Corresponding author: Andrew Edward Z. Short (
Academic editor: M. Michat
The water scavenger beetle genus
El género de escarabajos acuáticos detritívoros
Girón JC, Short AEZ (2021) Review of the Neotropical water scavenger beetle genus
The water scavenger beetles in the genus
Slightly more than 1100 specimens were examined. Specimen preparation and examination methods are identical to those given in
We sequenced the mitochondrial gene COI for eight of the putative 15 new species; we did not have suitable tissue specimens for the remaining species. We also sequenced newly found populations of
We found morphological support for 15 new species of
Maximum Likelihood phylogeny of
List of specimens and GenBank accession numbers that are used in this study.
Taxon | Extraction | Country: locality | GenBank Accession |
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SLE1032 | Venezuela: Tobogan de la Selva |
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SLE1264 | Brazil: nr. Manaus |
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SLE1024 | Venezuela: 15 km NE Pijiguaos |
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SLE1026 | Venezuela: La Escalera |
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SLE1031 | Venezuela: Cuchivero |
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SLE1036 | Venezuela: Pijiguaos |
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SLE1047 | Suriname: Tafelberg Summit |
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SLE1494 | Brazil: Tepequem |
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SLE1503 | Brazil: near Usina de Jatapu |
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SLE1566 | Brazil: nr. Calcoene |
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SLE1568 | Brazil: Oiapoque |
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SLE481 | Suriname: Grensgebergte |
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SLE1022 | Guyana: Kaieteur National Park |
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SLE424 | Suriname: Kasikasima, |
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SLE482 | Suriname: Kasikasima |
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SLE483 | Suriname: Kasikasima |
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SLE1564 | Brazil: Oiapoque |
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SLE2171 | French Guiana |
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SLE1505 | Brazil: Balneario Lejas |
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SLE1045 | Suriname: Kappel Airstrip |
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SLE1046 | Suriname: Kappel Airstrip |
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SLE1048 | Suriname: Tafelberg Summit |
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SLE1049 | Suriname: Tafelberg Summit |
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SLE1050 | Suriname: Tafelberg Summit |
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SLE1021 | Guyana: Kusad Mts. |
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SLE1501 | Brazil: near Usina de Jatapu |
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SLE102 | Venezuela: Cuchivero |
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SLE1025 | Venezuela: 15 km NE Pijiguaos |
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SLE1028 | Venezuela: Pijiguaos |
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SLE451 | Venezulea: Campamento Río Aro |
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SLE1038 | Suriname: Tafelberg Summit |
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SLE1040 | Suriname: Tafelberg Summit |
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SLE1041 | Suriname: Tafelberg Summit |
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SLE1043 | Suriname: Tafelberg Summit |
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SLE1051 | Suriname: Tafelberg Summit |
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SLE525 | Venezuela: Tobogan de la Selva |
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SLE1493 | Brazil: Tepequem |
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SLE1020 | Guyana: Kusad Mts. |
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SLE1023 | Suriname: Kwamala |
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SLE422 | Suriname: Kasikasima |
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SLE478 | Suriname: Kasikasima |
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SLE497 | Suriname: Kasikasima |
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SLE1244 | Suriname: Sipaliwini Savanna |
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SLE423 | Suriname: Kasikasima |
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SLE0035 | Venezuela: Tobogan de la Selva |
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SLE1027 | Venezuela: Tobogan de la Selva |
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SLE1035 | Venezuela: Tobogan de la Selva |
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SLE1037 | Venezuela: Pijiguaos |
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SLE526 | Venezuela: Tobogan de la Selva |
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Small beetles, total body length 1.5–2.6 mm. Color yellowish brown, orange brown to dark brown. Body shape oval in dorsal view; moderately (Fig.
Heads of
Characters of elytra and wings of
In some species in the
1 | Anterior margin of eye emarginate in lateral view, oblique and posteriorly directed in dorsal view (Fig. |
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– | Anterior margin of eye straight, at most only slightly emarginate in lateral view, oblique and anteriorly directed in dorsal view (Fig. |
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2 | In lateral view, eye narrowing to about a quarter of its dorsal width |
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– | In lateral view, eye narrowing to about half or slightly less of its dorsal width |
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3 | Hydrofuge pubescence on abdominal ventrites scanty; few metatibial spines, reduced in size; metatarsomere 2 much shorter than metatarsomere 5 |
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– | Hydrofuge pubescence on abdominal ventrites very densely distributed; metatibial spines large and rather dense; metatarsomere 2 nearly as long as metatarsomere 5 |
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The complete list of species including their assigned species group and known distribution are recorded in Table
Checklist of
Species group | Species | Known distribution |
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Suriname | |
Venezuela (Bolívar) | ||
Guyana | ||
Venezuela (Bolívar) | ||
Venezuela (Amazonas) | ||
Brazil (Amapá, Roraima), Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela (Bolívar) | ||
Suriname | ||
Suriname | ||
Suriname | ||
Suriname | ||
Brazil (Roraima) | ||
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Venezuela (Amazonas) | |
Suriname | ||
Brazil (Amapá), French Guiana | ||
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Venezuela (Bolívar) | |
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Brazil (Amazonas) | |
Venezuela (Amazonas) | ||
Brazil (Goiás) | ||
Suriname | ||
Guyana, Brazil* (Roraima) | ||
Venezuela (Amazonas, Bolívar) | ||
Suriname, Brazil* (Roraima) | ||
Venezuela (Amazonas) | ||
Suriname | ||
Venezuela (Amazonas, Bolívar) |
This species group can be recognized by the oblique and posteriorly directed anterior margin of the eye in lateral view, which emarginates the eye in lateral view (Fig.
This species group includes the following species:
Modified from
1 | Elytra with impressed grooves along their entire length (e.g., |
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– | Elytra with impressed grooves only along posterior half or less, or completely without grooves (e.g., |
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2 | Apical maxillary palpomere uniformly pale ( |
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– | Apical maxillary palpomere darkened at least at apex, and sometimes on distal half or more ( |
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3 | Punctures within elytral grooves small, grooves appearing fairly smooth ( |
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– | Punctures within elytral grooves strongly impressed and distinct ( |
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4 | Apical maxillary palpomere with apex ranging from slightly to distinctly darkened ( |
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– | Apical maxillary palpomere darkened in at least distal half ( |
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5 | Elytra with grooves visible along posterior two thirds or less, grooves most prominent near elytral suture (e.g., |
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– | Elytra without any trace of grooves along their entire length; all elytral punctures seemingly uniformly distributed, not forming clear longitudinal rows |
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6 | General coloration dark; elytral grooves visible along posterior two thirds of elytra |
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– | General coloration pale; if present, elytral grooves only visible along posterior quarter of elytra |
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7 | Elytra with grooves on posterior half ( |
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– | Elytra with grooves on posterior third ( |
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8 | Elytra without grooves, but with serial punctures clearly aligned longitudinally ( |
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– | Elytra with weak grooves on posterior quarter. Eyes emarginate at lateral margin, narrowing to slightly less than half of the width (Venezuela) | |
9 | General coloration uniform orange brown along pronotum and elytra, with dark brown head. Posterior elevation of mesoventrite forming a medially prominent (acute) curved transverse ridge (Brazil: Amazonas) |
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– | General coloration dark brown with paler (yellowish to orange) lateral margins of pronotum and elytra. Posterior elevation of mesoventrite forming a low and uniform curved transverse ridge (Brazil: Goiás) |
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Habitus of
Named after Cesar J. Benetti, Brazilian specialist on aquatic beetles, in honor of his contributions to Neotropical beetle taxonomy and for all his assistance in the field.
Only known from the type locality in Amazonas State, Brazil, situated slightly north of the Amazon River (Fig.
This only known series was collected on a vertical seepage on sedimentary rock (Fig.
Dorsal surfaces of body dark brown with paler outer margins of pronotum and elytra (Fig.
Named after the Brazilian state of Goiás, from which the species is known.
Only known from the type locality in the central Brazilian state of Goiás. This is the first and currently only species of
This species was collected on wet rock along the margins of the Ribeirão das Lejas. See Fig.
Members of this species group can be recognized by the straight anterior margin of the eye in lateral view (Fig.
Habitus of
This species group currently contains only a single species,
Named with the Greek words
This species is known from several localities along the northwestern edge of the Guiana Shield in Bolívar State, Venezuela. See Fig.
The
Habitus of
This species group presently contains three species:
Habitus of
1 | Dorsal coloration light brown, rather uniform along body; serial rows of punctures on elytra very faintly defined (serial punctures slightly more impressed than ground punctures). Aedeagus with outer margin of parameres straight ( |
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– | Dorsal coloration medium to dark brown, sometimes paler on pronotum; serial rows of punctures on elytra undefined (serial and ground punctures similarly impressed). Aedeagus with outer margin of parameres sinuate to convex (Brazil, Suriname, French Guiana) |
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2 | Aedeagus slender, nearly 2.2 × longer than wide, with outer margin of parameres sinuate (parallel sided along basal two-thirds, then bending inward and tapering along apical third; |
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– | Aedeagus fusiform, nearly 2 × longer than wide, with outer margin of parameres convex, (diverging along basal half, then broadly bending inward and tapering along apical fifth; see Fig. |
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Named with the Latin word
This species is known from two closely situated localities on either side of the Oiapoque River, the boundary between French Guiana and the Brazilian state of Amapá. See Fig.
The series from Brazil were taken from a seepage habitat in a forested riparian corridor (Fig.
The
1 | Elytra with all kinds of punctures relatively large, about the same size and degree of impression, all seemingly longitudinally aligned and uniformly distributed (Fig. |
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– | Elytra with serial punctures either larger, denser or more impressed (or a combination of those features) than the remainder punctures; interserial punctures either similar in size, smaller, denser, longitudinally aligned or irregularly distributed regarding serial punctures (e.g. Figs |
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2 | Eyes relatively small (ventral face of the eye only slightly wider than antennal club), separated by distance 6 × larger than largest diameter of eye in dorsal view (Fig. |
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– | Eyes of normal size (ventral face of the eye nearly twice as wide as antennal club), separated by distance 4.5 × larger than largest diameter of eye in dorsal view (Fig. |
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3 | General coloration orange brown with black head (Fig. |
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– | General coloration dark brown; elytral punctation variable; aedeagus with apex of median lobe variable, but never emarginate |
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4 | Surface of elytra sharply impressed along rows of serial punctures, forming well-defined striae along posterior 2/3 of elytra (Fig. |
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– | Surface of elytra not or only slightly and uniformly impressed, forming shallow grooves along entire rows of serial punctures (e.g., Fig. |
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5 | Body size around 2.6 mm; elytral striae rather shallow (Fig. |
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– | Body size around 2.0 mm; elytral striae rather broad and deep (Fig. |
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6 | Serial punctures longitudinally aligned and slightly impressed forming shallow grooves (Fig. |
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– | Serial punctures never impressed to form grooves; interserial punctures variable in distribution |
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7 | Serial punctures longitudinally aligned, larger than interserial punctures (Fig. |
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– | Serial punctures seemingly longitudinally aligned, more densely arranged than interserial punctures (e.g., Fig. |
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8 | Elytra with 1 or 2 irregular rows of interserial punctures (elytral punctation moderately dense, Figs |
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– | Elytra with 2 or 3 irregular rows of interserial punctures (elytral punctation highly dense, Figs |
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9 | Lateral coloration of pronotum and elytra gradually paler, orange (Fig. |
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– | Coloration of pronotum only slightly paler along antero-lateral margin (Fig. |
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10 | Elytral punctation sharp and dense (Fig. |
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– | Elytral punctation shallow and relatively sparse (Fig. |
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Habitus of
Habitus of
Noun in apposition. Named after the Akoerio, an indigenous nomadic tribe, with only few people remaining in the South of Suriname.
The species is only known from an exposed rocky summit in the Grensgebergte Mountains along the border between Suriname and Brazil. See Fig.
This species was collected on flowing seeps with moss and algae over granite. See Fig.
Habitus of
Aedeagi of
Noun in apposition. Named after the Arawak, an indigenous tribe of northern South America.
This species was collected in a wet seepage area along rocks at the margin of the Upper Potaro River. Specimens were collected by pulling back root mats and moss that were growing over the wet rock areas. See Fig.
Distribution of
Distribution of
The general habitus and coloration of
Named after Becky Anthony, program and meetings manager at the Entomological Society of America (ESA), in recognition of all her hard work in service to the society and the entomological community.
Only known from a single locality just south of the Orinoco River along the northwestern edge of the Guiana Shield. See Fig.
The specimens were collected along a stream that was flowing over exposed granite.
The general habitus and coloration of
Noun in apposition. Named after Atures, the municipality where the type locality is situated.
This species is known from several localities along the northwestern edge of the Guiana Shield in Venezuela. See Fig.
Most specimens were collected on granite seepages that were adjacent to permanent streams. See Fig.
Noun in apposition. Named after the Canaima National Park in Venezuela, where the type locality is situated.
This species is known from the famous Auyan-tepui, which is also home to Angel Falls, the highest waterfall in the world. Collected at elevations of 1700–2170 m, this species is one of the relatively few water beetle taxa known from the “Pantepui Province”, which comprises areas of the Guiana Shield which are greater than 1500 m in elevation. See Fig.
The only known series was collected in a flight intercept trap and a yellow pan trap. Nothing further is known about the habitat or biology of this species.
By its elytral punctation with all punctures about the same size and degree of impression,
Named with the Latin word
This species is the most widely distributed of all known
This species is strongly associated with seepage habitats on exposed granite. Many of the seepages on which this species has been collected are seasonal, although others are adjacent to permanent streams. See Fig.
Habitat of
Noun in apposition. Named after the Kappel airstrip, the locality where the species has been collected.
Known from two very closely situated localities adjacent to Kappel Airstrip, at the foot to Tafelberg Tepui in Suriname. See Fig.
Series were collected from two seepage habitats: one vertical seepage on sandstone adjacent to a large waterfall, and the second from a small mostly horizontal seepage on sandstone seeping into an adjacent stream. See Fig.
Noun in apposition. Named with the Surinamese word
This species is only known from the summit of Tafelberg Tepui, a low-elevation sandstone massif in the center of Suriname (Fig.
The lone specimen of this species was collected by floating saturated moss that was growing on rocks by a waterfall. The males of this species remain unknown.
Named with the combination of the Latin words
This species is only known from the summit of Tafelberg Tepui, a low-elevation sandstone massif in the center of Suriname (Fig.
Most specimens of this species were collected in seepage habitats by directly floating them out of saturated moss that was on the rock. Several specimens were collected in shallow pools on rock that were adjacent to seepages or streams. See Fig.
The general orange coloration with dark head of
Noun in apposition. Named after the Pemon, an indigenous tribe that inhabits La Gran Sabana region in Venezuela, where Auyan Tepui is located.
This species is known from the famous Auyan-tepui, which is also home to Angel Falls, the highest waterfall in the world. Collected at an elevation of 1700 m, this species is one of the relatively few water beetle taxa known from the “Pantepui Province”, which comprises areas of the Guiana Shield which are greater than 1500 m in elevation (Fig.
The only known series was collected in a flight intercept trap. Nothing further is known about the habitat or biology of this species.
Named after Rosina Romano, Director of Meetings and Membership at the Entomological Society of America (ESA), in recognition of all her hard work and dedication to the society and entomological community.
This species is only known from the summit of Serra do Tepequem, a low-elevation sandstone massif in northern Brazil, near the border with Venezuela (Fig.
The only known specimen was collected by floating rootlets and moss that were present on a rocky seepage formed along the margin of the Igarape (stream) Preto Negro (Fig.
Members of the genus
Up to now, all species of
Habitat of
We are grateful for the assistance and support of many colleagues during fieldwork, including Mauricio García (