesive setae; female pro- and mesotarsomeres and claws unmodified. Male and female without triangular, posteriorly-directed prominence medially along posterior margin of visible abdominal ventrite V. Male with broad, elongate depression medially on abdominal ventrite VI; female without depression. Male and female without distinct parallel series of rugulosities on each side of midline on abdominal ventrite III. Male and female antennomeres V and VI not modified. Male and female metafemur unmodified.
Etymology. This species is named to honor my valued friend, Sharyn Davidson and all her efforts as a volunteer in the Division of Arthropods at the Museum of Southwestern Biology (University of New Mexico). The specific epithet is a noun in the genitive case.
Distribution. This species is known only from the type locality (Figs 20–23).
Phylogeny. Methods. Phylogenetic methods are the same as in K.B. Miller (2001a, 2005) and K.B. Miller & Wheeler (2008). The new species was added to the matrix (Table 1) described by K.B. Miller (2001a, 2005) and K.B. Miller & Wheeler (2008). Additionally, one new character (hyaline lobes present or absent at the apex of the median lobe) was included which helps resolve placement of A. sharynae sp. n. (Figs 2–3). The male genitalia of the other four members of the knishi group are given for comparison (Figs 5–16). Each member of the A. knishi group and A. sharynae sp. n. have symmetrical, translucent lobes at the apex of the male median lobe. Although the median lobe in the A. knishi group in general is conspicuously asymmetrical, the apex, including these lobes, is symmetrical in all Agaporomorphus species. The character matrix is presented in Table 1.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 111 123456789012 Outgroup 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 A. colberti 0 0 0 0 0 0 111111 A. dolichodactylus 211110000000 A. grandisinuatus 101000000000 A. knischi 0 0 0 0 0 1111111 A. mecolobus 211110000000 A. pereirai 0 0 0 0 0 1000000 A. sharynae sp. n. 0 0 0 0 0 1100001 A. silvaticus 0 0 0 0 0 0 100001 A. tambopatensis 0 0 0 0 0 0 111101 Phylogenetic relationships. The phylogenetic analysis resulted in a single parsimony tree (length = 15, CI = 86, RI = 92). The tree is the same as previous analyses (K.B. Miller, 2001a, 2005; K.B. Miller & Wheeler, 2008) with the addition of A. sharynae sp. n. in an unresolved position as part of the A. knishi group with A. silvaticus and a clade containing A. tambopatensis K.B. Miller, 2005, A. knishi Zimmermann, 1921, and A. colberti K.B. Miller & Wheeler, 2008 (Fig. 19).
description: Published as part of Miller, Kelly B., 2014, Agaporomorphus sharynae, a new species of diving beetle (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae: Copelatinae) from Venezuela, pp. 177-184 in Zootaxa 3790 (1) on pages 178-181, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3790.1.8, http://zenodo.org/record/225545