Exocelina desii (Balke, 1999)

Shaverdo, Helena, Sagata, Katayo & Balke, Michael, 2018, Introduction of the Exocelinacasuarina-group, with a key to its representatives and descriptions of 19 new species from New Guinea (Coleoptera, Dytiscidae, Copelatinae), ZooKeys 803, pp. 7-70 : 16-19

6. Exocelina desii (Balke, 1999) Figs 15, 39

Copelatus (Papuadytes) desii Balke, 1999: 274; Nilsson 2001: 76 (catalogue).

Papuadytes desii (Balke, 1999): Nilsson and Fery 2006: 56 (comb. n.).

Exocelina desii (Balke, 1999): Nilsson 2007: 33 (comb. n.); Nilsson and Hájek 2018: 65 (catalogue).

Exocelina desii MB1399: Toussaint et al. 2014: supplementary figs 1-4, table 2; Toussaint et al. 2015: supplementary figs S1-S2, table S3, and information S5-S6.

Type locality.

Papua New Guinea: East Sepik Province, Amboin Patrol Post, Karawari Lodge, ca 04°29'05.8"S, 143°26'37.5"E, <100 m a.s.l.

Type material studied.

Paratype: female "Papau [sic!] New Guinea East Sepik Province, Amboin Patrol Post, Karawari Lodge 14Jan.1983, A.C.Messer", "Paratypus Copelatus desii M. Balke des. 1999" [red] (NHMW). Note: The holotype has not been found. According to Balke (1999), it was deposited in the Natural Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA.

Additional material.

Western Highlands: 3 females "Papua New Guinea: Western Highlands, Mt. Hagen town area, 1600m, 7.xii.1994 05.49.745S 144.22.357E Balke & Kinibel (PNG 131)" (ZSM). 1 male, 1 female "Papua New Guinea: Western Highlands, Kurumul, 6Km SW Kudjip, small stream, 1584m, 13.vi.1994, 05.53.426S 144.36.600E, John (PNG 78)", the female with an additional green label "M.Balke 1342" (ZSM). Eastern Highlands: 5 males "Papua New Guinea: Eastern Highlands, Akameku-Brahmin, Bismarck Range, 1900m, 23.xi.1994, 05.54.284S 145.22.271E, Balke & Kinibel (PNG 108)", one of them with an additional green label "M.Balke 1399" (NHMW, ZSM). 3 males, 2 females "Papua New Guinea: Eastern Highlands, Akameku-Brahmin, Bismarck Range, 1500m, 24.xi.1994, 05.51.964S 145.23.604E, Balke & Kinibel (PNG 111)" (NHMW, ZSM). Simbu: 3 males, 1 female "Collection Naturhistorisches Museum Basel", "Papua New Guinea Simbu prov. L. Ciek lgt.", Kundiawa, Mu vill. 145°02'E 4°42'S III.2001, 1900m" (NHMB). 1 male "Ibisca Niugini, PNG 28-30.x.2012 Mount Wilhelm 1700m", " -5,759269238 145,235611 FIT-MW1700-K-2/8-d01 / Plot 11 / P1959 Vial 05833" (IECA). 1 male " -5,759269238 145,235611 FIT-MW1700-J-1/8-d01 / Plot 10 / P1950 Vial 02485", "Ibisca Niugini, PNG 25-27.x.2012 Mount Wilhelm 1700m" (ZSM). 2 females "Ibisca Niugini, PNG 27-29.x.2012 Mount Wilhelm 1700m -5,759269238 145,235611 MW1700 / P1943 Vial 04017" (ZSM). 1 female "Ibisca Niugini, PNG 31.x-2.xi.2012 Mount Wilhelm 1700m -5,759269238 145,235611 MW1700 / P1953 Vial 07522" (ZSM). 1 female "Ibisca Niugini, PNG 2-4.xi.2012 Mount Wilhelm 1700m -5,759269238 145,235611 MW1700 / P1914 Vial 07577" (ZSM). 1 female "Ibisca Niugini, PNG 25-27.x.2012 Mount Wilhelm 1700m -5,759269238 145,235611 MW1700 / P1878 Vial 02411" (ZSM). 1 female "Ibisca Niugini, PNG 5-7.xi.2012 Mount Wilhelm 1700m", " -5,759269238 145,235611 FIT-MW1700-O-6/8-d12 / Plot 15 / P1995 Vial 05666" (ZSM). 1 female "Ibisca Niugini, PNG 27-29.x.2012 Mount Wilhelm 1700m -5,759269238 145,235611 ", "FIT-MW1700-H-2/8-d03 / Plot 8 / P1935 Vial P1935-CODYTI" (ZSM). 1 female "Ibisca Niugini, PNG 27-29.x.2012 Mount Wilhelm 1700m -5,759269238 145,235611 ", "FIT-MW1700-I-2/8-d03 / Plot 9 / P1943 Vial P1943-CODYTI" (ZSM). 1 female "Ibisca Niugini, PNG 28-30.x.2012 Mount Wilhelm 1700m", " -5,759269238 145,235611 FIT-MW1700-T-2/8-d04 / Plot 20 / P2031 Vial 05553" (ZSM). 1 female "Ibisca Niugini, PNG 27-29.x.2012 Mount Wilhelm 1700m", " -5,760916233 145,2353363 MW1700 / P1895 Vial P1895-CODYTI" (ZSM). 1 female "Ibisca Niugini, PNG 4-6.xi.2012 Mount Wilhelm 1700m", " -5,760916233 145,2353363 FIT-MW1700-C-6/8-d11 / Plot 3 / P1899 Vial 04070" (ZSM). 1 female "Ibisca Niugini, PNG 25-27.x.2012 Mount Wilhelm 1700m -5,759910107 145,234726 MW1700 / P1886 Vial 07540" (ZSM). 1 female "Ibisca Niugini, PNG 28-30.x.2012 Mount Wilhelm 2200m", " -5,75897789 145,1860657 FIT-MW2200-F-7/8-d13 / Plot 6 / P2314 Vial 07373-CODYTI" (ZSM). 1 female "Ibisca Niugini, PNG 27-29.x.2012 Mount Wilhelm 2200m", " -5,75897789 145,1860657 FIT-MW2200-K-6/8-d12 / Plot 11 / P2353 Vial 11687" (ZSM). 1 female "Ibisca Niugini, PNG 28-30.x.2012 Mount Wilhelm 2200m -5,760178089 145,186264 MW2200 / P2282 Vial 07152" (ZSM). 2 females "Ibisca Niugini, PNG 29-31.x.2012 Mount Wilhelm 2200m -5,760178089 145,186264 FIT-MW2200-N-7/8-d14/ Plot 14 / P2378 Vial 15681" (ZSM). 2 females "Ibisca Niugini, PNG 27-29.x.2012 Mount Wilhelm 2200m FIT-MW2200-O-6/8-d12 / Plot 15 / P2385 Vial …-CODYTI” (ZSM). 1 female "04103 Ibisca Niugini 2012" (ZSM). 1 female “04103” (ZSM).

Diagnosis.

For complete description, see Balke (1999: 274). Beetle medium-sized: TL-H 3.5-4.3 mm, oblong-oval; reddish brown to brown, with paler pronotum; submatt, with dense, rather coarse punctation and rather strongly impressed microreticulation; pronotum with distinct lateral bead; male antennae simple (Fig. 15); male protarsomere 4 with anterior angle slightly expanded, with large, thick, strongly curved anterolateral hook-like seta; male protarsomere 5 slightly concave ventrally, with anterior band of ca 100 and posterior band ca 40 of relatively long setae (Fig. 39D); median lobe in lateral view evenly broad, with rounded, not curved downwards apex, in ventral view, evenly tapering, with broadly pointed apex; paramere slightly concave on dorsal side and with long, dense, thin setae, situated along dorsal margin; subdistal setae strong and dense, setae in middle part slightly shorter and sparser, proximal setae long but sparser than subdistal ones (Fig. 39 A–C).

Affinities.

In the area of its distribution, E. desii co-occurs with numerous species of the ekari -, ullrichi -, broschii -, larsoni-, and danae -groups. From them, the species differs in size, coloration, surface sculpture, simple male antennae, and the shape of the median lobe.

Within the casuarina -group, it is very similar in coloration and surface sculpture to the co-occurring E. pusilla sp. n. and E. pseudopusilla sp. n. but can be distinguished from them by larger size and evidently thicker median lobe.

Distribution.

Papua New Guinea: East Sepik, Simbu, Western Highlands, and Eastern Highlands Provinces (Fig. 50).