Agaporomorphus colberti
| Agaporomorphus colberti | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Clade: | Pancrustacea |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Suborder: | Adephaga |
| Family: | Dytiscidae |
| Genus: | Agaporomorphus Mello-Leitão, 1923 |
| Species: | A. colberti |
| Binomial name | |
| Agaporomorphus colberti Miller & Wheeler, 2008 | |
Agaporomorphus colberti is a species of diving beetle from the family Dytiscidae. It is one of the eight species under the genus Agaporomorphus.
Taxonomy
The species as first formally described by Miller and Wheeler in 2008. The species was named after American comedian and television host Stephen Colbert, who satirically asked to have a species named after himself in May 2008. After the spider Aptostichus stephencolberti was named in August, Colbert jokingly asked the scientific community to name something "cooler than a spider" to honour him. Miller and Wheeler, the entomologists who discovered and named the species, stated it as being "way cooler" than a spider in response.
Description
All Agaporomorphus species appear similar in size, shape, and colouration. However, A. colberti may be distinguished from the other species in the genus (except A. knischi) through the differences in its antennomeres and abdominal sternites. It differs from A. knischi (among other features) in the shape of the male median lobe of its aedeagus, which is broader.
A total of 11 specimens were found by the discoverers, who made measurements of several physical parameters for each specimen, the ranges of which are tabulated below.
| Parameter | Abbreviation | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Total length | TL | 2.93–3.18 mm |
| Greatest width across elytra | GW | 1.39–1.57 mm |
| Greatest width of pronotum | PW | 1.24–1.38 mm |
| Greatest width of head | HW | 0.78–0.87 mm |
| Distance between eyes | EW | 0.49–0.58 mm |
Additionally, the lengths and widths of the metafemurs of each specimen were also measured. These measurements yield the following three ratios:
| Parameter | Abbreviation | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Total length-to-greatest width across elytra ratio | TL/GW | 1.97–2.18 |
| Greatest head width-to-eye width ratio | HW/EW | 1.50–1.64 |
| Greatest metafemur width-to-greatest metafemur length ratio | FW/FL | 2.59–3.22 |
A. colberti is coloured reddish brown on its dorsal surfaces and yellowish brown on its ventral surfaces (except the abdominal sternites, which are reddish yellow). The species exhibits notable sexual dimorphism.
Habitat and distribution
The species was discovered in the Amazonas state in southern Venezuela, close to the country's border with Brazil. It is the only Agaporomorphus species known from Venezuela, and only one of two from northern South America, with A. pereirai known from Suriname. They are believed to live in very cryptic habitats, as the only manner in which they have been collected is through the usage of lights at night.
See also
- Aptostichus stephencolberti#Naming, species of spider named after Stephen Colbert
Further reading
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 Miller, Kelly B.; Wheeler, Quentin D. (2008-08-29). "A new species of Agaporomorphus Zimmermann from Venezuela, and a review of the A. knischi species group (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae: Copelatinae)". Zootaxa. 1859 (1). doi:10.11646/zootaxa.1859.1.4. ISSN 1175-5334.
- ↑ Miller, Kelly B.; Wheeler, Quentin D. (2008-08-29). "Agaporomorphus colberti Miller & Wheeler 2008, sp. n." Zootaxa. Zenodo. doi:10.5281/zenodo.5133329.
- ↑ "May 14, 2008: Who's NOT Honoring Me Now". The Colbert Report. Season 4. Episode 66. 2008-05-14.
- ↑ "Scientists name 'diving beetle' for Colbert | ASU News". news.asu.edu. Retrieved 2026-11-02.
- 1 2 "Agaporomorphus colberti Miller & Wheeler 2008, sp. n. - Plazi TreatmentBank". treatment.plazi.org. Retrieved 2026-11-02.