Abstract
Badister (Badister) amazonus sp. n. is described from Perú, Loreto, 1.0 km SW Boca del Rio Samiria, Vigilante Post 1, 130m, “04°40.5'S, 074°18.9'W" its type locality. It is known also from two other localities in Loreto Department, Perú, in both the Varzea and Igapó river systems. This new species is sufficiently different that a new informal higher taxon, the amazonus species complex, is recognized. An updated key to the Western Hemisphere species of subgenus Badister is provided.
Highlights
We have demonstrated that the genus Badister in the Western Hemisphere is not amphi-tropical, we are left with many questions
B. amazonus gives the impression of a taxon that is a comparatively recent arrival in South America, and one could expect it to have a geographical range that extends along northern South American waterways, as well as those of the Amazon Basin
The occurrence of subgenus Baudia in mid-northern Argentina begs the questions: 1) Given that many species of this subgenus are known to be tropical, why has it not been found in the northern South American tropics as it has in subtropical/ temperate Argentina? 2) Is the Argentine specimen mislabeled? 3) Is it an invasive species?
Summary
Unlike the movements of the comic book character Superman, taxon range extensions rarely come to our notice in “leaps and bounds.” And, almost never does a newly discovered member of a subgenus show up on a new continent quite apart from its well recorded and quite distant range. Ball (1959) noted that the southernmost occurrence of the subgenus Badister (s. str.) Clairville, 1806 in the Western Hemisphere was in Oaxaca, México “on or near the edge of the Neotropical Region.” Since Ball (1992) recorded Badister (Baudia) reflexus LeConte from Quintana Roo, Badister (s. str.) flavipes mexicanus Van Dyke from Chiapas and Tabasco, México, somewhat south and east of Oaxaca, and a single specimen of subgenus Baudia Ragusa 1884 from Tucumán, Argentina. On a subsequent expedition to the same watershed the following year with the junior author, many more adults were encountered at two localities in low damp or wet places near the mouth and at the midpoint of the Río Samiria in the Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve (noted without discussion by Ball 1992). This river lies in a vast subsidence zone on the western edge of the Amazon Basin. They have lived in an area of maximum species richness for Badister, with no less than five species occurring in their surroundings
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
