Parkerola gigantea ( Broun, 1914 ) Nomura & Leschen, 2015

Nomura, Shûhei & Leschen, Richard A. B., 2015, Myrmecophilous Pselaphinae (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) from New Zealand, The Coleopterists Bulletin 69 (1), pp. 121-152 : 121-152

Parkerola gigantea ( Broun, 1914) , new combination

( Figs. 8 , 9A, C, E, G , 10 , 11 , 23B )

Redescription. Male. Body length 2.76–3.28 mm, width 1.10–1.30 mm, Body stout, thick. Color reddish brown, shiny ( Fig. 8 ).

Head slightly wider than long, strongly convex at antennal tubercles, sparsely covered with short setae on dorsal surface; clypeus very short, arcuate on anterior margin; vertex shallowly concave at middle, with pair of large, shallow excavations around dorsal tentorial pits; postgenae oblique, flattened, sparsely covered with long, erect setae ( Fig. 10A ). Eyes hemispherical, strongly convex, each composed of about 30 facets ( Fig. 10A, B ). Antennae short, elongate, length 1.08–1.30 mm; antennomere I cylindrical, II subglobose, III –VIII each short, narrow, more or less wider than long, successively widened apicad, IX widest, ovoid, slightly longer than wide, shallowly concave on external side, X short and narrow, slightly wider than long, XI longest, narrower than IX, about twice as long as wide, fusiform; relative length (width) of each antennomere from base to apex to width of antennomere I: 1.4 (1.0): 1.0 (1.0): 0.9 (0.9): 0.8 (0.9): 0.8 (0.9): 0.9 (1.0): 1.0 (1.1): 1.0 (1.1): 2.2 (2.1): 1.2 (1.3): 3.2 (1.6). Maxillary palpi short; palpomere IV largest, about 3 times as long as wide, nearly fusiform.

Pronotum slightly longer and wider than head, wider than long, with pair of large lateral projections near middle, pair of large, arcuate excavations just behind lateral projections, pair of lateral longitudinal sulci just inside lateral projection, indistinct median sulcus, large, transverse concavity near basal 1/4 on dorsomedian part, sparsely covered with short setae on dorsal surface ( Fig. 9C, E ). Elytra larger than pronotum, wider than long, weakly convex on dorsal side, each elytron with 2 basimedian and 2 basilateral foveae, subsutural sulcus from most inner fovea, short, broad sulcus from 2 basilateral foveae, sparsely covered with short setae in the basidorsal part, densely covered with long setae in dorsoapical part ( Fig. 10F ). Legs short and stout, mid-tibia rounded on inner apical part.

Abdomen about as large as elytra, wider than long, densely covered with short setae, rounded posteriorly in dosal view; segments IV-VII subequal in length, each with well-separated paratergites on both lateral sides ( Fig. 10G ).

Male genitalia elongate, asymmetrical, gently sclerotized; parameres paired, reduced, convergent at apex; median lobe large, bulbous in basal part, acutely spinulate at left apex, broadened at right apex; endophallus composed of short spine, completely covered by median lobe ( Fig. 11D, E ).

Female. Body length 3.04–3.40 mm, width 1.20–1.30 mm, antennal length 1.06–1.30 mm. Similar to male but differs in having simple antennae; relative length (width) of each antennomere from base to apex to width of antennomere I: 1.4 (1.0): 1.0 (1.0): 0.8 (0.8): 0.8 (0.9): 0.9 (0.9): 0.9 (0.9): 0.9 (0.9): 0.9 (0.9): 1.0 (1.0): 1.0 (0.9); 2.8 (1.3).

Remarks. This is species no. 3530 of Broun (1914:164), who based his description on a single female collected from Mt. Hutt by T. Hall at 2500 ft under a stone with an ant. The BMNH specimen was examined and was confirmed as the holotype. Broun (1914) considered this species “almost a giant” among euplectites and related to Dalma pubescens Sharp , but it is easily separated from members of Dalma by the diagnostic characters above.

Distribution. South Island. Nelson (NN), Mid Canterbury (MC), Westland (WD).

Host Ant. Huberia striata (Myrmecinae) .

Specimens Examined. Types: Holotype, female (BMNH): card-mounted (on new card), “Type [round label with red border] // 3530 [in Broun’ s hand] // New Zealand [red underline] Broun Coll. Brit. Mus. 1922-482. // Mount Hutt. April 1912. [in Broun’ s hand] // Dalma gigantea ♀. [in Broun’ s hand]” ( Fig. 23B ). Other specimens examined: NN: 1 female, Canaan, Takaka hill, 28. ix. 1961, J. I. Townsend ; 4 males, 4 females, Canaan, Takaka hill, 2200 [ft]; 12. v. 1963, E. S. Gourlay, E. S. Gourlay, Acc. 1970, Ent. Div .; 1 female, Anatoki Forks , 2000 [ft], 31. x. 1931, E. S. Gourlay leg., E. S. Gourlay, Acc. 1970, Ent. Div .; 1 female, Maitai V ., Nelson, ex nest Huberia striata , det. D. Ward 2013, 1. xii. 1971, J. C. Watt leg. MC : 1 male, Scott’ s Gully, nr. Methven , Canterbury, 3. i. 1913, T . Hall leg., 3530, Dalma gigantea Broun., Broun Collection, A. E. Brookes Collection. WD: 1 female, Mt. Arthur , 3000′, 28. i. 1943 (Salis.), E. S. Gourlay leg., E. S. Gourlay, Acc. 1970, Ent. Div .

Figures

Fig. 8. Parkerola gigantea, habitus. A) Male, B) Female. Scale = 1 mm.

Fig. 9. Characters of Parkerola gigantea and Dalma sp. A) P. gigantea, male left antenna, B) Dalma sp., left antenna, C) P. gigantea, male pronotum, D) Dalma sp., pronotum, E) P. gigantea, postero-lateral part of male pronotum, F) Dalma sp., postero-lateral part of pronotum, G) P. gigantea, basal part of male elytron, H) Dalma sp., basal part of elytron.

Fig. 10. Parkerola gigantea, male. A) Head and pronotum, dorsal view, B) Head and pronotum, ventral view, C) Right maxillary palpus, ventral view, D) Pronotum, ventral view, E) Meso- and metathoraces, ventral view, F) Elytra, G) Abdomen, dorsal view, H) Abdomen, ventral view.

Fig. 11. Parkerola gigantea, male. A) Abdominal tergite VIII, B) Sternite VIII, C) Tergite IX (two lateral plates) and sternite IX (middle plate), D) Genitalia, ventral view, E) Genitalia, lateral view.

Fig. 23. Type specimens and their original labels. A) Kenocoelus dimorphus, B) “Dalma” gigantea, C) Neosampa granulata.