Exocelina warasera Shaverdo & Balke

Shaverdo, Helena, Surbakti, Suriani, Warikar, Evie L., Sagata, Katayo & Balke, Michael, 2019, Nine new species groups, 15 new species, and one new subspecies of New Guinea diving beetles of the genus Exocelina Broun, 1886 (Coleoptera, Dytiscidae, Copelatinae), ZooKeys 878, pp. 73-143 : 73

22. Exocelina warasera Shaverdo & Balke sp. nov. Figs 48 , 52

Exocelina undescribed sp. MB0261: Toussaint et al. 2014: supplementary figs 1-4, tab. 2; Toussaint et al. 2015: supplementary figs S1, S2, tab. S3, and information S5, S6.

Type locality.

Papua New Guinea: Simbu Province, between Supa and Haia Villages (Airstrips), ca. 6°39'39.9"S, 145°00'28.4"E, 1032 m.

Type material.

Holotype: male "Papua New Guinea: Supa Haia, 1023m, 10.ix.2002, K.Sagata (WB1)" (ZSM). Paratypes: Simbu: 5 males with the same label as the holotype (NHMW, ZSM). 3 males, 3 females "Papua New Guinea: Simbu/EHPr. Crater Mountain, trek Haia - Wara Sera, 750 m, 12IX2002, Balke & Sagata, (PNG 2)" (NHMW, ZSM). 4 males "Papua New Guinea: Crater Mountain, trek Haia - Wara Sera, 600m, 12IX2002, Balke & Sagata, (PNG 003)" (NHMW, ZSM). 2 males, 1 female "Papua New Guinea: Crater Mountain, trek Haia - Wara Sera, 500m, 12IX2002, Balke & Sagata, (PNG 004)" (ZSM). 2 males "Papua New Guinea: Crater Mountain, trek Haia - Wara Sera, 500m, 12IX2002, Balke & Sagata, (PNG 005)" (ZSM). 1 male, 3 females "Papua New Guinea Simbu/EHPr. Crater Mountain, WaraSera Station, 820 m, 14IX2002, Balke & Sagata (PNG 8)" (ZSM). Simbu/Eastern Highlands: 4 males "Papua New Guinea: Simbu/EHPr. Crater Mountain, Sera - Herowana, Wara Pima, 900 m, 15IX2002, Balke & Sagata (PNG 011)" (NHMW, ZSM). 1 male "261 DNA M Balke" [green], "PNG Simbu/EHP, Crater Mountain, Sera - Herowana, upper Oh River, 1200 m, 15IX2002, Balke & Sagata (PNG 012)", "sp.21 SEM 19" (ZSM). 1 male "Papua New Guinea: Crater Mountain, Sera - Herowana, upper Oh River, 1200 m, 15IX2002, Balke & Sagata (PNG 012)" (ZSM). 3 males "Papua New Guinea: Simbu/EHPr. Crater Mountain, Sera - Herowana, Jau river, 1000 m, 15IX2002, Balke & Sagata (PNG 015)" (NHMW, ZSM). 1 female "266 DNA M Balke" [green], "PNG Simbu / EHPr. Crater Mountain, Sera - Herowana, Wara Hulene, 1000 m, 16IX2002, Balke & Sagata (PNG 17)" (ZSM). 2 females "Papua New Guinea: Simbu / EHPr. Crater Mountain, Sera - Herowana, Hulene river, 1000m, 16IX2002, Balke & Sagata (PNG 017)" (ZSM).

Females of doubtful identity.

See for E. bacchusi .

Description.

Body size and form: Beetle small: TL-H 3.15-3.8 mm, TL 3.5-4.15 mm, MW 1.65-2.05 mm (holotype: TL-H 3.4 mm, TL 3.8 mm, MW 1.8 mm), with oblong-oval habitus.

Colouration: Dark brown, with paler sides of pronotum and head anteriorly. Head dark brown, paler anteriorly. Pronotum dark brown, with brown sides. Elytra uniformly dark brown. Head appendages and legs proximally reddish, legs distally darker, reddish brown ( Fig. 48 ). Teneral specimen paler, brown to reddish brown with yellowish pronotal sides and head anteriorly.

Surface sculpture: Shiny dorsally, with extremely fine and sparse punctation and weakly impressed microreticulation. Head with fine and sparse punctation (spaces between punctures 2-3 times size of punctures); diameter of punctures smaller than diameter of cells of microreticulation. Pronotum with much finer and sparser punctation than on head, very inconspicuous. Punctation on elytra invisible. Pronotum and elytra with weakly impressed microreticulation; head with microreticulation slightly stronger. Metaventrite, metacoxae, and abdominal ventrites distinctly microreticulate. Metacoxal plates with longitudinal strioles and weak transverse wrinkles; abdominal ventrites with strioles. Punctation on venter invisible; inconspicuous on two last abdominal ventrites.

Structures: Pronotum with lateral bead. Base of prosternum and neck of prosternal process with distinct ridge, slightly rounded anteriorly. Blade of prosternal process lanceolate, relatively narrow, slightly convex, with distinct bead and few setae laterally. Abdominal ventrite 6 truncate or very slightly concave.

Male: Protarsomere 4 with large, thick, strongly curved anterolateral hook-like seta. Protarsomere 5 ventrally with anterior band of ca. 50 and posterior row of eight relatively long setae ( Fig. 52D ). Abdominal ventrite 6 with 2-4 lateral striae on each side. Median lobe short, curved, with broadly pointed apex in lateral view, and evenly tapering to pointed apex in ventral view; its right lateral margin slightly concave at apex ( Fig. 52A, B ). Paramere slightly concave on dorsal side, its subdistal part with numerous, dense, very strong setae, proximal setae long, but weaker, less distinct ( Fig. 52C ).

Female: Without evident differences in external morphology from males, except for not modified protarsi and abdominal ventrite 6 without striae.

Affinities.

From the species co-occurring in the same area ( E. bacchusi , E. craterensis , E. damantiensis , E. hintelmannae , and E. haia sp. nov.), E. warasera sp. nov. can be distinguished by the shape and setation of its median lobe and paramere and/or by its size and colouration. For the affinities within the group, see the “Key”.

Distribution.

Papua New Guinea: Simbu and Eastern Highlands Provinces, Crater Mountain area ( Fig. 54 ).

Etymology.

The species is named after Haia Village. The name is a noun in the nominative singular standing in apposition.

Figures

Figure 54. Map of the eastern part of New Guinea showing distribution of the species of the E. warasera group.

Figures 46 - 49. Habitus and colouration 46 Exocelina kobau sp. nov. 47 E. pulchella sp. nov. 48 E. warasera sp. nov. 49 E. haia sp. nov.

Figures 52, 53. 52 Exocelina warasera sp. nov. 53 E. haia sp. nov. A median lobe in ventral view B median lobe in lateral view C paramere in external view D male protarsomeres 4 - 5 in ventral view.