Abstract
We describe a new species of Dytiscidae beetle belonging to the Genus #Platynectes
from the mid high land region of Kerala, on the foothills
Western Ghats, India. Western Ghats is the second largest mountainous
belt in India on the western side of the Deccan Plateau and is described
as one of the eight “Hottest bio-diversities in the world”. About 80.0 %
of rubber crop in the Country is cultivated in the mid high land region
of Western Ghats in Kerala and its plantations had been recorded to be
the important breeding grounds of #AedesAlbopictus vector species.
The new Dytiscid species has been reported to be an efficient natural predator of #Ae.albopictus
immature in their key breeding habitats.
Morphological characters of both male and female specimens of the beetle
are described. Its #morphologiccharacteristics precisely matched
with the genus Platynectes. The specimens were taxonomically characterized to be a new species under the genus Platynectes
by the Natural
History Museum, London (NHM). Voucher specimens of the species are
deposited with the museum of NHM, London and the Vector Control
Research Centre (ICMR), Puducherry, India. Since the holotype of the
species had been recorded from Western Ghats region of Kerala state
(“Sahyadri” in vernacular name), India, we name the new species reported
as “#Platynectes sahyadriensis”.
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