PLATINUM The Journal of Threatened Taxa (JoTT) is dedicated to building evidence for conservaton globally by publishing peer-reviewed artcles OPEN ACCESS online every month at a reasonably rapid rate at www.threatenedtaxa.org. All artcles published in JoTT are registered under Creatve Commons Atributon 4.0 Internatonal License unless otherwise mentoned. JoTT allows unrestricted use, reproducton, and distributon of artcles in any medium by providing adequate credit to the author(s) and the source of publicaton. Journal of Threatened Taxa Building evidence for conservaton globally www.threatenedtaxa.org ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print) Short Communication Sandracottus vijayakumari (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae), a new aquatic beetle species from landslide hit area of Nelliyampathy Forest Range, Western Ghats, Kerala, India P.P. Anand, P.P. Ashiq, M. Smitha, M. Adhithya, T. Tibin & V. Suresh 26 March 2021 | Vol. 13 | No. 3 | Pages: 17999–18003 DOI: 10.11609/jot.6193.13.3.17999-18003 For Focus, Scope, Aims, Policies, and Guidelines visit htps://threatenedtaxa.org/index.php/JoTT/about/editorialPolicies#custom-0 For Artcle Submission Guidelines, visit htps://threatenedtaxa.org/index.php/JoTT/about/submissions#onlineSubmissions For Policies against Scientfc Misconduct, visit htps://threatenedtaxa.org/index.php/JoTT/about/editorialPolicies#custom-2 For reprints, contact <[email protected]> The opinions expressed by the authors do not refect the views of the Journal of Threatened Taxa, Wildlife Informaton Liaison Development Society, Zoo Outreach Organizaton, or any of the partners. The journal, the publisher, the host, and the part- Publisher & Host ners are not responsible for the accuracy of the politcal boundaries shown in the maps by the authors. Member Threatened Taxa Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 March 2021 | 13(3): 17999–18003 ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print) PLATINUM OPEN ACCESS htps://doi.org/10.11609/jot.6193.13.3.17999-18003 #6193 | Received 20 May 2020 | Final received 19 January 2021 | Finally accepted 07 March 2021 SHORT COMMUNICATION Sandracotus vijayakumari (Coleoptera: Dytscidae), a new aquatc beetle species from landslide hit area of Nelliyampathy Forest Range, Western Ghats, Kerala, India P.P. Anand 1 , P.P. Ashiq 2 , M. Smitha 3 , M. Adhithya 4 , T. Tibin 5 & V. Suresh 6 1–6 Department of Botany, Government Victoria College, Palakkad, Kerala 678001, India. 1 Department of Zoology, University of Calicut, Tirur-Kozhikode Road, Thenhipalam, Kerala 673635, India. 2 Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON), Anaikaty, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641108, India 1 [email protected] (corresponding author), 2 [email protected], 3 [email protected], 4 [email protected], 5 [email protected], 6 [email protected] (corresponding author) Abstract: The present study deals with the descripton of a new indicators and their diversity is directly correlated species Sandracotus vijayakumari from Nelliyampathy forest range, with the ecosystem (Hutchison 1959; Boughey 1968; southern Western Ghats, Kerala, India with a comparatve key of closely related species S. dejeani Aube, 1838. Only one species is Benet et al. 2003; Benet & Regil-Cueto 2004). The known from the genus Sandracotus Sharp, 1882, from southern factors like wave acton, wind velocity, and scarcity Western Ghats, Kerala. The Nelliyampathy forest areas are hilly and the alttude of the hills range 40–1,530 m. The region experiences of emergent vegetaton presumably discourage the several types of landslides especially during the monsoon (August to colonizaton of aquatc beetles. The abundance of September 2018). The new species was discovered in one of the worst macrophytc vegetaton provides necessary shelter, landslide hits area in Nelliyampathy forest, Kundrachola region. The new aquatc beetle species is moderately large in size and ofen very shade, and substrate for colonizaton of aquatc beetles atractvely marked dorsally with complex maculatons. Additonally, in the rainy and post-rainy season (Fernando 1968). the new species shows a strong synapomorphy along with Eretni, Seasonal variaton of the insect community in the rain Hydatcini, and Aubehydrini tribes. pools, biotc paterns, some physical and meteorological Keywords: Aquatc beetle, insect, Kundrachola, monsoon, southern variables were analyzed and found that the maximum Western Ghats. taxonomic richness was observed at the end of summer (Fischer et al. 2000). In India, the aquatc beetle diversity is poorly known. The adephagan beetles are one of the most Dytscidae is a large family of aquatc beetles, harbouring successful groups of insects, distnguished by their over ~300 species in India and adjacent countries. The adaptve nature in diverse ecological and geographical Indian dytscids have been chiefy studied by Vazirani ranges. Most aquatc beetles are considered ecological (1968–1977) where he dealt with 233 species from ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:A04B95E7-E565-413D-B6AD-32A0DA508D9E Editor: Asheesh Shivam Mishra, Nehru Gram Bharat, Prayagraj, India. Date of publicaton: 26 March 2021 (online & print) Citaton: Anand, P.P., P.P. Ashiq, M. Smitha, M. Adhithya, T. Tibin & V. Suresh (2021). Sandracotus vijayakumari (Coleoptera: Dytscidae), a new aquatc beetle species from landslide hit area of Nelliyampathy Forest Range, Western Ghats, Kerala, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 13(3): 17999–18003. htps://doi.org/10.11609/ jot.6193.13.3.17999-18003 Copyright: © Anand et al. 2021. Creatve Commons Atributon 4.0 Internatonal License. JoTT allows unrestricted use, reproducton, and distributon of this artcle in any medium by providing adequate credit to the author(s) and the source of publicaton. Funding: KERALA STATE BIODIVERSITY BOARD order No. 48/3371/2018/KSBB dated 19.12.2018. Competng interests: The authors declare no competng interests. Acknowledgements: The authors gratefully acknowledge the fnancial assistance of Kerala State Biodiversity Board (KSBB), Government of Kerala, India. The frst author is grateful to Dr. Y. Shibu Vardhanan, associate professor, Department of Zoology, University of Calicut for providing department laboratory facilites (UGC- SAP) and photographic documentaton. 17999 J TT New Dytscidae species from Western Ghats Anand et al. Image 1. Nelliyampathy forest with holotype collecton locality (red colour). India, out of which 69 species are from southern India. ethanol prior to mountng. The holotype and paratype Till date, the majority of southern Indian species have is deposited in the Department of Zoology, University been recorded from Tamil Nadu including Nilgiri Hills of Calicut (DZUC). Specimens were imaged with a (Mukherjee & Sengupta 1986). During the biodiversity Canon EOS 5D Mark IV camera with MP-E 65mm lens, documentaton of the food and landslide hit area of f/2.8 1-5X. Morphological terminology is according to Nelliyampathy, the authors came across a new species Miller & Bergsten (2016). Identfcaton was done based of Sandracotus Sharp, 1882 to science which has been on available literature and taxonomic keys (Regimbart described here and its comparison with the closely 1899; Mukherjee & Sengupta 1986; Nilsson 2001; Miller related species S. dejeani Aube, 1838 is also provided & Bergsten 2014; Miller & Bergsten 2016). along with identfcaton keys. Results Materials and Methods Systematc positon Study area Family: Dytscidae Leach, 1815 The present study was conducted at various locatons Subfamily: Dytscinae Leach, 1815 in the Nelliyampathy Hills, Western Ghats, Kerala, India Tribe: Aciliini Thomson, 1867 in view of the foods and landslides that occurred as a Genus: Sandracotus Sharp, 1882 result of the heavy downpour of August and September 2018 that resulted in heavy damage in Kerala, India. Sandracotus vijayakumari sp. nov. (Image 3A–D) Specimen collecton urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:5885D8BA-1045-4CEE-A42C-4D2496FCB5F9 Specimens were collected from a small rock of pool habitat in the landslide hit area of Nelliyampathy Material examined: Holotype: DZUC/Dyt01/2020, forest range in Kundrachola region (515m, 10030’58’’N 17.iii.2019, male, India: Kerala, Palakkad, southern & 76037’51”E) of southern Western Ghats (Image 1, 2). Western Ghats, Nelliyampathy forest range- Kundrachola An aquarium hand net (Miller & Bergsten 2016) was (10030’58’’N & 76037’51”E), coll. P.P. Anand. used to collect the samples during the cool dry season Paratype: DZUC/Dyt02/2020, 1 male with same data from January to March 2019; a total of seven specimens as holotype. were collected from the feld and preserved in 80% Descripton: Holotype male: length= 16.0mm; 18000 Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 March 2021 | 13(3): 17999–18003 New Dytscidae species from Western Ghats Anand et al. J TT Image 2. Kundrachola region (Nelliyampathy forest range) landslide hit area (Habitat of Sandracotus vijayakumari sp. nov.). © P.P. Anand A B C D Image 3. Sandracotus vijayakumari sp. nov. Holotype (male): A—dorsal view with distnct color patches | B—ventral view | C—head, ventral view with mouth parts with pro and mesolegs, protarsus expanded to adhesive pads | D—posterior side of abdomen. © Y. Shibu Vardhanan width= 13.5mm. Body oval, elongated; surface shiny; are mirror images of other elytron. The frst three dark lateral reddish-orange colored line become reduced by orange patches are interconnected and other two are reaching the posterior end of the pygidium; not dorso- distnct (Image 3A). Head capsule