Exocelina pseudojaseminae 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

13. Exocelina pseudojaseminae Shaverdo & Balke sp. nov. Figs 29 , 33

Type locality.

Papua New Guinea: Central Province, Kokoda Track, 09°14.34'S, 147°40.54'E, 1400 m a.s.l.

Type material.

Holotype: male "Papua New Guinea: Central, Kokoda Trek, 1400m, i.2008, [09°] 14.339S 147 40.538E, Posman (PNG 171)" (ZSM). Paratypes: 3 males, 2 females with the same label as the holotype (NHMW, ZSM).

Description.

Body size and form: Beetle medium-sized: TL-H 3.4-3.85 mm, TL 3.8-4.25 mm, MW 1.8-2.1 mm (holotype: TL-H 3.65 mm, TL 4.0 mm, MW 1.95 mm), with oblong-oval habitus.

Colouration: Brown to dark brown, with paler sides of pronotum and head. Head reddish brown, dark brown posterior to eyes. Pronotum reddish brown to brown, with reddish sides. Elytra brown to dark brown, sometimes with weak reddish sutural lines. Head appendages and legs proximally yellowish to reddish, legs distally darker, reddish brown ( Fig. 29 ).

Surface sculpture: More or less shiny dorsally, with fine but distinct punctation and distinctly impressed microreticulation. Head with coarse and dense punctation (no spaces between punctures or spaces 1-2 times size of punctures); diameter of punctures equal to diameter of cells of microreticulation. Pronotum with much finer and sparser punctation than on head. Elytra with distinct punctation, slightly finer and sparser than on pronotum. Pronotum and elytra with weakly or more strongly impressed microreticulation; head with microreticulation stronger. Metaventrite, metacoxae, and abdominal ventrites distinctly microreticulate. Metacoxal plates with longitudinal strioles and weak transverse wrinkles. Abdominal ventrites with strioles and very fine, sparse punctation.

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 slightly truncate.

Male: Protarsomere 4 with large, thick, strongly curved anterolateral hook-like seta. Protarsomere 5 ventrally with anterior band of more than 60 and posterior band of ca. 30 relatively long setae, which connected approximately in middle ( Fig. 33D ). Abdominal ventrite 6 with 1-4 lateral strioles on each side. Median lobe with apical lobes very strongly developed, rounded in lateral view, “nose” small but distinct ( Fig. 33A, B ). Paramere as in Fig. 33C .

Female: Without evident differences in external morphology from males, except for not modified protarsi and abdominal ventrites 5 and 6 without strioles.

Affinities.

Exocellina pseudojaseminae sp. nov. can be distinguished by its size, dorsal colouration and punctation, shape and setation of its median lobe and paramere from the species of the E. danae group ( E. nomax and E. pulchella sp. nov.) co-occurring in the same area. In its external appearance and shape of the median lobe, E. pseudojaseminae is very similar to E. jaseminae but it has more strongly developed apical lobes of the median lobe and much larger, hook-like anterolateral seta of the male protarsomere 4. For further affinities within the group, see the “Key”.

Distribution.

Papua New Guinea: Central Province ( Fig. 34 ).

Etymology.

The species was mistaken for E. jaseminae due to their similarity in general appearance and shape of the median lobe. The name is a noun in the nominative singular standing in apposition.

Figures

Figure 34. Map of the eastern part of New Guinea showing distribution of the species of the E. jaseminae group.

Figures 26 - 29. Habitus and colouration 26 Exocelina aseki sp. nov. 27 E. jaseminae (Balke, 1998) 28 E. kailaki sp. nov. 29 E. pseudojaseminae sp. nov.

Figures 32, 33. 32 Exocelina kailaki sp. nov. 33 E. pseudojaseminae 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.