Jiří Hájek

Hygrotus (Coelambus) ahmeti sp. nov. (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae) from north-eastern Turkey

Abstract Hygrotus ahmeti sp. nov. is described from north-eastern Turkey. It belongs to the subgenus Coelambus, in particular to a group of globose species around Hygrotus confluens (Fabricius, 1787). Several details of the new species are figured and the key to Hygrotus in Fery (2003) is modified to include H. ahmeti sp. nov.

Generic reclassification of species formerly included in Rhantus Dejean (Coleoptera, Dytiscidae, Colymbetinae)

A reclassification of several species traditionally included in Rhantus Dejean, 1833 is given: Nartus Zaitzev, 1907 is re-instated as genus with one species in the Nearctic and one in the Palaearctic region; two new genera are erected: Meri-diorhantus n. gen., with M. antarcticus (Germain, 1854) n. comb., M. calidus (Fabricius, 1792) n. comb., M. limbatus (Aubé, 1838) n. comb., M. orbignyi (Balke, 1992) n. comb., M. validus (Sharp, 1882) n. comb. in the Neotropical region (M. calidus also in the southern USA and along the eastern coast as far north as New York City), and the monotypic Caperhantus n. gen., with C. cicurius (Fabricius, 1787) n. comb. in south Africa. Furthermore, nine Pacific and Australian Rhantus are transferred to the genus Carabdytes Balke, Hendrich & Wewalka, 1992: C. alutaceus (Fauvel, 1883) n. comb., C. guadalcanalensis (Balke, 1998) n. comb., C. monteithi (Balke, Wewalka, Alarie & Ribera, 2007) n. comb., C. novaecaledoniae (J. Balfour-Browne, 1944) n. comb., C. oceanicus (Balke, 1993b) n. comb., C. pacificus (Boisduval, 1835) n. comb., C. plantaris (Sharp, 1882) n. comb., C. poellerbauerae (Balke, Wewalka, Alarie & Ribera, 2007) n. comb. and C. pseudopacificus Balke, 1993b) n. comb. All changes are based on a previous comprehensive molecular phylogenetic analysis of Colymbetinae. Diagnostic characters are given for all genera mentioned above and each of them is illustrated with one or more habitus pictures. An updated key to all genera of Colymbetinae is also given.

Copelatus Erichson from the Dominican Republic, with the description of a new species, comments on elytral striation and faunistic notes on Antillean species (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae: Copelatinae)

The species of the genus Copelatus Erichson, 1832 occurring in the Dominican Republic are reviewed. Five species are recorded, with recent collecting data provided for four of them. Copelatus martini sp. nov., a member of the consors species group, is described and illustrated. It is compared to the apparently similar species C. guadelupensis Legros, 1948 based on morphological characters and on partial sequences of the CO1 gene. Interesting cases of intraspecific variability in the number of elytral dorsal striae in C. martini sp. nov. and C. vitraci are discussed in the light of the traditional taxo-nomic importance of this character for species group delimitation in Copelatus. Copelatus caelatipennis Aubé, 1838 and C. vitraci Legros, 1948 are recorded for the first time from the Dominican Republic (and therefore also from Hispaniola Island). The remaining species are C. posticatus (Fabricius, 1801), and C. insolitus Chevrolat, 1863 (for the latter, pre-sence in Hispaniola is doubtful and requires confirmation). Finally, C. guadelupensis is recorded from Puerto Rico for the first time, and a checklist of the Copelatus species of the Antilles is appended.

Copelatus Erichson, 1832 from Maharashtra, India, with description of three new species and notes on other taxa of the genus (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae: Copelatinae)

The Copelatus species occurring in Maharashtra State, India, are reviewed. Altogether, nine species are recorded, three of which are described as new: Copelatus deccanensis sp. nov. (C. nigrolineatus species group), C. maushomi sp. nov. (C. consors group) and C. bezdeki sp. nov. (C. irinus group). Habitus and male genitalia are illustrated for all Copelatus species from Maharashtra, a key to the species and distribution maps are presented. New distributional records along with short diagnoses of already known species are provided. In addition, the study of extensive material of Copelatus species from the Indian subcontinent outside Maharashtra revealed the following new synonymies: Copelatus freudei Guignot, 1955 = C. gibsoni Vazirani, 1974 syn. nov. = C. gibsoni Vazirani, 1975 syn. nov. = C. spangleri Vazirani, 1974 syn. nov. = C. spangleri Vazirani, 1975 syn. nov.; Copelatus oblitus Sharp, 1882 = C. karnatakus Holmen Vazirani, 1990 syn. nov.; C. sociennus J. Balfour-Browne, 1952 = C. bangalorensis Vazirani, 1970 syn. nov.; Copelatus tenebrosus Régimbart, 1880 = C. ceylonicus Vazirani, 1969 syn. nov. = C. assamensis Vazirani, 1970 syn. nov.

Description of Neptosternus haibini sp. nov. from China (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae: Laccophilinae)

Neptosternus haibini sp. nov. is described from Guangdong Province, China. The new species is very similar to N. wewalkai Balke, Hendrich Yang, 1997, from which it can be recognised only by the shape of the male genitalia. The habitus and genitalia of both species are illustrated. Neptosternus pocsi Satô, 1972 is recorded from China (Yunnan province), and the Palaearctic region, for the first time. Currently, eight species of Neptosternus are known from China; a key to Chinese Neptosternus is provided.

Figure 3. A In Generic Reclassification Of Species Formerly Included In Rhantus Dejean (Coleoptera, Dytiscidae, Colymbetinae)

FIGURE 3. A) Carabdytes upin upin (Balke, Hendrich & Wewalka, 1992), 12 mm, Papua New Guinea; B) Meridiorhantus antarcticus (Germain, 1854), 14 mm, Chile; C) Meridiorhantus calidus (Fabricius, 1792), 13 mm, Chile; D) Meridiorhantus validus (Sharp, 1882), 13 mm, Chile.

Eretes diving beetles (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae) in Central Europe – witnesses of climate change?

Records of the predaceous diving beetles of the genus Eretes Laporte, 1833 (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae) in Central Europe are summarised. While old records from the beginning of the twentieth century from the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Romania belong to Eretes griseus (Fabricius, 1781), a species which has not been recaptured in Central Europe for nearly the last hundred years, recently collected specimens from Hungary and Slovakia belong to E. sticticus (Linnaeus, 1767) and represent its first records in these countries as well as in Central Europe. The first specimens were collected at light during hot summer nights and may document a recent spreading of the species from the Mediterranean. In addition, the occurrence of E. sticticus is formally confirmed in Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Israel, Libya, South European Territory of Russia, and Tunisia.