A checklist of the American Bidessini (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae-Hydroporinae)

Abstract

Young, Frank N. A Checklist of the American Bidessini (Coleoptera: DytiscidaeHydroporinae). Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology, 33:1-5. 1969.—A list of the American water beetles of tribe Bidessini (Dytiscidae-Hydroporinae). Typespecies are listed for each genus with references to the original designations. Contribution No. 809 from the Zoological Laboratories of Indiana University aided by GB 2768 from the National Science Foundation Official publication date is handstamped in a limited number of initial copies and is recorded in the Institution's annual report, Smithsonian Year UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON : 1960 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, D.C. 20402 Price 20 cents (paper cover) Frank N. Toung A Checkl is t of t he American Bidessini (Coleoptera: DytiscidaeHydroporinae) This checklist attempts to bring together all of the names of water beetles of the family Dytiscidae, subfamily Hydroporinae, tribe Bidessini, which have been proposed for species from the Americas and to assign them as far as possible to currently accepted genera. In large part, reliance has been placed upon the original descriptions of the species, but wherever possible specimens have been examined. The latter include material in the British Museum (Natural History), United States National Museum, California Academy of Science, Museum of Comparative Zoology, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, Zoologische Sammlung des Bayerischen Staates (Munich), and the collection of the writer. An asterisk (*) preceding a species name indicates that I have personally examined the type or authentic cotype or paratype material and confirmed the generic assignment or synonymy. Those preceded by a question mark (?) are tentatively assigned pending further study. Those names considered to be synonyms, some of which probably represent geographical subspecies, are indicated by an s- preceding the name. The arrangement adopted is that of the Leng Catalogue (Leng, 1920; Leng and Mutchler, 1927, 1933; Blackwelder, 1939) and Blackwelder's Checklist of Coleopterous Insects of Mexico, Central America, the West Indies, and South America (1944-1957). The Frank N. Young, Department of Zoology, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47401. citations to the literature are in the abbreviated form of these works and refer to the bibliographies in them with the exception of those followed by an exclamation mark (!), which are cited in full at the end of the present paper. The references have been cross checked with the Coleopterorum Catalogus (Zimmermann, 1920), Zoological Record, and the original books or papers. The shortcomings of such a list as this are evident, but some arrangement of the American species is necessary to provide a basis for further investigation. There are dozens, possibly hundreds of Bidessines awaiting study, particularly from Mexico and South America. This work has been seriously hampered by premature publication of incomplete descriptions. The male genitalia prove to be especially valuable in the diagnosis of species in many of the genera, and I urge that all future descriptions of new species be accompanied by figures of these structures. Platydessus perforatus Guignot (55-4), described as a Bidessine, is not included because it was found to be a Macrovatellus (Vatellini) and was transferred to that genus by Spangler (66-57). Amarodytes Regimbart 00-524 (Type-species Amarodytes percosioides Regimbart, 1900, subsequent designation of Guignot 39:53!) boggianiiRegimbart00-526 (Paraguay) duponti (Aube) 38-568 (Brazil) guidiGuignot57-37! (Brazil) SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO ZOOLOGY oe 36-19 (Brazil) Hydrodessus J. Balfour-Browne 53-55! (Type-species Hydrodessus siolii Balfour-Browne, 1953, monobasic.) Brinkius Guignot 57-38! (Type-species Brinkius biguttatus Guignot, 1957, original designation.) *amazonensisSpangler 66-380! (Peru) biguttatus (Guignot) 57-39! (Brazil) brasiliensis (Guignot) 57-40! (Brazil) *nanayensis Spangler 66-382! (Peru) octospilus (Guignot) 57-39! (Brazil) pereirai (Guignot) 57-41! (Brazil) * siolii Balfour-Browne 53-56! (Brazil) Hypodessus Guignot 39-52, 54! (Type-species Bidessus cruciaius Regimbart, 1903, original designation.)