Exocelina vovai Shaverdo & Balke

Shaverdo, Helena, Sagata, Katayo, Panjaitan, Rawati, Menufandu, Herlina & Balke, Michael, 2014, Description of 23 new species of the Exocelinaekari-group from New Guinea, with a key to all representatives of the species group (Coleoptera, Dytiscidae, Copelatinae), ZooKeys 468, pp. 1-83 : 31-32

Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Dytiscidae

22. Exocelina vovai Shaverdo & Balke sp. n. Figs 16, 44

Exocelina undescribed sp. MB1372: Toussaint et al. 2014: Supplementary figs 1-4, Tab. 2.

Type locality.

Papua New Guinea: Morobe Province, Menyamya, Mt. Inji, approximately 07° 14.81S; 146° 01.33E.

Type material.

Holotype: male "Papua New Guinea: Morobe, Menyamya, Mt Inji, 1900m, 14.xi.2006, nr 07.14.813S 146.01.330E, Balke & Kinibel (PNG 97)" (ZSM). Paratypes: 10 males, 9 females with the same label as the holotype, one male additionally with a green label "DNA M.Balke 1378" (NHMW, ZSM).

Additional material:

2 females "Papua New Guinea: Morobe, Menyamya, 4-5h towds Aseki, 1500-2000m, 15.xi.2006, nr 07.14.956S 146.05.687E, Balke & Kinibel (PNG 100)", one of them additionally with a green label "DNA M.Balke 1372" (ZSM).

Diagnosis.

Beetle medium-sized, dark brown to piceous, with paler clypeus, vertex, and pronotal sides, matt; pronotum with distinct lateral bead; male antennomeres 3-5 evidently enlarged, almost equal in size, antennomeres 5 slightly rectangular, antennomeres 6 and 7 somewhat enlarged; male protarsomere 4 with large, slender, evidently curved anterolateral hook-like seta; median lobe with weak submedian constriction and apex evidently concave in ventral view and with apex distinctly pointed in lateral view; paramere with shallow notch on dorsal side and subdistal part elongate, with numerous, dense, more or less long, thin setae. The species is similar to Exocelina gorokaensis sp. n., from which differs with duller dorsal surface due to denser punctation and stronger microreticulation, as well as larger and sometimes less rounded male antennomeres 3-5, paramere with shallow notch on dorsal side, and smaller median lobe, with apex evidently concave in ventral view and distinctly pointed in lateral view. Also it is similar to Exocelina bismarckensis sp. n. from which differs with broader and more oval habitus, less rounded male antennomeres 3-5, narrower median lobe, with apex less rounded and evidently concave in ventral view and stronger pointed in lateral view.

Description.

Size and shape: Beetle medium-sized (TL-H 3.85-4.2 mm, TL 4.4-4.65 mm, MW 2.1-2.3 mm), with oblong-oval habitus, broadest at elytral middle. Coloration: Dorsal surface more or less uniform dark brown to piceous, paler on clypeus, vertex, pronotal sides, and along elytral suture; head appendages and legs yellowish red to dark reddish, legs darker distally (Fig. 44). Teneral specimens paler.

Surface sculpture: Head with very dense, coarse punctation (spaces between punctures 1-2 times size of punctures). Pronotum with punctation finer than on head. Elytra with punctation sparser than on pronotum. Pronotum and elytra with rather strongly impressed microreticulation, dorsal surface matt. Head with microreticulation stronger. Metaventrite and metacoxa distinctly microreticulate, metacoxal figs with longitudinal strioles and transverse wrinkles. Abdominal ventrites with distinct microreticulation, strioles, and fine sparse punctation, coarser and denser on two last abdominal ventrites.

Structures: Pronotum with distinct lateral bead. Base of prosternum and neck of prosternal process and neck of prosternal process with distinct ridge, smooth and not rounded anteriorly, with small anterolateral extensions. Blade of prosternal process lanceolate, relatively narrow, convex, with distinct lateral bead and few setae; neck and blade of prosternal process evenly jointed. Abdominal ventrite 6 broadly rounded or slightly truncate apically.

Male: Antennomeres 3-5 evidently enlarged, almost equal in size, antennomeres 5 slightly rectangular, antennomeres 6 and 7 somewhat enlarged (Fig. 16A), antennomeres 3-7 rugose ventrally. Protarsomere 4 with large, slender, evidently curved anterolateral hook. Protarsomere 5 ventrally with anterior row of 20 and posterior row of 4 short setae (Fig. 16B). Abdominal ventrite 6 with 5-10 lateral striae on each side, slightly truncate apically. Median lobe with weak submedian constriction and apex evidently concave in ventral view and with apex distinctly pointed in lateral view (Fig. 16C, D). Paramere with shallow notch on dorsal side and subdistal part elongate, with numerous, dense, more or less long, thin setae (Fig. 16E).

Holotype: TL-H 4.2 mm, TL 4.65 mm, MW 2.3 mm.

Female: Antennae simple, abdominal ventrite 6 broadly rounded apically, without striae.

Distribution.

Papua New Guinea: Morobe Province. This species is known only from Menyamya area (Fig. 53).

Etymology.

The species is named for brother of the senior author, Vladimir (Vova) Shaverdo, with her sincere thanks for his help and interest in my life.