Parena stigmatica (Fairmaire, 1899)

Shi, Hongliang & Liang, Hongbin, 2023, Taxonomic revision of the genus Parena Motschulsky, 1860 (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Lebiini, Metallicina), Zootaxa 5286 (1), pp. 1-144 : 121

12. Parena stigmatica species group

This species group contains three allopatric species from Africa. Each of them was known from only a few specimens and narrow distributional ranges. This group is readily distinguished from other African species by the presence of suborbital setae. Compared with the P. fasciata group from the Oriental Realm, another species group of subgenus Parena with suborbital setae present, the P. stigmatica group differs in its male genitalia, with a large, flared expansion of the primary sclerite of the endophallus.

All three of these species in P. stigmatica group are uniformly yellowish brown to dark brown, but they are distinguished from each by the differences on the color of antennae, the elytral discal depression, pronotal shape, and depth of the elytral striae.

Although the presence of suborbital setae unites this African species group, the shape of male genitalia suggests otherwise. The two species of this group for which male are known differ significantly in the shape of aedeagus. P. fulva sp. n. has a very stout median lobe with thick apical lamella which is unique among African Parena , and P. stigmatica has a slender median lobe with dorsally bent apical lamella, which is somewhat similar to the other Madagascan species, P. madagascariensis .