Phaenonotum laevicolle SHARP 1882
Creators: name: Deler-Hernández, Albert
name: Sýkora, Vít
name: Seidel, Matthias
name: Cala-Riquelme, Franklyn
name: Fikáček, Martin
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2018
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Hydrophilidae
Phaenonotum
Phaenonotum laevicolle

description: PHAENONOTUM LAEVICOLLE SHARP, 1882 COMPLEX
(FIGS 4C, 5F, 6F, L, 7F)
Type material examined: Types of P. laevicolle Sharp, 1882, see Deler-Hernández & Fikáček (2016).
Material examined: Cuba: Cienfuegos Prov.: 1 male (NMPC): Río Cabagan, Gruta Mengoa, 21.93123°N 80.08461°W, 651 m, 20.v.2014, A. Deler-Hernández lgt. (molecular voucher MF 1115); 3 spec. (ZMHB): Sierra del Escambrai, 5 km N Topes de Collantes, c. 600 m, sifting of leafs, 17.xii.2007, M. Schülke lgt. (CU7-4). Sancti Spíritus Prov.: 9 spec. (ZMHB): Sierra del Escambrai, Topes de Collantes, c. 700 m, Streu, Totholz, 17.xii.2007, M. Schülke lgt. (CU7-3). Granma Prov.: 7 spec. (ZMHB): Sierra Maestra, La Habanita, 35 km NE Pilón, 900–1000 m, sifted hay, 20.xii.2007, M. Schülke lgt. (CU7-8). Santiago de Cuba Prov.: 1 spec. (NMPC): El Vivero, 1.6 km E of Dos Caminos, 20°10.8′N 75°46.4′W, 150 m, 20–21.vi.2012, A. Deler-Hernández & Fikáček (MF18). Haiti: 3 spec. (BMNH): Port au Prince, 1.iii.1908, M. Cameron lgt. Venezuela: 1 male (NMPC): Monagas small pond between Morichal Largo & Temblador, 9°05 ′47.9″N 62°43′37.1″W, 29 m, 2.ii.2010, Short, García & Joly lgt. (VZ10-0202-03A) (molecular voucher MF1740).
Redescription: (refers to the Caribbean specimens examined): Habitus as in Figure 5F. Body length 2.7– 3.1 mm. Body elongate oval, moderately convex, elytral suture not elevated posteriorly. Dorsum black, lateral margins of elytra with paler stripe reaching subapically, pronotum paler in posterolateral corners; ventral brown to dark brown; femora dark brown to reddish, tibiae reddish; antennae, maxillary palpi and tarsi yellowish. Head with sparse fine punctation, without microsculpture (except posteriorly on frons); eyes moderately large, separated by 3.6× dorsal width of one eye (Fig. 6F). Pronotum with sparse fine punctures similar to that on head, interstices without microsculpture. Elytral punctation moderately impressed, coarser than on pronotum and head; elytral interstices without microsculpture. Wings present, well developed. Mesoventral elevation slightly narrower than metaventral process posteriorly, slightly narrowing anteriorly, with distinct anterior hood; metaventrite without pubescent pits on sides of metaventral process; metaventrite c. 3.5× wider than its length posterior of mesocoxae; median moderately elevated part of metaventrite moderately wide throughout (Fig. 7F). Aedeagus 0.5 mm long (Fig. 6L). Median lobe rather triangular, c. 1.7× longer along midline than wide; apex reaching apices of parameres; gonopore large, wide, situated in apical third of median lobe; lateral struts very shortly expanded laterally. Parameres distinctly sinuate on lateral margin, strongly expanded subapically, broadly meeting each other basally. Phallobase longer than wide.
Comments: Both sequenced specimens (MF1115 from Cuba and MF1740 from Venezuela) form a strongly supported clade in the molecular analysis and are evidently closely related (pairwise distance of cox1 sequences is 4.8%). Both specimens correspond with each other in external morphology and the characteristic shape of male genitalia, and only differ in body size: the Cuban specimen is smaller (2.8 mm), the Venezuelan specimen larger (3.4 mm). In this aspect, the sequenced Cuban specimen corresponds to all additional Greater Antillean specimens examined, which are also rather small (2.7–3.1 mm). Hence, it seems probable that Venezuelan specimen is not conspecific with the Greater Antillean ones, but additional material is necessary to evaluate the intraspecific genetic and morphological variability properly to decide whether the sequenced specimens represent one or two species.
The external morphology, body size and the morphology of genitalia of the Caribbean specimens correspond to the types of P. laevicolle Sharp, 1882 described from Guatemala and examined by Deler-Hernández & Fikáček (2016). However, due to the absence of DNAgrade specimens of P.laevicolle from Central America, we are unable to determine whether the Greater Antillean specimens are conspecific. For that reason, we consider all above specimens as members of the Phaenonotum laevicolle species complex whose taxonomy needs to be addressed once more material will be available.
Distribution: The Caribbean specimens of the Phaenonotum laevicolle complex are known from central and eastern Cuba and western Hispaniola (Haiti). Outside the Caribbean, the species complex clearly occurs in southernmost Northern and Central Americas (types of P. laevicolle) and in northern South America [as P. globulosum (Mulsant, 1844) from Colombia (Hansen, 1999; not examined by us) and the Venezuelan specimen sequenced by us]. The records from Argentina (types of P. spegazziinii Bruch, 1915 not examined by us) seem doubtful (Oliva et al., 2002) and are not considered here. Based on these sources, we estimate the distribution of the species complex to be as shown in Figure 4C.
description: Published as part of Deler-Hernández, Albert, Sýkora, Vít, Seidel, Matthias, Cala-Riquelme, Franklyn & Fikáček, Martin, 2018, Multiple origins of the Phaenonotum beetles in the Greater Antilles (Coleoptera: Hydrophilidae): phylogeny, biogeography and systematics, pp. 97-120 in Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 183 on page 113