Michael Balke

Zoologische Staatssammlung München · Department of Entomology

Here, we review the taxonomy and population genetic structure of diving beetles in the genus Liodessus Guignot, 1939 from the high Andes of southern Colombia and Ecuador. Liodessus quillacinga ecuadoriensis ssp. nov. is described from the type locality Otavalo, Laguna San Pablo. Liodessus quimbaya azufralis Megna, Hendrich & Balke, 2019 stat. nov....

Bidessus instriatus Zimmermann, 1928, so far known from a single type specimen from West Sumatra, currently classified in the genus Hydroglyphus Motschulsky, 1853, is illustrated for the first time. New subjective synonymy is proposed: Pseuduvarus vitticollis (Boheman, 1848) = Bidessus instriatus Zimmermann, 1928, syn. nov. New records of P. vittic...

Hydroglyphus karawariensis sp. nov. is described from the Karawari River Lodge in East Sepik Province of Papua New Guinea. The species is well characterised by its size, almost black colouration on dorsal surface, and the form of the male genitalia. It is the second known species of the genus in New Guinea.

Understanding the profound influence of climatic and tectonic histories on adaptation and speciation is a crucial focus in biology research. While voyages like Humboldt’s expedition shaped our understanding of adaptation, the origin of current biodiversity remains unclear – whether it arose in situ or through dispersal from analogous habitats. Situ...

The Austrelatus papuensis group is the second species group of the New Guinean representatives of the recently described genus AustrelatusShaverdo et al., 2023. The group is mainly defined by distinct scale- and/or spinula-like surface structures of the dorsal sclerite of the median lobe. The species group already contains four described species an...

Tank bromeliads provide a vast amount of stagnant water high up in the Neotropical forest canopy. However, the aquatic macroinvertebrate diversity in this specialized habitat remains poorly explored. Here, we study obligatorily bromeliadicolous species of the diving beetle genus Copelatus Erichson, 1832. We review the known species Copelatus bromel...

With 74 genera and subgenera and approximately 740 species, Saprininae represent one of the largest subfamilies of Histeridae (Coleoptera: Histeroidea). Here, we present a phylogenetic hypothesis for Saprininae based on comprehensive taxonomic sampling. This is the first phylogenetic study combining molecular and morphological approaches (cytochrom...

A faunistic overview of some families of aquatic beetles from the Samoan Archipelago (Gyrinidae, Dytiscidae, Noteridae, Hydrophilidae excl. Sphaeridiinae) is provided, based on a literature survey and on recent field work (2001–2018), as well as on material of the Bernice P. Bishop Museum (Honolulu, Hawaii, USA), collected in the 1950s and 1960s. D...

The second-and third-instar larvae of the diving beetle Bunites distigma (Brullé, 1837) are described and illustrated for the first time, including detailed morphometric and chaetotaxic analyses of selected structures, and their phylogenetic relationships within the Colymbetinae are re-evaluated. The results support previous hypotheses on the posit...

The geologically‐complex Indo–Australian–Melanesian archipelago (IAMA) hosts extraordinarily high levels of species richness and endemism and has long served as a natural laboratory for studying biogeography and evolution. Nonetheless, its geological history and the provenance and evolution of its biodiversity remain poorly understood. Here, we pro...

Arthropods account for a large proportion of animal biomass and diversity in terrestrial systems, making them crucial organisms in our environments. However, still too little is known about the highly abundant and megadiverse groups that often make up the bulk of collected samples, especially in the tropics. With molecular identification techniques...

The largest diversity in the world of subterranean diving beetles (Dytiscidae) has been discovered in underground waters of the Australian arid zone. The majority of species are from the Dytiscidae genera Limbodessus Guignot, 1939 (Bidessini) and Paroster Sharp, 1882 (Hydroporini) and are distributed within two major regions: calcrete islands of ce...

Limbodessus moni sp. nov. is described from Lake Anderson and from small, richly vegetated swampy areas around alpine lakes at 3,970 m a.s.l. near the Grasberg Mine (Carstensz Pyramid) in the Central Mountain Range of New Guinea. The record of the new species marks the altitudinal maximum of a diving beetle in New Guinea. The new species is morphol...

Herein, Austrelatus gen. nov. (type species: Copelatus irregularis W.J. Macleay, 1871) is described for a distinctive lineage of predominantly Australasian species previously assigned to Copelatus Erichson, 1832. The new genus was retrieved as well supported, monophyletic clade in phylogenetic analysis of DNA sequences data using Bayesian and parsi...

Launched in 2015, the large-scale initiative Indonesian Biodiversity Discovery and Information System (IndoBioSys) is a multidisciplinary German-Indonesian collaboration with the main goal of establishing a standardised framework for species discovery and all associated steps. One aspect of the project includes the application of DNA barcoding for...

The diving beetle genus Rhithrodytes Bameul, 1989 is endemic to areas surrounding the Western Mediterranean Basin, and currently includes six lotic species; three each in Europe and North Africa. Here we describe a striking new species, Rhithrodytes pantaleonii sp. nov., discovered during recent fieldwork in southwestern Sardinia. The new species d...

Launched in 2015, the large-scale initiative Indonesian Biodiversity Discovery and Information System (IndoBioSys) is a multidisciplinary German-Indonesian collaboration with the main goal of establishing a standardized framework for species discovery and all associated steps. One aspect of the project includes the application of DNA barcoding for...

Arthropods account for a large proportion of animal biomass and diversity in terrestrial systems, making them crucial organisms in our environments. However, still too little is known about the highly abundant and megadiverse groups that often make up the bulk of collected samples, especially in the tropics. With molecular identification techniques...

Arthropods account for a large proportion of animal biomass and diversity in terrestrial systems, making them crucial organisms in our environments. However, still too little is known about the highly abundant and megadiverse groups that often make up the bulk of collected samples, especially in the tropics. With molecular identification techniques...

Seven new species of the genus Platynectes Régimbart, 1879 from the Solomon Islands are described: Platynectes barana sp. nov., P. mbaole sp. nov., P. popomanaseu sp. nov. (all from Guadalcanal), P. lunga sp. nov. (Guadalcanal and Savo), P. malaita sp. nov. (Malaita), P. makira sp. nov. (Makira) and P. owaraha sp. nov. (Makira and Owaraha). Platyne...

We studied Liodessus diving beetles from six eastern Colombian Páramo areas, as well as from the Altiplano. We discovered a highly characteristic new species, based on male genital morphology, Liodessus santarosita sp. nov., in the Páramo de Guantiva-Rusia. Specimens from the Altiplano around Bogotá, and the Páramos of Al-morzadero, Chingaza, Matar...

The classification of highly adapted species in well-studied clades may be obscured by convergent character evolution. This is for example the case in aquatic lineages adapted to subterranean (and shallow subterranean) habitats, in which species usually possess reduced eyes and wings as well as translucent cuticles. In 1985, the terrestrial diving...

We present new data on the geographical distribution of 16 species of diving beetles collected by an Indonesian citizen scientist in Bali. Copelatus oblitus Sharp, 1882, C. regimbarti Branden, 1884, C. sumbawensis Régimbart, 1899, and Hydroglyphus laeticulus (Sharp, 1882) are recorded for the first time from the island. We summarize what is known a...

Detailed information about the known species groups of Exocelina Broun, 1886 from New Guinea is presented, including species numbers, distribution, and references of species-group diagnoses, keys to the species, and species descriptions. An identification key to all species groups is provided. Phylogeny and morphological character evolution are dis...

Copelatus ignacioi sp. nov. from French Guiana is described and illustrated. It has an unusual compact cylindrical body, small eyes, and short and broad appendages; it is the first Copelatus with 15 longitudinal striae on each elytron. The new species is formally assigned to the Copelatus abonnenci species group, although its relationships with oth...

We use molecular phylogenomic as well as morphological data to provide a taxonomic update on New Guinea endemic Philaccolilus diving beetles. In these lotic beetles, we find cryptic diversity that highlights the need for geographically denser sampling combined with the use of an intergrative taxonomic approach to unravel the true diversity and biog...

Two new species of the diving beetle genus Liodessus Guignot, 1939 are described from high mountain regions in Venezuela: Liodessus meridensis sp. nov. from Laguna de Mucabají, Mérida and L. venezuelensis sp. nov. from Laguna de Mucabají and below Pico Bolívar, Mérida. We delineate the species using morphological characters such as male genital str...

The diving beetle Borneodessus zetteli kalimantanensis Balke, Hendrich, Mazzoldi & Biström, 2002, an endemic species of Borneo, is recorded for the first time from Sarawak. The specimen was collected from submerged rootlets of a large shore tree from the Pa’ Ngaruren River (Kelabit Highland, Sarawak) with Neptosternus kodadai Hendrich & Balke, 1997...

Background The New Guinean archipelago has been shaped by millions of years of plate tectonic activity combined with long-term fluctuations in climate and sea level. These processes combined with New Guinea’s location at the tectonic junction between the Australian and Pacific plates are inherently linked to the evolution of its rich endemic biota....

We provide the first records of the diving beetles Hydrovatus subrotundatus Motschulsky, 1859 and Hydrovatus pu-dicus (Clark, 1863) from Taiwan. They are otherwise widespread in Southeast Asia. The habitats of both species and the associated diving beetle fauna are briefly described. Altogether eight species of the genus Hydrovatus are now recorded...

We present the first distributional record of Copelatus chevrolati Aubé, 1838 from Cuba. Four specimens were collected in a light trap in August 2016 on the Isla de La Juventud. Ten species of Copelatus are now known from Cuba. We present a modified key to the Cuban species of Copelatus.

Liodessus picinus sp. nov. is described from the Páramo de Sumapaz near Bogota D.C. at 3,500 m above sea level. The species can be distinguished from the other Colombian Liodessus species by its dark colora-tion, discontinuous habitus, shiny surface of the pronotum and elytron, presence of a distinct occipital line, distinct basal pronotal striae,...

Adephaga is the second largest suborder of Coleoptera and contains aquatic and terrestrial groups that are sometimes classified as Hydradephaga and Geadephaga, respectively. The phylogenetic relationships of Adephaga have been studied intensively, but the relationships of the major subgroups of Geadephaga and the placement of Hygrobiidae within Dyt...

We review Dineutus helleri Ochs, 1925, a whirligig beetle species endemic to New Guinea’s north coast mountains. Its diagnostic characters are illustrated for easy species identification. We provide a summary and geographic interpretation of historical records, provide new records and, for the first time, habitat photographs for the subspecies D. h...

Bidessus migrator Sharp, 1882, so far assigned to Clypeodytes Régimbart, 1894, and widely distributed in Australia and New Guinea, is re-described. Based on morphological and molecular evidence, it is here transferred to Leiodytes Guignot, 1936. Bidessus loriae Régimbart, 1892 is found to be a junior subjective synonym of L. migrator. We describe t...

Invertebrate biodiversity remains poorly explored although it comprises much of the terrestrial animal biomass, more than 90% of the species-level diversity, supplies many ecosystem services. Increasing anthropogenic threads also require regular monitoring of invertebrate communities. The main obstacle is specimen- and species-rich samples consisti...

New distributional records of the rarely collected diving beetle Rhantus simulans Régimbart, 1908, an endemic species of south-western Australia, are presented. We also summarize what is known about its habitat. The occurrence of R. simulans indicates a high conservation value of the sampled wetland. For easier identification, we provide photograph...

The diving beetle genus Neobidessodes Hendrich & Balke, 2009 contains 10 species. Nine of them were considered endemic to Australia, one of them to the Trans Fly Savanna and Grasslands Ecoregion of New Guinea island. Here, we provide the first report of one of the Australian species, Neobidessodes mjobergi (Zimmermann, 1922), from the same region o...

Seven new species of the genus Exocelina Broun, 1886 are described from three different mountain ranges of New Guinea: E. foja sp. nov. , E. riberai sp. nov. , E. apistefti sp. nov. , and E. waaf sp. nov. from the Foja Mountains; E. hudsoni sp. nov. from the Cyclops Mountains; E. ekpliktiki sp. nov. and E. oraia sp. nov. from Wano Land. All of them...

The first account of the genus Copelatus Erichson, 1832 in the Solomon Islands is provided, reporting 10 species for the Archipelago. Six of these are new to science: C. baranensis sp. nov. , C. laevipennis sp. nov. , C. urceolus sp. nov. , and C. variistriatus sp. nov. from Guadalcanal and C. bougainvillensis sp. nov. , and C. kietensis sp. nov. f...

We describe four new species of the diving beetle genus Liodessus Guignot from the high Andean regions of Peru: Liodessus alpinus sp. nov. from Junín, L. hauthi sp. nov. from Huánuco and Churubamba, L. rhigos sp. nov. from Junín, and L. thespesios sp. nov. from Cusco. We delineate the species using morphological structures and provide a 5’ mitochon...

Three new species of the genus Exocelina Broun, 1886: E. brazza sp. nov. , E. amabilis sp. nov. and E. mimika sp. nov. are described from New Guinea. The former two species are placed into the E. ekari group, while the latter is suggested to be a member of a separate lineage, the newly introduced E. skalei group. The only other species of that grou...

We provide the first report of the Nearctic diving beetle subfamily Coptotominae Van den Branden, 1885 for the Paleactic Region, based on † Coptotomus balticus sp. n. from Baltic amber. Coptotomus Say, 1830 is otherwise distributed with five extant species and one subspecies in the Nearctic Region. The new species is the smallest species of the gen...

Morphology and mitochondrial DNA sequence data are used to reassess the taxonomy of Australian diving beetles previously assigned to the genera Uvarus Guignot, 1939 and Gibbidessus Watts, 1978. Gibbidessus was described as a monotypic genus for Gibbidessus chipi Watts, 1978. The genus is significantly extended here. Based on molecular systematic ev...

Tropical mountain forests contribute disproportionately to terrestrial biodiversity but little is known about insect diversity in the canopy and how it is distributed between tree species. We sampled tree-specific arthropod communities from 28 trees by canopy fogging and analysed beetle communities which were first morphotyped and then identified b...

We describe four new species of the diving beetle genus Liodessus Guignot from the high Andean regions of Peru: Liodessus alpinus sp. nov. from Junín, L. hauthi sp. nov. from Huánuco and Churubamba, L. rhigos sp. nov. from Junín, and L. thespesios sp. nov. from Cusco. We delineate the species using morphological structures and provide a 5' mitochon...

Two new species of the genus Exocelina Broun, 1886: E. athesphatos sp. nov. and E. tsinga sp. nov. are described from New Guinea and placed into the E. ekari group based on the structure of their male genitalia. The two species are very similar with respect to their external morphology and characterised by almost identical, strongly modified male a...

The diving beetles Liodessus altoperuensis sp. nov. and Liodessus caxamarca sp. nov. (Dytiscidae, Hydroporinae, Bidessini) are described from the high altitudes of the Puna regions of north western Peru. They occur in shallow and exposed mossy peatland puddles. We delineate the two species using structures such as male genitalia, beetle size, shape...

Burmese amber is well known for preserving unique extinct lineages of insects. Here, we describe a new fossil beetle in its larval stage from Burmese amber. Bayesian and parsimony phylogenetic analysis of 50 morphological characters support this fossil as being sister to both the tribes Dineutini and Orectochilini, representing an extinct stem line...

Wallace's Line, located in the heart of the Indo‐Australian archipelago, has historically been hypothesized to strongly inhibit dispersal. Taxa crossing this barrier are confronted with different biota of Asian or Australian origin, respectively, but the extent to which these conditions have affected the evolution of the colonizing lineages remains...

We discovered a new species of the genus Hydaticus Leach, 1817, subgenus Prodaticus Sharp, 1882 (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae) in the unidentified material of the Muséum National d´Histoire Naturelle, Paris. The type specimens were collected near Kourou in French Guiana, and are here described as Hydaticus (Prodaticus) kourouensis sp. n. The new species...

Here we describe Limbodessus skalei sp. nov. from the island of Waigeo, off the coast of West Papua. It can be easily distinguished from the nearby New Guinea mainland species as well as the other members of the genus by its small size and testaceous elytra with conspicuous darker broad basal and subapical patches. Altogether four Limbodessus speci...

Archdukes, barons, counts, dukes and marquises are forest-dwelling butterflies found in mainland Asia and most islands of the Indo-Australian archipelago west of Wallace’s Line, with only a few species occurring as far east as the Bismarck Archipelago. This pattern is unusual among butterfly groups of the region, which often present more widespread...

We describe a new subterranean species of the genus Exocelina Broun, 1886 (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae) from the Malay Peninsula. Almost all of the 196 species of that genus are epigean and distributed mainly in New Guinea, Australia, Oceania and New Caledonia. One epigean species is, however, known from China. The discovery of a species on the Malay Pe...

The diving beetle Methles cribratellus (FAIRMAIRE, 1880) is recorded for the second time from Sardinia, which represents the third record of the species in Italy. Four specimens have been collected among dense mats of floating grasses at two spots of an old drainage ditch system, with eutrophic water, in the river valley of the Riu di San Giovanni,...

Burmese amber is well known for preserving unique extinct lineages of insects. Here, we describe a new fossil beetle in its larval stage from Burmese amber. Bayesian and parsimony phylogenetic analysis of 50 morphological characters support this fossil as being sister to both the tribes Dineutini and Orectochilini, representing an extinct stem line...

How to cite this article: Balke M., Toledo M., Gröhn C., Rappsilber I., Hendrich L. 2019. † Electruphilus wendeli gen.n., sp.n.-the first diving beetle recorded from Saxonian (Bitterfeld) Amber (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae: Laccophilinae) // Russian Entomol.

The evolution of the coleopteran suborder Adephaga is discussed based on a robust phylogenetic background. Analyses of morphological characters yield results nearly identical to recent molecular phylogenies, with the highly specialized Gyrinidae placed as sister to the remaining families, which form two large, reciprocally monophyletic subunits, th...

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