Abstract
The water scavenger beetle genus Tropisternus Solier, 1834, is one of the most common and recognizable taxa of aquatic beetles in the New World. As presently defined, the genus contains 60 species (Hansen 1999, Short & Hebauer 2006) and ranges from northern Canada to the southern tip of South America. The senior author (PJS) conducted a full revision of this taxonomically difficult genus for his PhD dissertation nearly fifty years ago (Spangler 1960). For the next several decades, PJS continued to update, revise, correct, and incorporate new material into this massive work. This paper makes available three new names of Tropisternus in preparation for the eventual publication of this authoritative treatment of the genus. It should be noted for those using the keys given in Spangler (1960) that the interpretation of some of the names proved incorrect following the examination of types; the key should be used with extreme caution particularly for Neotropical taxa.
References
Chevrolat, A. (1834). Coléoptères du Mexique. G. Silbermann, Strasbourg.
Castelnau, F.L., Laporte de (1840). Histoire naturelle des insectes coléoptères, Tome deuxième. In: Histoire naturelle des Animaux articulés, annelides, crustacés, arachnids, myriapodes et insects. P. Duménil, Paris, 565 pp.
Germar, E.F. (1824). Insectorum species novae aut minus cognitae, descriptionibus illustratae. Vol. 1 Coleoptera. J.C. Hendel et Fil, Halae, xxiv+624 pp.
Hansen, M. (1999). World catalogue of insects 2: Hydrophiloidea (s. str.) (Coleoptera). Apollo Books, Stenstrup, 416 pp.
Sharp, D. (1883) Revision of the species included in the genus Tropisternus (fam. Hydrophilidae). Transactions of the Entomological Society of London, 1883, 91–117.
Short, A.E.Z. & Hebauer, F. (2006). World catalogue of hydrophiloidea—additions and corrections, (1999–2005) (Coleoptera). Koleopterologische Rundschau, 76, 315–359.
Solier, A.J.J. (1834). Observations sur la tribu des Hydrophiliens, et principalement sur le genre Hydrophilus de Fabricius. Annales de la Société entomologique de France 3, 299–318.
Spangler, P.J. (1960). A revision of the genus Tropisternus (Coleoptera: Hydrophilidae). Unpublished thesis. University of Missouri, Columbia, 356 pp.