Fourteen New Dytiscidae (Coleoptera) of the Genera Limbodessus Guignot, Paroster Sharp, and Exocelina Broun from Underground Waters in Australia

Abstract

Fourteen new species of stygobitic Dytiscidae from inland Western Australia and Central Australia are described: Limbodessus micromelitaensis, L. microbubba, L. lornaensi, L. macrolornaensis, L. yarrabubbaensis, L. trispinosus, L. murrumensis, L. ordinarius, L. nyungduo, L. insolitus, Paroster elongatus, P. novem, P. readi and Exocelina rasjadi. The males of P. tetrameres Watts and Humphreys and P. kurutjutu (Watts & Humphreys) (Kintingka) are described for the first time.This brings the total of stygobitic Dytiscidae described from Australia to 99 species in four genera. One of the new species, Limbodessus insolitus, has single-lobed parameres, the first undoubted member of the tribe Bidessini not to have bilobed parameres. A key to the known species of Australian stygobitic Dytiscidae is given as well as a checklist of the species discovered prior to December 2008. The geographic distribution of this fauna (Fig. 192) and the physico/chemical properties of selected collecting sites (Fig 193, Table 2) and associated fauna (Table 3) are summarised.Geographically, stygal Dytiscidae are now know within Australia from three discrete areas; the Ngalia Basin northwest of Alice Springs in central Australia, the Yilgarn Craton in central Western Australia and the north-east region of New South Wales. In the first two regions the beetles are found in groundwater calcrete formations; in New South Wales the seemingly much sparser fauna is found in coarse alluvial gravels in the upper reaches of rivers.Kintingka Watts & Humphrey is synonymised with Limbodessus Guignot.