Exocelina ransikiensis, Shaverdo & Panjaitan & Balke & Unipa, 2016

Shaverdo, Helena, Panjaitan, Rawati, Balke, Michael & Unipa, 2016, Exocelina ransikiensissp. nov. from the Bird’s Head of New Guinea (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae: Copelatinae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 56 (1), pp. 103-108 : 104-107

Exocelina ransikiensis sp. nov.

(Figs 1–8)

Exocelina undescribed sp. MB1269: TOUSSAINT et al. (2014): Supplementary figs 1–4, Tab. 2.

Type locality. New Guinea, Bird’s Head Peninsula, approximately 10 km NW from Ransiki, Kali Way, 01°25 ʹ 03 ʺ S, 134°01 ʹ 49 ʺ E, 1300 m a.s.l.

Type material. HOLOTYPE: J, West Papua, ca. 10 km NW Ransiki, Kali Way , 1300 m, 01°25 ʹ 03 ʺ S, 134°01 ʹ 49 ʺ E, 03.III.2007 ( MZB) . PARATYPES: 6 JJ 2 ♀♀, with the same label data as in the holotype ( CASK, NHMW, ZSM). 1 J, West Papua, old road Ransiki to Anggi, 1160 m, 01°25 ʹ 53.6 ʺ S, 134.02 ʹ 45.6 ʺ E, Balke (BH 03, M.Balke 1269), ( ZSM). All types are provided with red printed labels.

Diagnosis. Small, with oblong habitus; coloration red to reddish brown; dorsal surface with strong punctation and microreticulation, matt; pronotum with distinct lateral bead; male antennomeres simple; male protarsomere 4 with large, thick, strongly curved anterolateral hook-like seta; median lobe with continuous outline, slightly tapering in ventral view and with curved apex in lateral view; paramere without notch on dorsal side, with thin, sparse, inconspicuous setae. All these characters can be used to separate the new species from the representatives of the E. ekari -group co-occurring geographically and ecologically with it. Males of all E. ekari -group species from this region have evidently modified antennomeres, thus, the new species can be easily distinguished even from the species with strong punctation and microreticulation of the dorsal surface, e.g., E. anggiensis Shaverdo, Hendrich & Balke, 2012 .

Holotype. TL-H 3.15 mm, TL 3.6 mm, MW 1.7 mm. It is not a teneral specimen.

Etymology. The species is named after Ransiki Village. The name is an adjective in the nominative singular.

Collecting circumstances. The species is associated with running water, similar to nearly all other New Guinean Exocelina species ( SHAVERDO et al. 2012). Most specimens were sampled at the foot of a slope where collected (temporal and/or ground) water formed channel-like outflows, which were completely without vegetation and with a bottom of relatively solid ground with deep crevices. One beetle was collected from a forest stream.

Distribution and habitat. New Guinea: eastern part of the Bird’s Head Peninsula. This species is known only from the Ransiki region: along the old road from Ransiki village to the Anggi Lakes.