Four new species of Hexanchorus Sharp from Ecuador (Coleoptera, Elmidae) with DNA barcoding and notes on the distribution of the genus

Resumen

The riffle beetle genus <i>Hexanchorus</i> Sharp, 1882 is distributed from Mexico to Argentina, forming an important component of the freshwater invertebrate fauna of Latin America. With 21 described species, <i>Hexanchorus</i> represents one of the most speciose Larainae genera, but its real diversity is likely much higher. We analysed material from a relatively small area in Ecuador, resulting in the first record of <i>H.cordillierae</i> for Ecuador and discovery of four new species and one subspecies: <i>Hexanchorusvirilis</i> <b>sp. n.</b>, <i>Hexanchorusrostratus</i> <b>sp. n.</b>, <i>Hexanchorusshepardi</i> <b>sp. n.</b>, <i>Hexanchorusonorei</i> <b>sp. n.</b> and <i>Hexanchorusonoreisagittatus</i> <b>ssp. n.</b> For delimiting and characterizing species, both morphological and molecular (mtCOI DNA barcodes) data were used. A distribution map of <i>Hexanchorus</i> species is provided based on published records.