Sporades (Perileptosporades) jaechi, Liebherr, 2020

Liebherr, James K., 2020, Sporades jaechi sp. nov. with comments on classification of the New Caledonian genus Sporades Fauvel (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Trechini, Trechodina), ZooKeys 908, pp. 123-136 : 123

Sporades (Perileptosporades) jaechi sp. nov. Figures 1 , 2-4 , 5

Type material.

Holotype male, point mounted, dissected, apical three abdominal ventrites glued onto point (NHMW), labelled: NEW CALEDONIA (NC 27) / N-Prov., Poum Com. / unnamed river / 9.XI.2016, leg. M.A. Jäch // ca. 7 km NE Poum / ca. 15 m a.s.l. / 20°12'18.3"S 164°5'27.7" / almost dried out lowland river // HOLOTYPE / Sporades / jaechi / J.K. Liebherr 2019 (black-margined red label) // polyethylene genitalia vial on pin.

Diagnosis.

Assignable to the subtribe Trechodina based on the tridentate mandibles bearing an obtuse tooth between the mola and retinaculum ( Jeannel 1926: 396), and the male aedeagus with a membranous dorsal surface, the basal sclerotization limited to lateral apophyses (Fig. 4 ). This species is placeable in Sporades based on the little-convex, sparsely setose elytral surface, the quadrate pronotum with basal margin little protruded and unbordered medially, and the basal male protarsomere alone dilated ( Uéno 1966). This species is assignable to subgenus Perileptosporades based on the trilobed labrum, with a well-developed median tooth in the apical excavation, and the lateral pronotal setae placed very near the front angles (Fig. 1 ; Deuve 2010: figs 2, 3; Donabauer 2011: fig. 1). Among the five sg. Perileptosporades spp., this species shares the glabrous pronotum with S. (P.) modestior Deuve and S. (P.) schuhi Donabauer. However, this species can be diagnosed from both by the convex pronotal anterior marginal collar associated with the well-developed, arcuate anterior transverse impression (Fig. 1 ). In contrast, S. (P.) schuhi has the anterior transverse impression obsolete with the medioanterior portion of the pronotum flat, and S. (P.) modestior has the anterior transverse impression shallower, meeting the median impression at an angulate juncture.

Description.

Male holotype body length 3.0 mm from mandibular apex to elytral apex. Head, pronotum, elytra and femora ferruginous, maxillary and labial palpi flavous, all antennomeres rufoflavous, and tibiae and tarsomeres rufobrunneous; head and pronotum with well-developed microsculpture, isodiametric to transversely stretched isodiametric medially on frons, vertex and pronotal disc, more transverse on ocular lobes and lateral margins of pronotum; elytra glossy, transverse sculpticells partially covering convexities surrounding depressions associated with setal insertions of elytral pelage.

Head broad, HW/PW = 0.92, eyes convex but outer curvature consistent with that of ocular lobe behind eye; frontal grooves deepest between hind margins of eyes and anterad near fronto-clypeal suture; two supraorbital setae; four clypeal setae; labrum deeply and arcuately excavate medially, with a distinct obtuse tooth along midline of excavation; mandibles elongate, distance from dorsal condyle of left mandible to mandibular apex ~ 2 × distance from condyle to anterolateral apex of labrum; antennae filiform, antennomere IX length 4 × maximal breadth; submentum with six setae arcuately arranged across width of convexity fused to gula; mentum with oblique longitudinal depressions terminated posterad mentum setae, and with acute median tooth bearing a longitudinal median groove; ligula convex medially, paraglossae porrect, elongate ( Jeannel 1926: fig. 285); maxillary palpomeres elongate, penultimate palpomere expanded on medial surface, length 2.2 × length of narrow, spindle-like apical palpomere; all antennomeres setose; vertex with sparse setal pelage, the setal insertions not disturbing surface, genae more densely setose posterad eyes, and eyes sparsely setose, the setae shorter; ventral surface of head capsule glabrous except for one macroseta at ventral terminus of groove defining ocular lobe, and sparse short setae anterad groove near maxillary fossa.

Pronotum moderately broad, PW/PL = 1.31; base constricted, PA/PB = 1.11, PW/PB = 1.32, hind angles narrowly rounded, protuberant, basal pronotal setae set on concave margin anterad angle; median base straight, forming a transverse collar extended posterad finely margined lateral lobes bearing hind angles, the base finely margined across width, isolated from disc by broad, well-developed basal transverse impression that is deepest and narrowest anterad carinate hind pronotal margin mesad hind angles; median longitudinal impression fine and shallow on disc; anterior transverse impression broad and deep, extended to front margin mesad front angles and defining a broadly convex anterior collar that is distinguished from the disc by its glossy surface due to very shallowly margined sculpticells; front angles nearly imperceptibly protruded, the pronotal margin rounded there to the narrow lateral marginal depression; anterior pronotal setae placed far forward along margin, 0.19 × distance from front posterad to hind angle.

Elytra elongate, quadrate, lateral margins nearly parallel at midlength, the elytra broadest near apical 1/4, EW/EL = 1.62; disc flat to slightly depressed laterad elevated sutural interval; parascutellar seta present mesad base of stria 1, equidistant from stria and basal groove; basal groove slightly recurved from sutural stria to broadly rounded humeri; lateral marginal depression narrow but with sculpticells visible at depth, depression broadest anterad very short recurrent stria, elytral margin slightly concave there; striae 2 and 3 traceable on disc, though depressions are obscured by punctures associated with elytral setal pelage, outer striae not visible; two dorsal elytral setae present in third stria, plus a third posterior seta present mesad apex of very shallow, difficult to trace recurrent stria; subapical and apical setae present, former at base of recurrent stria, latter inside marginal bead near rounded elytral apex; lateral elytral setae arranged as four anterior setae posterad humerus, two setae isolated ~ 0.650.70 × elytral length, and two setae laterad recurrent stria at ~ 0.90 × elytral length; elytral surface covered with setal pelage, the setae as long as the distances between them, their arrangement tending to longitudinal series of setae, especially traceable in the sutural stria; metathoracic flight wings fully developed with complete venation.

Ventral surface bearing both macrosetae and a shorter setal pelage; prosternum with setal pelage medially and a transverse series of ten macrosetae along anterior margin; metathoracic ventrites and metacoxae with setal pelage; abdominal ventrites with setal pelage of similar development to that of elytra; apical ventrite of male with one seta on each side along apical margin which is slightly concave along midline.

Male genitalia.

(N = 1). Aedeagus lightly sclerotized, small relative to large, λ-shaped antecostal apodeme of abdominal segment IX (Fig. 2 ); median lobe elongate with broad, broadly downturned apex (Figs 3 , 4 ), apex bearing furrow on left side associated with ostial opening (Fig. 4 ); internal sac without evidence of sclerites, although spicules on sac surface visible near midlength in non-everted dissection; parameres robustly defined, left broader basally with rounded apex, right narrower overall, both with three apical setae.

Etymology.

This species is named to honor the collector of the unique holotype, Dr. Manfred Jäch; a noted world authority on water beetle systematics and biodiversity.

Distribution and habitat.

Known only from northernmost Grande Terre (Fig. 5 ). The almost dried out river at the type locality is approximately "5-7 m wide, in dense forest, with residual pools, substrate: sand; most specimens collected from submerged leaf packs (covered by sand and mud) at margin of residual pool (~ 5 × 10 m) (M. Jäch, pers. comm.)".

Figures

Figure 1. Sporades jaechi sp. nov. holotype male; body length 3.0 mm.

Figure 5. Distributional records for species of subgenus Sporades species of subgenus Perileptosporades.

Figures 2 - 4. Male aedeagus of Sporades jaechi holotype: 2 aedeagus in situ with laterotergite IX and tergites of abdominal segments VIII and IX 3 male aedeagus, dextral view 4 male aedeagus, sinistral view. Abbreviations: ae, aedeagus; lt IX, laterotergite IX; mt VIII, mediotergite VIII; mt IX, mediotergite IX; lp, left paramere; rp; right paramere. Scale bars 0.10 mm.