Exocelina aseki Shaverdo & Balke

Shaverdo, Helena, Surbakti, Suriani, Warikar, Evie L., Sagata, Katayo & Balke, Michael, 2019, Nine new species groups, 15 new species, and one new subspecies of New Guinea diving beetles of the genus Exocelina Broun, 1886 (Coleoptera, Dytiscidae, Copelatinae), ZooKeys 878, pp. 73-143 : 73

publication ID	https://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.878.37403
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:192214DE-1D38-467B-A577-ECD16EC5EAB5
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/6253C250-9E5C-454C-86FD-ED376372D449
taxon LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:act:6253C250-9E5C-454C-86FD-ED376372D449
treatment provided by	ZooKeys by Pensoft
scientific name	Exocelina aseki Shaverdo & Balke
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

10. Exocelina aseki Shaverdo & Balke sp. nov. Figs 21 View Figures 20, 21 , 22-23 View Figures 22, 23 , 49 View Figures 46–49

Type locality.

Papua New Guinea: Morobe Province, Aseki, Oiwa, ca. 07°21'01.5"S, 146°11'38.4"E, 1600-1700 m a.s.l.

Type material.

Holotype: male "PAPUA N. G.: Morobe Prov. Aseki, Oiwa, 1600-1700 m, 11.-12.3.1998 leg. A. Riedel", "SEM 19" (NHMW).

Description.

Body size and form: Beetle small: TL-H 3.4 mm, TL 3.8 mm, MW 1.8 mm, with oblong-oval habitus.

Colouration: Reddish brown. Head reddish brown. Pronotum reddish brown, dark brown on disc and almost yellowish on lateral sides. Elytra brown, with reddish sutural lines. Head appendages and legs proximally yellowish, legs distally darker, reddish ( Fig. 26 View Figures 26–29 ).

Surface sculpture: Submatt dorsally, with strong and dense punctation and strongly impressed microreticulation. Head with dense and coarse punctation (spaces between punctures 0-1 times size of punctures); diameter of punctures equal to or larger than diameter of cells of microreticulation. Pronotum and elytra with finer and sparser punctation than on head, very distinct, more even on elytra. Pronotum and elytra with strongly impressed microreticulation; head with microreticulation stronger. Metaventrite, metacoxae, and abdominal ventrites distinctly microreticulate, but shiny. Metacoxal plates with longitudinal strioles and weak transverse wrinkles; abdominal ventrites with strioles. Punctation on venter weak; more distinct on two last abdominal ventrites.

Structures: Pronotum with lateral bead. Base of prosternum and neck of prosternal process with distinct ridge, slightly rounded anteriorly. Blade of prosternal process lanceolate, relatively broad, slightly convex, with distinct bead and few setae laterally. Abdominal ventrite 6 broadly rounded.

Male: Protarsomere 4 with anterolateral seta very long and thin, evenly curved, in size equal to more laterally situated large seta. Protarsomere 5 ventrally with anterior band of ca. 80 and posterior row of ca. 16 relatively long setae, which mixed up medially ( Fig. 30D View Figures 30, 31 ). Abdominal ventrite 6 with 4-6 lateral striae on each side. Median lobe in lateral view with apical lobes distinct but shallow, slightly rounded, “nose” elongate, large ( Fig. 30A, B View Figures 30, 31 ). Paramere as in Fig. 30C View Figures 30, 31 .

Female: Unknown.

Affinities.

From the species co-occurring in the same area (from E. danae , E. ekari , E. broschii , and E. ullrichi groups), E. aseki sp. nov. can be distinguished by its size, dorsal punctation and colouration, shape and setation of its median lobe and paramere, and thin anterolateral seta of the male protarsomere 4. The species is especially similar to E. oiwa sp. nov., from which it can be distinguished by shape of its median lobe. For the affinities within the group, see the “Key”.

Distribution.

Papua New Guinea: Morobe Province ( Fig. 34 View Figure 34 ).

Etymology.

The species is named after Aseki Village. The name is a noun in the nominative singular standing in apposition.