Parena (Parena) picea ( Macleay, 1871 )

Shi, Hongliang & Liang, Hongbin, 2023, Taxonomic revision of the genus Parena Motschulsky, 1860 (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Lebiini, Metallicina), Zootaxa 5286 (1), pp. 1-144 : 101-103

[28] Parena (Parena) picea ( Macleay, 1871)

Habitus: Figs 59A, 59B . Male genitalia: Fig. 60 .

Macleay, 1871: 86 (original: Phloeodromius ; type locality: Gayndah, Queensland; syntypes in MAMU: University of Sydney , Macleay Museum, Sydney, Australia); Darlington, 1968: 139 ( Papua New Guinea); Darlington, 1971: 328.

Non-type material examined. Australia: 1 ex (NHML), "58-124 Australia". 1 male (MNHN), "n. Holl., Q'land.", "Janson, Acq. 1884.", " Parena picea M'Leay, K. Mateu det. 1976" < Fig. 60 >. 1 ex (NHML), "Townsville, Qld, F.P. Dodd. ". 2 ex (NHML), "Australia, Mid. Queensl" . 1 female (MNHN), "Dawson -3.84", " Dawson distr. (Barnard coll.)" < Fig. 59B >. 2 ex (NHML), "Pt. Darwin , Nord Aus" . 1 male (ANIC), "15.04S 145.07E, Mt. Webb Nat. Pk., QLD 27-30 Apr., 1981 A. Calder ", "by beating". 1 ex (ANIC), "15.17S, 145.13E, 1 km N of Rounded Hill Q, 5-7 May 1981, I.D. Naumann, ex ethanol". 1 ex (ANIC), "{19.37S 147.32E}, Rita Island , 11.xi.70, Melaleuca, W.B. Muir " . 1 male (ANIC), " Atherton Tableland, Tonga Nth. Qld. , 10 JAN 1977, WALFORD- HUGGINS" . 1 male (ANIC), "BUCASIA Nth. QLD, Ken. J. Sandery , 11 Feb. 2005 " . 1 female (ANIC), " Little Crystal Ck. Bridge, rd to Paluma , QLD, 28 Jun. 1992 C. Reid, beating rainf. bushes" . 1 female (ANIC), "AUSTRALIA: n. QLD, Mareeba-Dimbulah area , 1.III.1985, J.D. Brown, on eucalypt blossom" . 1 male (ANIC), "Bamaga, Q. 28.iii.64, I.F.B. Common & M.S. Upton ". 2 ex (ANIC), " Pt. Denison ", "Phlaeodromius piceus", "On permanent loan from MACLEAY MUSEUM University of Sydney ". 11 ex (ANIC), "12.52S 132.47E, Nourlangie Creek, NT, 8km E. of Mt. Cahill , 28.x.72, in seed pods, I.F.B. Common " < Fig. 60B >. 1 ex (ANIC), "12.21S 130.42E, Casuraina Beach, NT., 10km NNE of Darwin, 22.x.72, at alight, in rainforest, E. Britton " . 1 male (ANIC), "Horn Islet. Pellew Group, N.T., 15- 21 Feb. 1968, B.Cantrell" . 1 male (ANIC), "15.08S 126.12E WA, King Edward R. Xing , 2 May 1992, P.J. Gullan ex, Terminalia sp." < Fig. 60D >. 1 female (ANIC), "14.52S 125.50E W.A., " The Crusher " CALM Site 9/1 4km SbyW Mining Camp Mitchell Plateau 2-6 June 1988, I.D Naumann " . 1 male (ANIC), " A.N. Andersen, WA. Cape Bouganville, Kimberley region , 14.05S 126.08E, June 1988, rain forest" . 1 male (ANIC), "Tweed R., N.S.W, 20- X-01, (W.W.F.)", " W.W. Froggatt, Collection", "Phloedromius / piceus, Macl. ", "Phloedromius piceus macl, Tweed River " . 2 males (ANIC), "28.48S 152.59E, Richmond Range , S.F. NSW c 600m, 13-14 Feb. 1983, T. Weir & A. Calder " < Figs 59A , 60C >. 1 female (ANIC), "littoral rainforest, 1.5 km N Harrington , NSW 16.XII.1993 ", " S.G. Watkins, Collection, Donated 2001" . 1 female (ANIC), "Kingswood, N.S.W, 1.iv.65, I. Common". Papua New Guinea : 1 male (NNML), " New Britain, Warongoi Val., Gazelle Pen. 100 m. V-24-'56", " J. L. Gressitt Collector ", "Borrowed fr. Bishop Mus.", " Parena picea Macl. det. C. Louwerens ", "Museum Leiden ex. collection C. J. Louwerens rec.1979" . 1 female (NNML), " Bismarck Arch.: Manus I.: Rossum 35-125 m., VI-30-'59", " J.L. Gressitt Collector ", "Borrowed fr. Bishop Mus.", " Parena picea Macl. det. C. Louwerens " .

Comparisons. This species can be distinguished from all other Oriental-Australian species in subgenus Parena by a combination of the following two characters: (1) dorsum completely dark reddish brown; (2) postgenae without suborbital setae.

P. picea is similar in general appearance to individuals of P. fasciata without an elytra patch but differs in having postgenae without suborbital setae and the dorsum generally much darker. P. picea is also similar to some unicolorous species in the P. plagiata group from Africa, but differs in having the dorsum darker in color, elytral striae more deeply incised, and dark apical antennomeres less contrasting with the basal yellow antennomeres.

P. picea could be very close to P. nigrolineata . Their male genitalia are very similar to each, even for the apical lamella, with the contour and length-width ratio almost identical. The main difference between their male genitalia is that the median lobe of aedeagus is a little thicker in P. picea , with the AL/AW = 4.7–5.0 (versus AL/AW = 5.3–5.9 in P. nigrolineata ). In addition, these two species also have small differences in the endophallus, mainly in the length of the flagellum, width of apical sclerite, and size of squamate sacs.

Description. Body length 7.6–9.8 mm. Dorsum dark reddish brown to pitchy brown, elytra without black lateral strip; antennae brown, apical seven antennomeres darker than basal ones; mouthparts, legs and venter completely brown. Frons distinctly punctate; postgenae without suborbital setae; antennae barely extended to pronotal base; labrum quadrate, apex nearly straight; mentum with a pair of minute median setae, barely visible in some specimens. Pronotum rounded-hexagon, PW/PL = 1.37–1.48, slightly wider than head, PW/HW = 1.04–1.10; widest at anterior third, strongly narrowed to base, slightly sinuate before posterior angles; posterior angles widely obtuse. Elytra slightly dilated to apex, surface with distinct isodiametric microsculpture; striae well incised, with fine puncture rows; interval punctures slightly dense; disc with large and shallow depressions near basal third of intervals 3–6. Males with biseriate adhesive setae on apical half of mesotarsomere 1, and almost full length of mesotarsomeres 2–3. Apex of abdominal sternite VII weakly emarginate in males. Median lobe of aedeagus relatively slender (AL/ AW = 4.7–5.0), right margin slightly sinuate before apical lamella; apical lamella wide rounded or slightly rounded-triangular, LL slightly less than LW, apex weakly bent upward in lateral view. Endophallus with distinct flared basal expansion of primary sclerite; flagellum extending almost to the base of apical orifice; apical sclerite widely Vshaped, well chitinized, basal core ovate, heavily chitinized and scaled; squamate sheath heavily scaled, with basal and apical sheath similar in size; squamate sac well divided, near middle of median lobe, dorsal to squamate sheath; proximal sac large and thick, distal sac smaller and dorsal-ventrally compressed, dorsal to proximal one. Gonocoxite II of ovipositor nearly quadrate, slightly wider than length, apex strongly concave, pointed near inner apical angle, with three ensiform setae on inner apical angle, two on outer apical angle.

Distribution ( Map 10 , magenta). Australia (Queensland, Northern Territory, Western Australia, New South Wales), Papua New Guinea.

Geographical Variation. We examined five specimens from New South Wales, the southernmost range for this species ( Map 10 ). Compared with others from the northern part of Australia, they are slightly different in larger size and darker dorsal coloration ( Fig. 59A ). But their male genitalia have no significant differences ( Fig. 60 ).

Figures

MAP 10. Distributions for species in the Parena (Parena) nigrolineata group.

FIGURE 59. Habitus of Parena (Parena) picea (MacLeay) and Parena (Parena) amamiooshimensis Habu. A P. picea (MacLeay), male from New South Wales. B P. picea (MacLeay), female from Queensland. C Paratype of Parena amamiooshimensis Habu. Scale bars = 2 mm.

FIGURE 60. Median lobe of male genitalia for Parena (Parena) picea (MacLeay), right-lateral (r), ventral (v), left-lateral (l), and dorsal (d) views. A Queensland. B Northern Territory. C New South Wales. D Western Australia. Scale bar = 0.5 mm.