Ovolara monteithi, Barr & Shepard, 2021

Barr, Cheryl B. & Shepard, William D., 2021, A review of the Larainae of Australia with description of seven new species and the new genus Australara (Coleoptera, Byrrhoidea, Elmidae), ZooKeys 1073, pp. 55-117 : 55

Ovolara monteithi sp. nov.

Figs 6 , 30 , 31

Type locality.

Millaa Millaa Falls Park; 17.495°S, 145.611°E; Millaa Millaa, north Queensland, Australia.

Type material.

Holotype male. "Millaa Millaa, / 9.i.1964, N.Qld. / G. Monteith // EX UQIC / DONATED / 2011 // HOLOTYPE / Ovolara / Ovolara monteithi / Barr & Shepard" [red label, handwritten]. Dry pinned. Deposited in the Queensland Museum, South Brisbane; Registration Number QM T250614. Paratypes (33). Same data as for holotype (2 EMEC, 4 QM); QLD. Gordonvale / Apr. 1946 / J.G.Brooks // J. G. Brooks / Bequest, 1976 // Genitalia prep. / HO-259 ♂ / A.Calder 1997 (1 ANIC); Henrietta Ck., / Palmerston Nat. / Pk., N.Qld. / 29.xii.1964. / G. Monteith // EX UQIC / DONATED / 2011 (2 EMEC, 6 QM); same data as for preceding; 5.xii.1965 (2 QM); same locality; Henrietta Ck., / Palmerston Nat. Pk. / 29.xii.1964. N.Qld. / H.A.Rose. / UQIC / SPECIMEN (2 QM); Stewarts Ck. / Daintree N.Q. / 24.ix.67 Q356 / J.G.Brooks. // J. G. Brooks / Bequest, 1976 // Genitalia prep. / HO-262 ♂ / A.Calder 1997 (1 ANIC); "The Boulders" Via / Babinda, N.Qld. / 15.xii.1966. / B. Cantrell // EX UQIC / DONATED / 2011 (4 QM); Upper Mulgrave / River, N.Qld. / 1-3.xii.1965. / G. Monteith // EX UQIC / DONATED / 2011 (1 QM); Upper Mulgrave River, / 30.iv.1970, N.Qld. / G. B. Monteith // EX UQIC / DONATED / 2011 (2 EMEC, 6 QM). Paratypes all with the following label: PARATYPE / Ovolara / Ovolara monteithi / Barr & Shepard [yellow label, printed].

Differential diagnosis.

Ovolara monteithi (Figs 30 , 31 ) can be distinguished from other species of Ovolara (Figs 23 - 26 , 28 , 29 ) by a combination of the following characters: Antennae clavate, elongate; pronotum smooth, unsculptured, pronotal base flat; pronotal basal sublateral carinae as long or longer than the scutellar shield; each elytron with a short accessory basal stria of 1-3 punctures between striae 1 and 2; apical elytral punctures large and deep; and aedeagus (Fig. 31 ) with the penis lateral margins evenly convergent to an acute apex.

Ovolara australis (Fig. 23 ) has an antenna with a stout, moderately tight, ovoid club and a sculptured pronotum with a distinct longitudinal sulcus and costa; and an aedeagus (Fig. 24 ) with the penis abruptly constricted at the apex and the adjacent paramere apices rounded. Ovolara lawrencei (Fig. 25 ) has the pronotal basal margin protuberant between the prescutellar fovea; the pronotal basal sublateral carinae generally shorter than the length of the scutellar shield; no elytral accessory striae; and a unique aedeagus (Fig. 26 ) with the paramere inner margins linear and clasping the apical 1/3 of the tapered, narrow penis. In O. leai (Fig. 28 ), the apical elytral punctures are smaller and shallower than those more basal; and the aedeagus (Fig. 29 ) has a penis that is abruptly constricted at the middle, and paramere apices that are rounded, each bearing an inner tooth. All species, except for O. australis , are fairly similar externally, and the above characters are somewhat variable and overlapping. Fortunately the male genitalia (Fig. 31 ) are distinctive and diagnostic.

Description

(n = 34). Body: Size 2.9-3.6 mm long, 1.2-1.5 mm wide (n = 11). Dorsal color medium to dark brown; head black; first two antennomeres, trochanters, basal 3/4 of femora yellow or yellow-brown; tibiae brown or black; apical antennomeres, tarsi brown; venter including coxae yellow-brown or red-brown. Dorsum covered with short, dense, erect and semi-erect, pale yellow setae, cuticle shiny beneath setae; venter covered with longer, dense, semi-erect and recumbent setae. Head: Densely punctate, punctures <1 diameter apart, sometimes nearly contiguous. Eye weakly protruding, finely faceted, with a dorsal fringe of long setae curved over eye. Antenna with eleven antennomeres; antennomere 1 elongate, nearly cylindrical, arcuate, with long setae near apex; antennomere 2 subspherical with long, curved setae; antennomere 3 elongate, narrow; antennomere 4 smallest; antennomeres 3-11 forming a tight, elongate club; antennomere 11 largest, apex round. Frons smooth, without impressions or carinae; frontoclypeal suture distinct, weakly arcuate. Clypeus broadly rectangular, 3 × wider than long, anterior margin arcuate; disc coarsely punctate. Labrum 2 × wider than long; disc punctate; anterior margin with short, dense, pale yellow setae, anterolateral angles with dense brushes of long, yellow, curved setae. Maxillary palpus with four palpomeres, 3 + 4 capitate, all very setose; palpomere 1 annular, short; palpomere 2 fusiform, 2 × as long as wide, with tuft of long setae on medial surface; palpomere 3 asymmetrical, wider than long; palpomere 4 subovoid, longer and wider than 2, apex obliquely truncate with an oval, pale yellow sensory area. Labial palpus with three palpomeres; palpomere 1 short, annular; palpomere 2 elongate, narrow; palpomere 3 glabrous, rectangular, flattened, much wider than palpomere 2, apex truncate with oval sensory area. Pronotum: Shape trapezoidal, wider than long, widest at base; 0.7-0.9 mm long, 0.9-1.2 mm wide; densely, finely punctate, punctures 1.0-1.5 diameters apart. Anterior margin arcuate; lateral margins nearly straight, narrowly marginate; posterior margin strongly arcuate laterally, straight anterior to scutellar shield; anterior angles obsolete, posterior angles almost 90°. Disc mostly smooth, slightly flattened; two basal, sublateral carinae as long as 1/4 pronotal length or shorter; disc shallowly depressed around bases of carinae; two small prescutellar foveae, anterolateral disc slightly depressed or not. Scutellar shield: Subtriangular; disc weakly convex, finely setose. Elytron: 2.2-2.7 mm long, 0.6-0.8 mm wide. Elytra conjointly almost 2 × as long as wide, widest at 1/2 distance from base; lateral margins narrowly marginate. Humerus inflated, moderately prominent; elytral base depressed between humerus and scutellar shield; disc evenly convex, with ten striae and a very short, accessory, basal stria of 1-3 punctures between striae 1 and 2; striae 2, 3, 9, and 10 ending before reaching posterior margin; punctures deep and moderately large from base to apex, diameters smaller in rows closer to suture, becoming larger laterally; intervals mostly flat. Metathoracic wings: Macropterous. Prosternum: Extending anteriorly beneath head, shorter anterior to procoxae than length of prosternal process; anterior margin narrowly marginate; prosternal process broad, widely margined, with a low, rounded, median longitudinal carina; process arrowhead-shaped, narrowed and arcuate between procoxae, expanded laterally posterior to coxae, broadly triangular at apex, tip rounded. Mesoventrite: Short, wide; with a deep, broad, U-shaped mesoventral cavity to receive prosternal process; anteromedial margin raised; posterior margin nearly straight. Metaventrite: Broadly rectangular, anterior margin straight; disc posteromedially depressed, laterally convex; discrimen more deeply incised posteriorly than anteriorly; metakatepisternal suture shallow; disc laterally with irregularly spaced, large punctures, medially devoid of punctures. Legs: Setose; relatively short, similar in length, each leg with femur slightly shorter than tibia; tarsus with tarsomere 5 as long as 1-4 combined, protarsomere 5 with a single long, curved seta at dorsal apex; claws simple, short, slender, acute. Coxae yellow-brown or red-brown, metacoxae deeply sulcate; femora with basal 3/4 yellow or yellow-brown, apical 1/4 brown; tibiae brown or black, straight; mesotibiae with posterior surfaces flat, glabrous, shiny; tarsi brown. Abdomen: Five ventrites; all punctate, punctures spaced one diameter apart; ventrite 1 with equilaterally triangular intercoxal projection; ventrites 2-4 broadly rectangular, each with a pair of small lobed processes on posterolateral margins; ventrites 3 and 4 with posterior margin thickened and slightly raised; ventrite 5 densely setose, slightly flattened, broadly triangular, lateral margins weakly curved to widely rounded apex. Aedeagus: Phallobase short, shorter than parameres and penis; penis slightly longer than parameres (Fig. 31 ). Phallobase open dorsally with parameres deeply inserted. Parameres in dorsal view (Fig. 31A ) widest basally, narrowest at apical 1/3; lateral margins gradually convergent; medial margins gradually divergent in basal 2/3, moderately arcuate in apical 1/3, apices narrowly rounded. Penis in dorsal view (Fig. 31A ) with lateral margins evenly convergent to acute apex; penis laterally flattened near apex, dorsolateral margins with two thin, dark carinae; no visible corona; basal apophyses long, 2/3-3/4 as long as phallobase, straight, broad, blunt at tips. Paramere in lateral view (Fig. 31B ) subtriangular at basal 2/3, dorsal margin weakly arcuate, ventral margin nearly straight; narrowed abruptly at apical 1/3, apex curved ventrally, rounded at tip. Penis in lateral view (Fig. 31B ) with apex curved ventrally, tip broadly rounded, wider than paramere tip. Fibula absent.

Variation.

Very little morphological variation was noted except for differences in the number of punctures (1-3) in the elytral accessory striae, which is sometimes variable between elytra on the same individual. Differences were also observed in the length of the pronotal sublateral carinae which can be up to 1/4 the length of the pronotum or shorter. Measured specimens vary in size from 2.9-3.6 mm long and 1.2-1.5 mm wide (n = 11). The sizes of the males and females overlap, but the females are generally larger than the males: females 3.2-3.6 long, 1.3-1.5 mm wide (n = 6); males 2.9-3.4 mm long, 1.2-1.4 mm wide (n = 5).

Etymology.

The specific epithet monteithi, a noun in the genitive case, is given in honor of Geoffrey Monteith of the Queensland Museum who has collected> 200,000 insects, including nearly all of the specimens of Elmidae housed there.

Distribution.

Ovolara monteithi occurs in north Queensland, Australia (Fig. 6 ).

Habitat.

The specimens collected at the type locality, Millaa Millaa Falls Park on the Atherton Tableland, were taken at mercury vapor light near a large waterfall at 780 m elevation (G. Monteith, in litt.). The other six collection localities included streams and small rivers in rainforest, remnant rainforest, and farmland habitats at elevations from 20-850 m. Most of the QM specimens were collected at mercury vapor lights near streams and rivers (G. Monteith, in litt.).

Associated byrrhoid taxa.

Elmidae : Larainae : Australara glaisteri sp. nov., Ovolara lawrencei sp. nov., O. leai , Potamophilinus papuanus , Stetholus longipennis sp. nov.

Figures

Figures 1 - 12. Geographical distribution of species records 1 Australara glaisteri gen. nov., sp. nov. 2 Hydora laticeps 3 Ovolara australis 4 Ovolara lawrencei sp. nov. 5 Ovolara leai 6 Ovolara monteithi sp. nov. 7 Potamophilinus papuanus 8 Stetholus carinatus sp. nov. 9 Stetholus elongatus 10 Stetholus longipennis sp. nov. 11 Stetholus metatibialis sp. nov. 12 Stetholus woronora sp. nov.

Figures 30, 31. Ovolara monteithi sp. nov. 30 female habitus, 3.6 mm long A dorsal B ventral 31 male genitalia A dorsal view B lateral view C ventral view.

Figures 23, 24. Ovolara australis, male 23 habitus, 4.1 mm long A dorsal B ventral 24 male genitalia A dorsal view B lateral view C ventral view.

Figures 25, 26. Ovolara lawrencei sp. nov., male 25 habitus, 3.0 mm long A dorsal B ventral 26 male genitalia A dorsal view B lateral view C ventral view.

Figures 28, 29. Ovolara leai, male 28 habitus, 3.4 mm long A dorsal B ventral 29 male genitalia A dorsal view B lateral view C ventral view.