A new species of Ochthebius ( Cobalius ) (Coleoptera: Hydraenidae: Ochthebiinae) inhabiting marine rockpools of NW Sicily

Here we describe a new species of Ochthebius (Cobalius) from marine rockpools of NW Sicily: O. (C.) senczuki sp. n. This species was first discovered on the basis of molecular evidence, but its taxonomic distinction has been subsequently supported by morphological characters. Ochthebius (C.) senczuki sp. n. shows a clear genetic diversity from the known related species, with an average COI p distance ranging from 5.6% to 10.7%; it exhibits only small morphological differences, mostly limited to dorsal punctation, pronotal and elytral outer edge, and (in males) to the mobile part of the median lobe of the aedeagus. The origin of O. (C.) senczuki sp. n. is estimated to lie in the Late Miocene (~9 Mya); the ancestors of this taxon probably remained isolated from populations of the related taxa of the Ochthebius (Cobalius) subinteger and O. (Cobalius) adriaticus complexes during cycles of regressive and transgressive marine phases that occurred in the SW Mediterranean during Late Miocene and Pliocene. The detailed state of the art of members of the O. (Cobalius) adriaticus complex throughout the Central and Eastern Mediterranean rocky coastal areas is also preliminarily discussed.