Aquatic Coleoptera of North Oman, with description of new species of Hydraenidae and Hydrophilidae
Ribera Ignacio, Hernando Carles, Cieslak Alexandra
Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 59(1): 253-272, 2019
Published online: 24th June 2019
Published in print: 10th August 2019
Views: 1805
Abstract: We report the aquatic Coleoptera (families Dryopidae, Dytiscidae, Georissidae,
Gyrinidae, Heteroceridae, Hydraenidae, Hydrophilidae and Limnichidae) from North
Oman, mostly based on the captures of fourteen localities sampled by the authors
in 2010. Four species are described as new, all from the Al Hajar mountains,
three in family Hydraenidae, Hydraena (Hydraena) naja sp. nov., Ochthebius
(Ochthebius) alhajarensis sp. nov. (O. punctatus species group) and O. (O.)
bernard sp. nov. (O. metallescens species group); and one in family
Hydrophilidae, Agraphydrus elongatus sp. nov. Three of the recorded species are
new to the Arabian Peninsula, Hydroglyphus farquharensis (Scott, 1912)
(Dytiscidae), Hydraena (Hydraenopsis) quadricollis Wollaston, 1864 (Hydraenidae)
and Enochrus (Lumetus) cf. quadrinotatus (Guillebeau, 1896) (Hydrophilidae). Ten
species already known from the Arabian Peninsula are newly recorded from Oman:
Cybister tripunctatus lateralis (Fabricius, 1798) (Dytiscidae), Hydraena
(Hydraena) gattolliati Jäch & Delgado, 2010, Ochthebius (Ochthebius)
monseti Jäch & Delgado 2010, Ochthebius (Ochthebius) wurayah Jäch &
Delgado, 2010 (all Hydraenidae), Georissus (Neogeorissus) chameleo Fikáček
& Trávníček, 2009 (Georissidae), Enochrus (Methydrus) cf. tetraspilus
Régimbart, 1903, Laccobius (Hydroxenus) leucaspis Kiesenwetter, 1870, Paracymus
relaxus Rey, 1884 (all Hydrophilidae), Dryops lutulentus (Erichson, 1947)
(Dryopidae), and Augyles flavidus (Rossi, 1794) (Heteroceridae). A total of
73 species of aquatic Coleoptera are presently known from Oman, although this
number is expected to increase substantially with further sampling. A checklist
of the species of aquatic Coleoptera from the Arabian Peninsula is provided.
Key words: Coleoptera, Dryopidae, Dytiscidae, Georissidae, Gyrinidae, Heteroceridae, Hydraenidae, Hydrophilidae, Limnichidae, new species, new records, Oman