Insecta Mundi, Volume 9 (1995)
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Additions to the known range of Bembidion rufotinctum Chaudoir (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Bembidiini)
(1995)
Previously known from northeastern United States and Virginia, Bembidion rufotinctum Chaudoir is recorded from North Carolina, Tennessee, South Carolina, and Georgia. Habitat preference for this species appears to remain the same throughout its range. Specimens may be found hiding in cracks in rocks exposed to rapidly flowing water. The presence of this species may be indicated by Pentacora ligata (Say)(Hemiptera: Saldidae) that occurs on the same rocks.
Distributional data for the fourteen species of Gerridae known to occur in Argentina are given: Eurygerris fuscinervis (herein first recorded from San Juan and San Luis Provinces), Limnogonus (Limnogonus) aduncus (herein first recorded from Formosa Prov.), L. (L.) ignotus, L. (L.)profugus, L. (Neogerris) lubricus (herein first recorded from Cordoba Prov.), Brachymetra albinerva albinerva (herein first recorded from Salta Prov.), Rheumatobates (Rheumatobates) bonariensis, R. (R.)crassifemur crassifemur (herein first recorded from Santa Fe Prov.), Halobatopsis platensis, H. spiniventris (herein first recorded from Entre Rios Prov.), Metrobates plaumanni plaumanni, M. vigilis, Ovatametra gualeguay (herein first recorded from Buenos Aires Prov.), and Trepobates taylori (herein first recorded from Jujuy Prov.). In addition distributional maps are provided. The species characteristic for each main geographic area of Argentina are: E. fuscineruis and T. taylori for the Northwestern mountainous area; L. ignotus, L. lubricus, and R. crassifemur for the Chacoan plain; L. ignotus and H. platensis for the Bonarian plain; L. ignotus, R. bonariensis, H. platensis and 0 . gualeguay for the Mesopotamian plain. E. fuscinervis and T. taylori are restricted to mountain rivers and rivulets, whereas the remaining species seem to be genuine inhabitants of either rivulets in forested hilly areas (L. aduncus, L. profugus, B. albinerva, H. spiniventris, M. plaumanni and M. vigilis), or rivers, rivulets and ponds in plains (L. ignotus, L. lubricus, R. bonariensis, R. crassifemur, H. platensis, and 0 . gualeguay). L. ignotus is a pioneer species in lowlands, readily colonizing new pools. Excepting L. aduncus, L. profugus, and 0. gualeguay which are rare, the remaining species are common in Argentina (no enough data are available for B. albinerva, M. plaumanni, and M. vigilis). Gregariousness is high in E. fuscinervis, R. bonariensis, R. crassifemur, and H. platensis, and probably also in B. albinerva. The other species mentioned seem not to be gregarious, but 0 . gualeguay appears sometimes in the dense aggregations of H. platensis, suggesting some gregarious tendency.
It is demonstrated that there is no valid basis on which to sustain the monotypic genus Bathycranium Strobl and concluded that Bathycranium should be recognised as a junior synonym of Syntormon Loew (new status). The species Syntormon bicolorellus Zetterstedt (new combination) falls into a natural grouping of Syntormon species with downcurved facial hairs in females. This species and S. luteicornis Parent are redescribed. Distinctions between Syntormonand Parasyntormon are discussed.
First country records for 5 species of Rutelinae are given for Guatemala, as well as new geographical and altitudinal distributions for Plusiotis prototelica Moron & Howden and Plusiotis quiche Morón. Plusiotis auropunctata Ohaus and Chrysina triumphalis Morón are cited from western Guatemala. Plusiotis luteomarginata Ohaus, Plusiotis strasseni Ohaus and Chrysina karschi Nonfried are cited from eastern Guatemala, near the Honduran border.
Calligrapha androwi is newly described from specimens collected in Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Alabama. It is placed in the subgenus BidensomelaMonros. Acalligrapha Monros and Coreopsomela Monros are reduced to subjective junior synonyms of Bidensomela Monros. A key to the striped species of Calligrapha occurring north of Mexico is adapted from Wilcox (1972) to include the new species.
Fifteen species of Megacyllene occur in Argentina: M. acuta (Germ.), M. bonplandi (Gounelle), M. castanea (Laporte & Gory), M. insignita (Perroud), M. falsa (Chevrolat), M. mellyi (Chevrolat), M. minuta (Chevrolat), M. multiguttata Burmeister (status nov.), . murina Purmeister), M. neblinosa new species, M. proxima (Laporte and Gory), M. spinifera (Newman), M. rotundicollis Zajciw, M. rufipes (Laporte and Gory) and M. unicolor Fuchs (=M. lateripilosa Zajciw new synonym). A Lectotype and Paralectotype are designated for M. multiguttata. Megacyllene quinquefasciata Melzer, 1931, is not considered a true Megacyllene but its generic status remains uncertain and needs further revision. Geographica1 distributions in Argentina and a key are provided.
To date, only two references place members of the genus Diplocentrus in Sonora, Mexico. The first was a passing comment by Francke (1975) that D. spitzeri Stahnke occurs in northeastern Sonora. The specimens he examined and used in his systematic studies on that species are the same as the ones reported here for the first time from a specific Sonoran locality. The second reference was by Sissom and Walker (1992) listing a single record of D. gertschi Sissom and Walker from Libertad on the northern coast. Examination of material from the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), the California Academy of Sciences (CAS), and the Academy of Natural Sciences (ANS) indicates that, in addition to D. spitzeri and D. gertschi, another distinct species occurs in the Alamos and Navajoa areas in southern Sonora. This species is described as new below. It should be noted that a juvenile specimen from the vicinity of Benjamin Hill was also examined that was unassignable with certainty to any of the above species. This indicates that the genus has a wider distribution in Sonora than demonstrated even by the specimens listed in this report. Nomenclature and mensuration utilized herein essentially follows that of Stahnke (1970), with the following exceptions: carinal terminology and cheliceral measurements are after Francke (1975,1977) and trichobothrial terminology is after Vachon (1974). Specimens in the senior author's collection are listed in the records sections as "WDS”. Because D. spitzeri and the new species are both quite similar to D. peloncil1ensis Francke, the latter is included in the tables for comparison; in addition, the hemispermatophore of this species is also drawn. D. peloncillensis was described from only 6 males, 1 female, and 1 juvenile. The data presented here for D. peloncillensis are derived from these and new specimens available since the original description was published (Francke 1975), thereby providing a better understanding of variation in this species.
A new genus and species of stygobiontic bidessine dytiscid beetle, Comaldessus stygius, from Comal Springs, Texas, is described and compared with the proposed sister epigean genus Uuarus and the only other known stygobiontic bidessine water beetles, Trogloguignotus concii Sanfilippo from Venezuela and Uvarus chappuisi (Peschet) from Africa. Distinctive characters of the adult are illustrated with pen and ink drawings and scanning electron micrographs. The new taxon is the second stygobiontic bidessine genus with rudimentary eyes known from the Western Hemisphere and the first known from North America.
Druciatus nigritarsus new species is described from St. Vincent, Guyana, Ecuador and Peru, D. trisetus new species is described from Ecuador, Brazil and Guyana, D. dissidens and D. latisternus new species are described from Costa Rica, D. angustus new species is described from Mexico, D. campbelli new species is described from Guatemala, and D. petilus new species is described from Ecuador. A key is provided to the eight species in the genus Druciatus.
In one of her latest papers in the American Entomologist, in 1995, Prof. Berenbaum mentions how young people (and entomologists alike) are martyrizing insects and arachnids, by pulling their wings or their legs, burning them with magnifying glasses, without mentioning the lepidopterists who transfix the thorax of the female butterflies to induce them to lay eggs. Such behavior was once one of the acts of the emperor Nero when he was a child. His tutor, the philosopher Seneca, when he saw him pulling the wings off a fly, predicted that he would be very cruel. It was said t h a t the French biologist Etienne Rabaud, well known for his systematic opposition to everything, verified by the scholars of his time, used to cut in half the legs of the daddy longlegs and to declare that those legs were useless because those Arachnids walked better with shorter appendages. Rabaud was also known for removing the swimming bladder of fish to improve, as he said, their balance in water. Such is the tone of this book.
