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Type: Article
Published: 2019-02-12
Page range: 268–274
Abstract views: 137
PDF downloaded: 3

Two new Mesoceration Janssens, 1967 from the Piketberg, South Africa (Coleoptera, Hydraenidae)

Marine Biology and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological and Marine Sciences, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth PL4 8AA, UK. Department of Zoology, University of Johannesburg, PO Box 524, Auckland Park, Johannesburg 2006, South Africa
Department of Freshwater Invertebrates, Albany Museum, Rhodes University Affiliated Research Institute, Grahamstown 6140, South Africa.
Coleoptera Aquatic Coleoptera Hydraenidae Mesoceration new species South Africa

Abstract

Mesoceration explanatum sp. nov. and M. piketbergense sp. nov. are described from the Piketberg range in the Western Cape Province, South Africa, bringing the total number of known species in the genus to 55, all of which are endemic to South Africa. M. explanatum sp. nov. is a member of the truncatum group, whilst M piketbergense sp. nov. belongs to the endroedyi group and is apparently closely related to M. concessum Perkins & Balfour-Browne, 1994 and M. tabulare Perkins, 2008, both of which are endemic to the Cape Peninsula. The two new species were both relatively abundant in the Piketberg, and may be narrowly endemic to this inselberg-like mountain range.

 

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