Exocelina wannangensis 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 : 33-34

Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Dytiscidae

23. Exocelina wannangensis Shaverdo & Balke sp. n. Figs 7, 35

Exocelina undescribed sp. MB3761: Toussaint et al. 2014: Supplementary figs 1-4, Tab. 2.

Type locality.

Papua New Guinea: Madang Province, Usino, 05°31.13'S; 145°25.32'E.

Type material.

Holotype: male "Papua New Guinea: Madang, Usino, 260m, 15.iii.2007, 05.31.125S 145.25.316E, Kinibel (PNG 158)" (ZSM). Paratypes: 11 males, 14 females with the same label as the holotype (NHMW, ZSM). 3 males, 2 females "Papua New Guinea: Madang, Wannang, 270m 31.x.2008, 05.15.458S 145.02.389E, Posman, (PNG187)" (NHMW, ZSM). 6 males, 7 females "Papua New Guinea: Madang, Wannang, 230m 3.x.2008, 05.17.235S 145.06.160E, Posman (PNG188)", two males additionally with green labels "DNA M.Balke 3761", "DNA M.Balke 3762" (NHMW, ZSM).

Diagnosis.

Beetle small, with head and pronotum red to reddish brown and elytra dark brown, shiny; pronotum with narrow, in some specimens indistinct lateral bead; male antennomeres modified: antennomeres 3-5 larger and more rounded than other, antennomeres 6, 7 somehow enlarged; male protarsomere 4 with large, thick, strongly curved anterolateral hook-like seta; median lobe slender, with strong submedian constriction in ventral view and elongate apex in lateral view; paramere with strong notch on dorsal side and subdistal part slightly elongate, broad, with long, dense, relatively thick setae. The species is similar to the complex of the following species: Exocelina edeltraudae , Exocelina pseudoedeltraudae sp. n., Exocelina jimiensis sp. n., Exocelina tariensis sp. n., Exocelina simbaiarea sp. n., and Exocelina sandaunensis sp. n. But it differs from all of them with its smaller size, narrow pronotal lateral bead, less modified male antennomeres, and structure and setation of the male genitalia.

Description.

Size and shape: Beetle small (TL-H 2.95-3.50 mm, TL 3.25-3.90 mm, MW 1.55-1.85 mm), with oblong-oval habitus, broadest at elytral middle. Coloration: Head red to reddish brown, darker posterior eyes; pronotum red to reddish brown, darker on disc; elytra uniformly dark brown; head appendages red to reddish brown, legs darker, especially metathoracic legs (Fig. 35).

Surface sculpture: Head with dense punctation (spaces between punctures 1-3 times size of punctures), evidently finer and sparser anteriorly; diameter of punctures smaller than diameter of cells of microreticulation. Pronotum with much sparser and finer punctation than on head. Elytra with extremely sparse and fine punctation, almost invisible. Pronotum and elytra with weakly impressed microreticulation, dorsal surface shiny. 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 narrow lateral bead. Some specimens with pronotal lateral bead indistinct and/or reduced at posterior angles. Base of prosternum and neck of prosternal process with distinct ridge, smooth and slightly rounded anteriorly, without anterolateral extensions. Blade of prosternal process lanceolate, relatively broad, convex, with distinct lateral bead and few setae; neck and blade of prosternal process evenly jointed. Abdominal ventrite 6 broadly rounded apically.

Male: Antenna modified: antennomeres 3-5 larger and more rounded than other, antennomeres 6, 7 somehow enlarged (Fig. 7A). Protarsomere 4 with large, thick, strongly curved anterolateral hook-like seta. Protarsomere 5 ventrally with anterior row of 10 short setae and posterior row of 6 short setae (Fig. 7B). Abdominal ventrite 6 with 6-8 lateral striae on each side. Median lobe slender, with strong submedian constriction in ventral view and elongate apex in lateral view (Fig. 7C, D). Paramere with strong notch on dorsal side and subdistal part slightly elongate, broad, with long, dense, relatively thick setae (Fig. 7E).

Holotype: TL-H 3.35 mm, TL 3.65 mm, MW 1.8 mm.

Female: Without evident differences in external morphology from males, except for simple antennae and abdominal ventrite 6 without striae.

Distribution.

Papua New Guinea. This species is known only from Madang Province (Fig. 53).

Etymology.

The name refers to the village of Wannang where this species was first discovered. The name is an adjective in the nominative singular.