Paroster extraordinarius sp. nov., a new groundwater diving beetle from the Flinders Ranges, with notes on other diving beetles from gravels in South Australia (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae)

The first groundwater (stygobitic) diving beetle is reported from South Australia. Paroster extraordinarius sp. nov. (Dytiscidae: Hydroporini) is described and figured. Its morphology and mitochondrial DNA sequences place it in the hydroporine genus Paroster Sharp. Phylogenetic analysis shows that the new species is imbedded in a clade of stygobitic species from the Yilgarn area of Western Australia. The evolution of this species is discussed and compared with observations on the behaviour and distribution of other dytiscid beetles found in subterranean habitats in South Australia.     

A stygobitic Carabhydrus Watts (Dytiscidae, Coleoptera) from the Hunter Valley in New South Wales, Australia

Abstract  In this paper, the first discovery of a stygobitic beetle in eastern Australia, from the Pages River and Dart Brook alluviums in the upper Hunter Valley, New South Wales is reported. Carabhydrus stephanieae sp. nov. (Dytiscidae, Hydroporini) is described and figured. An analysis of the complete tRNA-leu gene, part of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene and part of the NADH dehdrogenase subunit 1 gene was used to assess its relationship with congeneric surface species.     

Characterization and localization of Rickettsia sp. in water beetles of genus Deronectes (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae)

In the present study, Rickettsia sp. was detected in four water beetles of the genus Deronectes ( Dytiscidae ) for the first time. Rickettsiae were found in 100% of examined specimens of Deronectes platynotus (45/45), 39.4% of Deronectes aubei (28/71), 40% of Deronectes delarouzei (2/5) and 33.3% of Deronectes semirufus (1/3). Analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed a phylogenetic relationship with rickettsial isolates of Limonia chorea ( Diptera ), tentatively classified as members of the basal ancestral group. Phylogenetic analysis of the gltA (citrate synthase) gene sequences showed that Deronectes symbionts were closest to bacterial symbionts from spiders. Ultrastructural examinations revealed typical morphological features and intracellular arrangements of rickettsiae. The distribution, transmission and localization of Rickettsia sp. in D. platynotus were studied using a diagnostic PCR assay and FISH. Eggs from infected females of D. platynotus were all Rickettsia -positive, indicative of a vertical transmission.     

Taxonomic review of the genus Copelatus Erichson (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae) in Korea

A taxonomic review of the genus Copelatus Erichson (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae) in Korea is presented. In the present study, five species of Copelatus are recognized from Korea, including one unrecorded species, C. kammuriensis. We provide a key to the Korean species of Copelatus, diagnosis of one unrecorded species, habitus photographs, scanning electron micrographs of the elytron, and illustrations of the aedeagus.     

First records of Leiodytes nicobaricus (Redtenbacher) and Platambus stygius (Régimbart) in Korea (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae)

Two dytiscid beetle species, Leiodytes nicobaricus (Redtenbacher) and Platambus stygius (Régimbart), are identified for the first time in Korea. Diagnoses, habitus and scanning electron microscopy photographs, and line drawings of the diagnostic characters are provided.     

Rhantus fengi sp. n. from Xizang, China, and notes on Laccoporus nigritulus (Gschwendtner) (Coleoptera, Dytiscidae)

Rhantus fengisp. n. from Mount Sejila, Xizang, China is described and illustrated. Laccoporus nigritulus (Gschwendtner, 1936) is redescribed and illustrated; Laccoporus viator Balfour-Browne, 1939, syn. n. is established as its junior subjective synonym.     

Selective predation by larval Agabus (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae) on mosquitoes: support for conservation-based mosquito suppression in constructed wetlands

1. Wetland insect predators can structure aquatic prey communities via selective predation, but receive considerably less attention than vertebrate predators. We conducted laboratory experiments to test selective predation by two species of larval dytiscid beetles ( Agabus ; Coleoptera: Dytiscidae) and the potential contribution of these beetles to suppression of mosquito populations in constructed wetlands.
2.  Agabus consumed copepods, ostracods and mosquito larvae in no-choice tests. When offered a choice, 76% of all prey consumed were mosquito larvae, indicating selective predation. Subsequent experiments revealed this preference was due to ease of capture of mosquito larvae over alternative prey.
3. Cannibalism and intraguild predation were common within and between species of Agabus , which may reduce the overall impact of the observed selective predation.
4.  Agabus larvae selectively preyed on mosquito larvae over alternative prey, which is not characteristic of some fish used as biological control agents for mosquitoes. Predator exclusion or similar experiments in the field could document how these results translate into a natural setting.
5. The findings of this study suggest developing mosquito suppression strategies focused on conservation of native wetland predators. These strategies are preferable to introducing non-native generalist predators, or applying pesticides.     

Diving beetles of the genus Liodessus Guignot, 1953 in Colombia,with description of three new species (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae)

The Colombian species of the diving beetle genus Liodessus Guignot, 1939 Guignot, F. (1939), ‘Contribution à l’étude des Bidessus’, Bulletin de la Société d’Étude des Sciences Naturelles de Vaucluse, 10(4), 51–61. [Google Scholar] are revised. Liodessus bogotensis Guignot, 1953 Guignot, F. (1953), ‘Trente-neuvième note sur les hydrocanthares’, Revue Française d’Entomologie, 20, 109–117. [Google Scholar] is re-described. Three higher altitude species are new to science: Liodessus azufralis sp. n., L. quillacinga sp. n. and L. quimbaya sp. n. We also introduce two new subspecies, L. quillacinga cochaensis ssp. n. and L. quillacinga cumbalis ssp. n. We delineate the species using morphological structures such as male genital structure and beetle size, shape and colour pattern. Mitochondrial cox1 sequence data provided an additional character source. All the new species occur on higher altitudes above 2700 m and were collected in shallow, exposed peatland pools and puddles, mostly in Páramo. Liodessus obscurellus (LeConte, 1852), not yet recorded from Colombia, is included into the key due to its presence in nearby Costa Rica and Ecuador. The known distribution and habitat preferences of each species are outlined briefly.     

Diel activity of a boreal water beetle (Dytiscus alaskanus: Coleoptera; Dytiscidae) in the laboratory and field

SUMMARY. 1. The diel activity of Dytiscus alaskanus (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae) was studied by trapping in the field and by direct observation of behaviour (mounting, chasing, grappling, swimming and surfacing) in the laboratory.
2. In the field in the number of beetles trapped during the dark hours was approximately fifty-fold greater than trapped during daylight hours.
3. In the laboratory, there was a marked increase in mounting, chasing and grappling when the ambient light level fell below 0.41mm⁻². Swimming showed only a slight diel pattern and surfacing none at all.     

Myxozyma neglecta sp. nov. (Candidaceae) a new yeast species from South Africa

Three strains of Myxozyma mucilagina including the type strain were reexamined. Based on differences in their carbon utilization pattern, mobility of isoenzymes, mol% G + C of their DNA and extent of DNA complementary the new species Myxozyma neglecta is proposed.     

Mycoplasma somnilux sp. nov., Mycoplasma luminosum sp. nov., and Mycoplasma lucivorax sp. nov., new sterol-requiring mollicutes from firefly beetles (Coleoptera: Lampyridae)

Strain PYAN-1T (T = type strain), which was isolated from a pupal gut of the firefly beetle Pyractonema angulata, and strains PIMN-1T and PIPN-2T, which were isolated from guts of adult Photinus marginalis and Photinus pyralis fireflies, respectively, were demonstrated to be sterol-requiring mollicutes. Cells of the three strains were shown by electron and dark-field microscopy to be small, pleomorphic, nonhelical, nonmotile bodies surrounded by single membranes. No evidence of a cell wall was observed, and the organisms were not susceptible to 500 U of penicillin per ml. The three strains grew rapidly in SP-4 broth medium. Strains PIMN-1T and PIPN-2T grew in medium supplemented with bovine serum fraction, but strain PYAN-1T did not. All three strains grew on solid media when the cultures were incubated aerobically, but only strains PYAN-1T and PIPN-2T formed colonies when anaerobic conditions were employed. The three strains catabolized glucose but hydrolyzed neither arginine nor urea. All of the strains grew at temperatures of 18 to 32 degrees C; strains PYAN-1T and PIMN-1T also grew at 10 degrees C. The optimal temperature for growth for strains PYAN-1T and PIPN-2T was 30 degrees C; strain PIMN-1T grew equally well at 30 or 32 degrees C. None of the three strains grew at 37 degrees C. The genome sizes of strains PYAN-1T, PIMN-1T, and PIPN-2T were about 527 (478 to 589), 570 (480 to 630), and 762 (635 to 871) megadaltons, respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Incorporation of mitochondrial fragments in the nuclear genome (Numts) of the longhorned beetle Monochamus galloprovincialis (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae)

A mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) study, based on 43 European populations (33 of them sampled in France) of Monochamus galloprovincialis , vector of the pinewood nematode, and 14 populations of its sister species Monochamus sutor was realized. Sequencing of 792 bp of the cytochrome oxidase I (COI) and 521 bp of the COII genes revealed numerous ambiguities on multiple nucleotide sites for half of M. galloprovincialis specimens studied (44.8%). Hypotheses of heteroplasmy and pseudogenes ( Numts ) were examined. The mtDNA isolation by alkaline lysis and cloning (for three successfully used individuals) both support the hypothesis that the ambiguous sequences amplified were not of mtDNA nature and validate the presence of Numts in the nuclear genome of M. galloprovincialis . Multiple copies of mtDNA-like sequences were found paralogous to COI, tRNA leucin and COII regions. Phenetic analysis placed different recently diverged mtDNA-like sequences as a close relative of mtDNA sequences, and grouped 10 closely related mtDNA-like sequences as a more basal clade, closer to ancestral states and to M. sutor . This result supports that this nuclear family of pseudogenes arose independently of the other events and may represent mitochondrial haplotypes sampled from M. galloprovincialis ancestral populations. This is the first time that Numts are proved for a longhorned beetle, whereas no Numts were found within its sister species M. sutor. The incorporation mechanism of Numts in unknown for M. galloprovincialis , however, excess of ambiguous sites corresponding to synonymous mutations placed on third codon position as well as the absence of Numts in M. sutor , conducted to the hypothesis of a recent transfer of these Numts in the nuclear genome of M. galloprovincialis .     

Introduction of the Exocelina ekari-group with descriptions of 22 new species from New Guinea (Coleoptera,Dytiscidae, Copelatinae)

The Exocelina ekari-group is here introduced and defined mainly on the basis of a discontinuous outline of the median lobe of the aedeagus. The group is known only from New Guinea (Indonesia and Papua New Guinea). It contained four species to date: Exocelina astrophallus (Balke, 1998), Exocelina atowaso (Shaverdo, Sagata & Balke, 2005), Exocelina munaso (Shaverdo, Sagata & Balke, 2005), and Exocelina polita (Sharp, 1882). Twenty two new species are described herein: Exocelina alexanderi sp. n., Exocelina anggiensis sp. n., Exocelina arfakensis sp. n., Exocelina bifida sp. n., Exocelina brahminensis sp. n., Exocelina bundiensis sp. n., Exocelina edeltraudae sp. n., Exocelina ekari sp. n., Exocelina eme sp. n., Exocelina evelyncheesmanae sp. n., Exocelina hansferyi sp. n., Exocelina irianensis sp. n., Exocelina kakapupu sp. n., Exocelina knoepfchen sp. n., Exocelina oceai sp. n., Exocelina pseudosoppi sp. n., Exocelina soppi sp. n., Exocelina unipo sp. n., Exocelina utowaensis sp. n., Exocelina waigeoensis sp. n., Exocelina weylandensis sp. n., and Exocelina wondiwoiensis sp. n. The lectotype of Copelatus politus Sharp, 1882 is designated. A checklist and identification key to all species of the group are provided and important diagnostic characters (habitus, color, male antennae and protarsomeres 4–5, median lobes and parameres) are illustrated. Data on the distribution and habitat requirements are given. Representatives of the Exocelina ekari-group are so far mostly known from lowland to lower montane habitats of the northern and central parts of New Guinea, the group is less diverse in higher altitudes.     

New species of the myrmecophile Polyplocotes Westwood (Coleoptera: Ptinidae) from South Australia

Six new species of the Australian myrmecophilous ptinid genus Polyplocotes are described from South Australia. Three are from the deserts of central Australia, one from the Franklin Islands in the Great Australian Bight, one from Eyre Peninsula and one from the Riverland region. Morphologically, the majority of these new species are conventional Polyplocotes , but two are less typical. The characters uniting the genus are explored in the discussion, and comparisons are made to related genera. Although the six new species described here have not been observed in the field, the species of this genus are known to be myrmecophilous, and ant – beetle interactions similar to those seen in other spider beetles might occur between these new species and their host ants.     

The eastern swamp crayfish Gramastacus lacus sp. n. (Decapoda,Parastacidae) a new species of freshwater crayfish from coastal New South Wales,Australia

Gramastacus lacus sp. n., is described from coastal lowlands of the Central and Mid North Coast regions of New South Wales, Australia. Gramastacus lacus has a restricted distribution in ephemeral habitats, being dependent on regular natural flooding and drying cycles, and burrows for survival during temporary dry cycles. Documented are population distributions in lowland habitats (3–48 m, a.s.l.) from Wamberal Lagoon, north along the coastal strip to Wallis Lake. The species is small, reaching a maximum weight of 7 grams and 21.3 mm OCL, and distinguished by a large male genital papilla, large raised post orbital ridges, laterally compressed carapace and elongated chelae.     

Euastacus morgani sp. n., a new spiny crayfish (Crustacea, Decapoda, Parastacidae) from the highland rainforests of eastern New South Wales, Australia

Euastacus morgani sp. n., is described from a highland, rainforest site in Bindarri National Park, in eastern New South Wales, Australia. Euastacus morgani is found living sympatrically with two more common species, Euastacus dangadi Morgan, 1997 and Euastacus neohirsutus Riek, 1956. Systematically, the species belongs in the 'simplex' complex of the genus that includes Euastacus simplex Riek, 1956, Euastacus clarkae Morgan, 1997, Euastacus maccai McCormack and Coughran 2008 and E. morgani. This new species differs from its nearest congenor, Euastacus simplex, in having three mesial carpal spines. A key to the 'simplex' complex is presented.