Paulianidia parahammondi sp. nov.

(Figs 2 A–H, 3 A, B)

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: DA465603-0C4D-435A-B61B-87A462CC968B

Type material. Holotype: ♁ MADAGASCAR:, Fianarantsoa: 9.0 km NE Ivohibe, camp V, 900 m, 22°25.6 S 46°56.3 E, 12–17.xi.1997. / FMHD#97-510, rainforest, sifted litter (leaf mold, rotten wood), miniWinkler, B.L. Fisher, B ♀ 1757, FIELD MUS. NAT. HIST. / Paulianidia n.sp. ? [hand written] / HOLOTYPE, Paulianidia parahammondi sp. nov., det. K. Koszela, Y.C. Guzman Sarmiento, D. Żyła 2023 [red printed label] (MNHN) .

Paratypes (20 specimens): 3 ♁ MADAGASCAR —CE2010, RANOMAFANA N.P.; 16.–18.xi, S21°14’51” E47°24’13”, 1079 m sifting; P. Baňař lgt. (MMB); 1 ♁ MADAGASCAR —CE2010, RANOMAFANA N.P.; 16.- 18.xi, S21°14’51” E47°24’13”, 1079 m sifting; P. Baňař lgt. / PAULIANIDIA, sp. nov. [hand written], J. Janák det. 2023 (MMB); 1 ♁ RNF/ Sept 2012 /05 MADAGASCAR, RANOMAFANA N.P.; 30.ix.2012, S21°15’20.2” E47°25’27.4’’; 987 m, sifting litter, Winkler app. extraction, L.S. Rahanitriniaina lgt. / PAULIANIDIA, sp. [hand written], J. Janák det. 2017 (MMB); 1 ♁ RNF/ Sept 2012 /05 MADAGASCAR, RANOMAFANA N.P.; 30.ix.2012, S21°15’20.2” E47°25’27.4’’; 987 m, sifting litter, Winkler app. extraction, L.S. Rahanitriniaina lgt. / PAULIANIDIA, sp. nov. [hand written], J. Janák det. 2023 (MMB); 1 ♁ RNF/ Sept 2012 /05 MADAGASCAR, RANOMAFANA N.P.; 30.ix.2012, S21°15’20.2” E47°25’27.4’’; 987 m, sifting litter, Winkler app. extraction, L.S. Rahanitriniaina lgt. (MMB); 6 ♁ RNF/ Sept.2012 /09 MADAGASCAR, RANOMAFANA N.P.; 5.x.2012, S21°16’59.7” E47°25’30.3”; 1126m, VATOHARANANA; sifting litter, Winkler, app. extr.; L.S. Rahanitriniaina lgt. (MMB); 1 ♁ RNF/ Sept.2012 /07 MADAGASCAR, RANOMAFANA N.P.; 3.x.2012, S21°16’42.2” E47°26’18.2”; 1000m, VATOHARANANA; sifting litter, Winkler, app. extr.; L.S. Rahanitriniaina lgt. / PAULIANIDIA, sp. nov. [hand written], J. Janák det. 2023 (JJRC); 1 ♁ RNF/ Sept.2012 /01 MADAGASCAR, RANOMAFANA N.P.; 27.ix.2012, S21°15’40.4” E47°25’16.5”; 1017m, AMBATOLAHIDIMY; sifting litter, Winkler, app. extr.; L.S. Rahanitriniaina lgt. (JJRC); 3 ♁ RNF/ Sept.2012 /10 MADAGASCAR, RANOMAFANA N.P.; 6.x.2012, S21°17’51.8” E47°26’35.1”; 1008m, VALOHOAKA, sifting litter, Winkler, app. extr. L.S. Rahanitriniaina lgt. (JJRC); 2 ♁ RNF/ Sept.2012 /05 MADAGASCAR, RANOMAFANA N.P.; 30.ix.2012, S21°15’20.2” E47°25’27.4”; 1017m, AMBATOLAHIDIMY; sifting litter, Winkler, app. extr.; L.S. Rahanitriniaina lgt. (ZMH). Each specimen with a yellow printed label: PARATYPE, Paulianidia parahammondi sp. nov., det. K. Koszela, Y.C. Guzman Sarmiento, D. Żyła 2023.

Additional material (39 specimens). 4 ♁ 3 ♀ MADAGASCAR —CE2010, RANOMAFANA N.P.; 16.–18.xi, S21°14’51” E47°24’13”, 1079 m sifting; P. Baňař lgt. (MMB); 1 ♁ MADAGASCAR —CE, RANOMAFANA N.P., 16.–18.xi.2010; 1079 m / S21°14’51” E47°24’13”, sifting; P. Baňař lgt. / Paulianidia hammondi Lecoq, J. Janák det. 2011 [printed, crossed] / different pronotum [hand written] (MMB) ; 1 ♁ MADAGASCAR —CE2010, RANOMAFANA N.P. 17 xi., 2010; ~ 960m; sifting by, stream close to main entrance; P. Baňař lgt. / Paulianidia, sp. nov. [hand written], J. Janák det. 2023 / aedeagus lost [hand written] (MMB) ; 4 ♁ 3 ♀ RNF/ Sept.2012 /05 MADAGASCAR, RANOMAFANA N.P.; 30.ix.2012; S21°15’20” E47°25’27.4”; 987 m, sifting litter, Winkler app. extraction, L.S. Rahanitriniaina lgt.(MMB); 6 ♀ RNF/ Sept.2012 /09 MADAGASCAR, RANOMAFANA N.P.; 5.x.2012, S21°16’59.7” E47°25’30.3”; 1126m, VATOHARANANA; sifting litter, Winkler, app. extr.; L.S. Rahanitriniaina lgt. (MMB); 1 ♀ RNF/ Sept.2012 /07 MADAGASCAR, RANOMAFANA N.P.; 3.x.2012, S21°16’42.2” E47°26’18.2”; 1000m, VATOHARANANA; sifting litter, Winkler, app. extr.; L.S. Rahanitriniaina lgt. (MMB); 4 ♀ RNF/ Sept.2012 /10 MADAGASCAR, RANOMAFANA N.P.; 6.x.2012, S21°17’51.8” E47°26’35.1”; 1008m, VALOHOAKA, sifting litter, Winkler, app. extr. L.S. Rahanitriniaina lgt. (MMB); 3 ♁ MADAGASCAR — CE2010, RANOMAFANA N.P.; 16.–18.xi, S21°14’51” E47°24’13”, 1079 m sifting; P. Baňař lgt. (JJRC); 3 ♁ RNF/ Sept.2012 /05 MADAGASCAR, RANOMAFANA N.P.; 30.ix.2012; S21°15’20” E47°25’27.4”; 987 m, sifting litter, Winkler app. extraction, L.S. Rahanitriniaina lgt.(JJRC); 1 ♁ RNF/ Sept.2012 /05 MADAGASCAR, RANOMAFANA N.P.; 30.ix.2012; S21°15’20” E47°25’27.4”; 987 m, sifting litter, Winkler app. extraction, L.S. Rahanitriniaina lgt. / foto [hand written] (JJRC); 1 ♁ RNF/ Sept.2012 /09 MADAGASCAR, RANOMAFANA N.P.; 5.x.2012, S21°16’59.7” E47°25’30.3”; 1126m, VATOHARANANA; sifting litter, Winkler, app. extr.; L.S. Rahanitriniaina lgt. (JJRC); 2 ♀ RNF/ Sept.2012 /10 MADAGASCAR, RANOMAFANA N.P.; 6.x.2012, S21°17’51.8” E47°26’35.1”; 1008m, VALOHOAKA, sifting litter, Winkler, app. extr. L.S. Rahanitriniaina lgt. (JJRC); 2 ♁ MADAGASCAR — CE2010, RANOMAFANA N.P.; 16.–18.xi, S21°14’51” E47°24’13”, 1079 m sifting; P. Baňař lgt. (ZMH); 1 ♁ RNF/ Sept.2012 /05 MADAGASCAR, RANOMAFANA N.P.; 30.ix.2012; S21°15’20” E47°25’27.4”; 987 m, sifting litter, Winkler app. extraction, L.S. Rahanitriniaina lgt. (ZMH); 1 ♁ RNF/ Sept.2012 /09 MADAGASCAR, RANOMAFANA N.P.; 5.x.2012, S21°16’59.7” E47°25’30.3”; 1126m, VATOHARANANA; sifting litter, Winkler, app. extr.; L.S. Rahanitriniaina lgt. / Foto 2 [hand written] (ZMH) .

Description. Body length 4.70–5.30 mm (Fig. 2A). Forebody and elytra brown to dark brown. Antenna, abdomen, legs, and mouthparts light brown to reddish brown.

Head longer than wide, or as long as wide, length 0.70–0.78 mm and width 0.69–0.76 mm, anterior margin slightly convex, posterior margin straight, temples rounded. Eyes 1/3 of temple length. Punctures on frons denser than on clypeus and vertex. Lack of microsculpture. Pair of longer setae in middle on anterior margin of head. Frons with two slightly depressed areas laterally. Length of antenna 1.52–1.67 mm. Antennomere 1 equal to antennomeres 2 and 3 combined. Antennomere 3 longer than antennomere 2. All antennomeres longer than wide, visible stem connecting antennomeres. Labrum bilobed, emargination wide, V-shaped, and shallow. Right mandible with one large and two smaller teeth (middle one largest), left mandible with three teeth, gradually increasing from base to apex. Ventral surface of head with wave-like microsculpture.

Pronotum length 0.72–0.84 mm, width 0.67–0.76 mm, anterior and posterior margins carinate, punctures evenly distributed. Superior marginal line deflexed, inferior marginal line joining superior. Prosternum convex. Elytra longer than wide, or almost as long as wide, length 0.91–1.06 mm and width 0.91–0.98 mm.

Protrochantin tear-shaped. Protibia with several microsetae, and two or three macrosetae near three fully developed protibial combs. Protarsomere 1 longer than protarsomere 2; protarsomeres 3–4 almost same length, slightly shorter than protarsomere 2; protarsomere 4 longest, as long as protarsomeres 1–3 combined. Mesotarsus same proportions as protarsus. Metatrochanter cone-like, with apex blunt. Metatarsomere 1 slightly longer or equal to 2 in length; metatarsomere 3 shorter than 2; metatarsomere 4 shorter than 3; metatarsomere 5 longest, equal to metatarsomeres 1–3 combined.

Male:

Abdomen: Tergites III–VII without emargination. Tergite VIII narrower towards apex, margin slightly convex, without emargination (Fig. 2B). Sternite VII with shallow emargination. Sternite VIII narrower towards apex, Ushaped, emargination deep, reaching 1/3 of sternite length (Fig. 2C).

Aedeagus: Campanulate median lobe. Parameres longer than median lobe, gradually narrowing towards apex, curved inward (Figs 2E–H, 3 A, B).

Female:

Abdomen: Margin of tergite VIII convex. Sternite VII almost straight, with only shallow emargination, shallower than in male. Sternite VIII increasingly narrowed, with slightly convex margin.

Comparative diagnosis. Paulianidia parahammondi sp. nov. (Fig. 2A–H) is most similar in the structure of aedeagus to P. hammondi (Fig. 2I–P) and, to a lesser extent to P. andringitrensis, but is distinguished from both species by its shape. Additionally, from P. hammondi it also differs by the emargination of sternum VIII, while from P. andringitrensis by the longer parameres. The apical process of the median lobe of aedeagus in P. parahammondi sp. nov. is dentate (divided into three lobes, Fig. 2H), while in P. hammondi it is smooth (Fig. 2P). The collar of the median lobe apex in P. parahammondi sp. nov. has deep indentation in parameral view (Fig. 2E, G), while it is less developed in P. hammondi (Fig. 2M, O). The emargination of sternum VIII in P. parahammondi sp. nov. is parallelsided (Fig. 2C), while in P. hammondi it is of a V-shape (Fig. 2K).

Distribution and habitat data. The species is known from Ranomafana National Park and the area of Ivohibe (province Fianarantsoa), located about 120 km SW from border of Ranomafana NP in the southeastern part of the island. All specimens were collected at an altitude between 900 and 1126 m a.s.l. by sifting leaf litter or plant debris and Winkler extraction.

Etymology. The specific epithet consists of the prefix “ para ”, which in Ancient Greek (παρά, pará) means “next to, near” and “ hammondi ”, which reflects our view that the new species resembles P. hammondi, mostly by the structure of aedeagus.