Eastern Colombian Páramo Liodessus diving beetles are genetically structured, but show signs of hybridization, with description of new species and subspecies (Coleoptera, Dytiscidae)

Abstract

We studied Liodessus diving beetles from different eastern Colombian Páramo areas as well as 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 Bogota, and the Páramos of Almorzadero, Chingaza, Matarredonda, Rabanal y Rio Bogotá and Sumapaz form, one clade of genetically similar populations based on mitochondrial cox1 sequence data. This clade is sub-structured according to their geographic distribution. The populations differ from each other mainly in terms of body size and coloration, and at most subtly in genital morphology. In two cases, we find putative hybrid populations between Altiplano and Páramo areas. We suggest that the different Páramo populations are candidate species, here assigned subspecies status to highlight these ongoing processes. We refer to this clade as Liodessus bogotensis complex, containing Liodessus b. bogotensis Guignot, 1953; Liodessus b. almorzadero ssp. nov.; Liodessus b. chingaza ssp. nov.; Liodessus b. lacunaviridis stat. nov.; Liodessus b. matarredonda ssp. nov. and Liodessus b. sumapaz ssp. nov.