Exocelina bismarckensis 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 : 3-6

Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Dytiscidae

2. Exocelina bismarckensis Shaverdo & Balke sp. n. Figs 15, 43

Exocelina undescribed spp. MB1306, MB1369: Toussaint et al. 2014: Supplementary figs 1-4, Tab. 2.

Type locality.

Papua New Guinea: Eastern Highlands Province, Akameku - Brahmin, Bismarck Range, 05°56.80'S; 145°22.24'E.

Type material.

Holotype: male "Papua New Guinea: Eastern Highlands, Akameku - Brahmin, Bismarck Range, 2200m, 23.xi.2006, 05.56.801S 145.22.238E, Balke & Kinibel (PNG 106)" (ZSM). Paratypes: Eastern Highlands: 15 males, 12 females with the same label as the holotype (NHMW, ZSM). 9 males, 11 females "Papua New Guinea: Eastern Highlands, Akameku - Brahmin, Bismarck Range, 2400m, 23.xi.2006, 05.55.615S 145.22.699E, Balke & Kinibel (PNG 107)" (NHMW, ZSM). 8 males, 3 females "Papua New Guinea: Eastern Highlands, Goroka, Mt. Gahavisuka, 2200m, 8.iv.2006, 06.00.896S 145.24.753E, Balke & Sagata (PNG 35)" (NHMW, ZSM). 9 males "Papua New Guinea: Eastern Highlands, Goroka, Daulo Pass, 2500m, 19.v.2006, 06.02.432S 145.13.333E, John & Balke (PNG 67)", one male additionally with a green label "DNA M.Balke 1306" (NHMW, ZSM). 1 male "Papua New Guinea: Eastern Highlands, 37 km S Goroka, Hogave vill., Mt. Michael, 2179-2800m, 9.-15.vii.2009, 06.22.479S 145.15.256E, Sagata (PNG 230)" (ZSM). Simbu: 2 males, 1 female "Papua New Guinea Simbu prov L. Cizek lgt.", "Kundiawa, Mu vill. 145°02'E 4°42'S [6°05'S; 145°02'E] III.2001, 1900m" (ZSM).

Additional material.

Eastern Highlands: 2 males "Papua New Guinea: Eastern Highlands, Aiyura, 1670m, 5.iv.2006, 06.21.131S 145.54.398E, Balke & Sagata (PNG 32)" (ZSM). 1 male "Papua New Guinea: Eastern Highlands, Aiyura, creek, 1670 m, 20.v.2006, 06.21.131S 145.54.398E, John & Balke (PNG 70)", "DNA M.Balke 1310" [green] (ZSM). 2 males "Papua New Guinea: Eastern Highlands, Onerunka, small creek, red soil /rock, 1700m, 21.v.2006, 06.20.936S 145.46.874E, John & Balke (PNG 71)", one male additionally with a green label "DNA M.Balke 1304" (ZSM). 6 males "Papua New Guinea: Eastern Highlands, Kimiagomo vill, north Okapa stn, 1900, 30.iv.2006, 06.25.407S 145.34.480E, Sagata (PNG 80)" (NHMW, ZSM). 2 males "Papua New Guinea: Eastern Highlands, Wapi Creek, Kimiagomo, Okapa,, 1900m, 9.viii.2005, 6 25.407S 145 34.480E, K.Sagata (WB122)" (ZSM). 1 male "Papua New Guinea: EHP, Okapa, Kimiagomo, Wapi Creek, 6.25.407 / 145.34.480, 1900m, 9.viii.2005, Sagata, DNA MB1252" (ZSM). 5 males, 2 females "Papua New Guinea: Eastern Highlands, Yuyulio, Kimiagomo-Okapa, 2100m, 13.iv.2003, 06 25.255S 145 34.233E, K. Sagata (WB7)" (NHMW, ZSM). 1 male, 1 female "Papua New Guinea: Eastern Highlands, Tegupate creek Kimiagomo, Okapa, 1900m, 9.viii.2005, 6 25.407S 145 34.480E, K.Sagata (WB124)" (ZSM). 2 males, 1 female "Papua New Guinea: Eastern Highlands, Marawaka, Ande, 1700m, 8.xi.2005, 07.01.697S 145.49.807E, Balke & Kinibel (PNG 86)" (ZSM). Gulf: 5 males, 1 female "Papua New Guinea: Gulf, Marawaka, Andakombe towards Morobe, 2160m, 12.xi.2006, 07.11.717S 145.51.177E, Balke & Kinibel (PNG 94)", one male and one female additionally with labels "DNA M.Balke 1369" and "DNA M.Balke 1371" respectively (NHMW, ZSM). These specimens are not included in the type series because most of them are teneral and some of them are slightly different from the types in body shape, surface sculpture, and shape of the median lobe. At present, it is impossible to postulate whether they belong to Exocelina bismarckensis sp. n. or one or two additional species; for that more material is requite from the region (Fig. 53).

Diagnosis.

Beetle medium-sized, dark brown to piceous, with paler clypeus, vertex, and pronotal sides, submatt to matt; pronotum with distinct lateral bead; male antennomeres 3-5 evidently enlarged, with margins more or less rounded, almost equal in size, antennomeres 6 and 7 somewhat enlarged; male protarsomere 4 with medium-sized, slender, evidently curved anterolateral hook-like seta; median lobe with weak submedian constriction, distal part broadened, and apex almost rounded in ventral view and thin, curved, and 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 apex of the median lobe rounded in ventral view and narrower in lateral view and paramere with shallow, not distinct notch on dorsal side. From Exocelina vovae sp. n., the species differs with more elongate habitus and apex of the median lobe almost rounded, not distinctly concave in ventral view.

Description.

Size and shape: Beetle medium-sized (TL-H 3.5-4.2 mm, TL 3.9-4.6 mm, MW 1.8-2.2 mm), with oblong habitus, broadest at elytral middle, some specimens with subparallel elytral sides. 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. 43). 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 weaker or stronger impressed microreticulation, dorsal surface submatt to 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 slightly truncate or concave apically.

Male: Antennomeres 3-5 evidently enlarged, almost equal in size, with margins more or less rounded, antennomeres 6 and 7 somewhat enlarged (Fig. 15A), antennomeres 3-7 rugose ventrally. Protarsomere 4 with medium-sized, slender, evidently curved anterolateral hook. Protarsomere 5 ventrally with anterior row of 21 elongate setae and posterior row of 8 shorter setae (Fig. 15B). Abdominal ventrite 6 with 10-13 lateral striae on each side, slightly truncate or concave apically. Median lobe with weak submedian constriction, distal part broadened, and apex more or less rounded in ventral view and thin, curved, and pointed in lateral view, with upper margin sinuate or almost straight (Fig, 15C, D). Paramere with shallow notch on dorsal side and subdistal part elongate, with numerous, dense, more or less long, thin setae (Fig. 15E).

Holotype: TL-H 3.9 mm, TL 4.25 mm, MW 2.05 mm.

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

Variability.

The species shows intra- and interpopulational variability in coloration, body shape, microreticulation, and shape of median lobe and abdominal ventrite 6.

Distribution.

Papua New Guinea: Eastern Highlands and Simbu Provinces. The species is known mainly from Bismarck Range (Fig. 53).

Etymology.

The species is named after Bismarck Range. The name is an adjective in the nominative singular.