Review of the Berosus Leach of Venezuela (Coleoptera, Hydrophilidae, Berosini) with description of fourteen new species

Abstract

The species of the water scavenger beetle genus Berosus Leach occurring in Venezuela are reviewed. Thirtysix species are recorded, including fifteen new species, fourteen of which are described here as new: B.

A review of the genus Berosus Leach of Cuba (Coleoptera, Hydrophilidae)

“…Line drawings were traced from the photographs taken using a Canon PowerShot A620 camera attached to a Zeiss Stemi 2000-C stereomicroscope or with the same equipment as for taking the habitus photographs. Dissections of male genitalia and mounting techniques follow those used by Oliva and Short (2012). Complete label data are provided for type specimens, data of additional material are listed in an adapted form; our notes to the label data are in square brackets [ ]; and it is added the catalogue number for each vial of the Cuban material deposited in BSC-E. General morphological terminology follows Hansen (1991) and Komarek (2004), special terminology concerning Berosus follows Oliva (1989) and Oliva and Short (2012).…”

“…Oliva (1989) considered the size and proportions of the genitalia of Berosus truncatipennis as geographically variable, being larger and wider in subtropical areas. Recently, Oliva and Short (2012) described the specimens with the large aedeagus from Venezuela and Guyana as a separate species Berosus megaphallus Oliva & Short, 2012, but the identity of the Central American and Caribbean specimens remained unsolved.…”

“…The hydrophilid genus Berosus Leach, 1817 is the largest genus in family Hydrophilidae, containing more than 270 species distributed worldwide (Hansen 1999, Short and Fikáček 2011) and inhabiting various types of standing and slowly running waters (Oliva and Short 2012). The genus has been little studied in the Caribbean and in Cuba specifically, and the current knowledge is based primarily on occasional collecting events and historical records.…”

New records of water scavenger beetles Berosus geminus Reiche & Saulcy, 1856 (Coleoptera: Hydrophilidae) from Russia

“…All known species are aquatic, and generally good swimmers. They inhabit a range of "traditional" aquatic habitats, with most species occurring in lentic conditions such as ponds and marshes (Oliva and Short 2012), some species are characteristic for riverside pools of stony rivers or forest streams; larvae are adapted to benthic lifestyle (Fikáček 2019).…”