Parhydraena maculicollis, Perkins, 2009

Perkins, Philip D., 2009, Revisions of the genera Parhydraena Orchymont, Protozantaena Perkins, Decarthrocerus Orchymont, and Parhydraenopsis nomen novum, aquatic and humicolous beetles from Africa and Madagascar, and comparative morphology of the tribe Parhydraenini (Coleoptera: Hydraenidae), Zootaxa 2038, pp. 1-119 : 19-20

Parhydraena maculicollis new species

( Figs. 39, 41, 97)

Type material. Holotype (male): South Africa: KwaZulu-Natal Province, Polela River, Himeville ; NAT 56K-M, marginal vegetation, elev. 2 m, 29° 44' S, 29° 31' E, 13.vi.1972, F. M. Chutter. Deposited in the AMG . Paratypes (2): South Africa: Eastern Cape Province, Upper Wildebees River , site 15, stones in current, 31° 12' S, 28° 5' E, 12.vi.1990 (1 AMG) ; KwaZulu-Natal Province, Same data as holotype (1 AMG) .

Differential diagnosis. Differentiated from other members of the genus by the distinctive pronotal macula; additionally distinguished by the comparatively long maxillary palpi (among the longest in the genus, palpus length/head width ca. 0.91), the rather wide elytral intervals, and, in males, the shape of the 6th abdominal ventrite ( Fig. 39). The aedeagus, while distinctively unique, perhaps indicates some relationship with P. divisa and P. parva ( Figs. 37, 41, 44).

Description. Size (length/width, mm) holotype: body (length to elytral apices) 1.83/0.75; head 0.29/0.50; pronotum 0.42/0.67, PA 0.50, PB 0.58; elytra 1.13/0.75. Head piceous; pronotum with large dark brown, abruptly margined macula surrounded by testaceous color; semilunate area behind anterior margin without testaceous color, transparent or nearly so; elytra brown; legs and maxillary palpi testaceous, distal 1/2 of last mere very slightly darker than remainder of palpus.

Head with eyes moderately large, in dorsal aspect 8 convex facets in longest series. Ocelli distinct round small shining, each located at base of shallow oblique interocular fovea. Frons on disc distinctly finely punctate, slightly less than 1xef, interstices effacedly microreticulate, weakly shining, 1–2xpd; area between interocular foveae and eye microreticulate, punctate, dull. Clypeus dull, microreticulate and indistinctly punctate, punctures smaller and less dense than those of frons disc, except anterior margin shining. Labrum dull, apicomedially emarginate to form rounded lobe on each side; laterally fringed with short arcuate setae. Maxillary palpi elongate, combined lengths of meres less than width of head (ratio ca. 32/35); ratios of meres 2–4 ca. 11/7/14. Mentum and submentum moderately sparsely finely punctulate, interstices shining.

Pronotum with anterior margin weakly arcuate, median 1/3 with narrow hyaline border. Anterior angles obtuse, widely rounded. Sides rounded, widest at about middle, behind middle gradually attenuate, very weakly sinuate. Posterior angle obtusangulate. Disc with posterior impression slightly deeper than anterior, broadly U-shaped, with median anterior margin more abrupt where disc feebly elevate; punctation much larger and much denser in impressions than on relief, some punctures confluent, each puncture with anterior margin extended posteriorly as narrow ridge, dividing puncture into a pair of two smaller punctures most of which smaller than eye-facet, indistinct, short recumbent or decumbent seta arising from posterior extreme of dividing ridge; interstices on relief ca. 2–5xpd, strongly shining; shallow wide impression at each posterior angle. Sculpture laterally not as dense as in impressions, dull.

Elytra elongate-ovate, sides weakly arcuate, margins distinct from shoulder for 4/5 of length. Ten-seriate punctate, only first series striate-impressed, in distal 1/2; punctures ca. 2xef, longitudinally separated 0.5–1xpd, becoming finer and shallower on apical declivity. Interval width 2–3xpd, shining, each with unilinear or irregular row of minute granules, each granule at its posterior side with short recumbent seta, setae very similar in length and density to setae of serial punctures.

Metaventrite with moderately deep median elongate oval impression in basal 1/2, midlongitudinal weak groove in impression, midlongitudinal shining carina between anterior extreme of oval impression and mesoventral intercoxal process. Metaventrite and abdominal ventrites 1–4 hydrofuge pubescent. Ventrite 5 hydrofuge pubescent in basal 1/3 laterally, posterior margin of pubescent area produced in middle to 4/5 length of ventrite, where pubescence slightly longer than lateral pubescence; shining part of ventrite 5 very sparsely pubescent. Ventrite 6 very weakly, effacedly microreticulate, shining; basomedian area very weakly raised, posterior margin abrupt and somewhat widely V-shaped. Last ventrite asymmetrical, apex lobiform and setose; last tergite with tuft of setae on each side of apicomedian notch into which fits lobe of last ventrite. Female unknown.

Legs moderately long and slender, combined lengths of metatibia and metatarsus greater than width of head (ratio ca. 46/35), ratio of lengths of metatibia/metatarsus ca. 25/21. Basal 3 pro- and mesotarsomeres, in male, with pad of suction setae.

Wings fully developed in holotype and all dissected males.

Aedeagus length ca. 0.44 mm; main-piece in ventral view with strong lobe on left side, in lateral view main-piece very wide, basal ring very large; distal piece large, mitt-shaped ( Fig. 41).

Etymology. Named in reference to the pronotal macula.

Distribution. Currently known from two moderately widely separated localities, one each in KwaZulu- Natal Province and Eastern Cape Province ( Fig. 97).