Parena (Parena) africana ( Alluaud, 1917 )

Shi, Hongliang & Liang, Hongbin, 2023, Taxonomic revision of the genus Parena Motschulsky, 1860 (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Lebiini, Metallicina), Zootaxa 5286 (1), pp. 1-144 : 137-139

[46] Parena (Parena) africana ( Alluaud, 1917)

Habitus: Figs 80C–F . Male genitalia: Fig. 82 . Gonocoxites of ovipositor: Fig. 11X .

Alluaud, 1917: 87 (original: Crossoglossa ; type locality: Cameroun; lectotype in MNHN); Basilewsky, 1961: 213. Misidentification: Parena ferruginea (Chaudoir) : Basilewsky, 1955: 129

Type material examined. Crossoglossa africana Alluaud : Lectotype (MNHN, Fig. 80C ), designated herein: male, body length = 8.4 mm, board mounted, " g.d. Kamerum / Mukonje Farm ", "exTypis" [red letter], " africana ", "MUSEUM PARIS / Coll. Ch. ALLUAUD" [blue label]. Paralectotypes: 1 female (MNHN), " Kamerun Mungo Mukonje Farm ", "exTypis" [red letter], " africana ", "MUSEUM PARIS / Coll. Ch. ALLUAUD"[blue label]. 1 female (MNHN), " Mungo g.d. Kamerum ", "exTypis" [red letter], " africana ", "MUSEUM PARIS / Coll. Ch. ALLUAUD" [blue label]. 1 female (MNHN), "Afrique or. Allemande / KILIMANDJARO / VERSANT SUD-EST / ALLUAUD & JEANNEL", "ZONE INFERIEURE / NEU-MOSCHI, 800 M / Avril 1912, St.72", "TYPE" [red label], "MUSEUM PARIS / Coll. Ch. ALLUAUD" [blue label], " Crossoglossa / africana / alluaud n.sp. / alluaud detern ".

Notes on types. The original description mentioned four specimens from "Cameroun" and "Kilimandjaro", but no holotype was fixed. In the collection of MNHN, we found one male and three females in accord with the original description. We herein designated the male from Cameroon as the lectotype ( Fig. 80C ).

Non-type material examined. Cameroon: 1 ex (MNHN), "Negoulgal, Avril, 63; Ngomedzap". 1 male, 1 ex (MNHN), " Meyo , 17-XII-68" < Fig. 5A >. 1 ex (MNHN), "Nkolbisson, 10-V-68". 1 ex (MNHN), "Nkolbisson, 16- IV-69" . 1 female (MNHN), "Nkolbisson, 28-V-69". 1 ex (MNHN), "Nkolbitye, 5-IX-63". 1 ex (MNHN),"Ahala, 30- IV-69". 1 ex (MNHN),"Mfida, 3-VI-70". 1 ex (MNHN), "Dimpan, (Messamena), Mai 64". 1 ex (MNHN), "Metet, Nyongetsoe, Avril, 68" . 1 male, 1 ex (MNHN), " Oct. 1958, Bois des singes, Douala. Cameroun, J. Cantaloube " < Figs 80E , 82A >. 1 ex* (MNHN), "Tsana, 23-VII-65". 1 ex* (MNHN), "Tsana, (Nkolkosse), I-70" . 1 female * (MNHN), " Nkometou II, 27-VIII-69" < Fig. 4B >. Senegal : 1 male *, 2 females * (MNHN), " Senegal Djebelor, Casamance , 8.III.1981, B. Sigmalt leg." < Figs 80D , 82C >. Nigeria : 1 female * (ZSM), "Nigeria/ Afr., Kaduna 1971, 10-30.V., Politzar leg.". Central Africa Republic : 1 female (MNHN), " Senguela, 24-IV.70; R.C.A., Rives de la Lobaye " < Fig. 80F >. Gabon: 5 ex (MNHN), "Ogooue, Lambarene, R. Ellenbercer 1913". 2 ex (MNHN), "Congo, Ogooue, Lambarene, R. Ellenbercer 1910" . Uganda: 1 female (IZAS), " Uganda, Bushenyi distr. Kalinzu Forest ; rain forest; -0.3756, 30.1152; 1496 m; on vegetation; SHI HL. & LIU Y. leg.; 2018.II.26 " < Fig. 11X >. Tanzania : 1 male (ZSM), " Tanganyika, Mt. Meru, Momella , 1600-1800 m, 12.II.64, leg. W. Forster " . 1 male * (NHML), " E. Africa, Ukerewe Is., P.A. Conrada " < Fig. 82B >. Zambia : 1 female (NHML), " N.W. Rhodesia: Kashitu. , 19.iii.1915, H.C. Dollman. ", "Kashitu, 19.III.15, beaten from top of tall "mopani" .". 1 male * (NHML), " N.W. Rhodesia: Kashitu. , February 1915, H.C. Dollman. ", "Kashitu. 2.15, from umbel flower of tree" < Fig. 82D >.

Comparisons. P. africana can be readily distinguished from other African species of Parena by the combination of elytra mainly black with brown apical margin or entirely brown; antennae distinctly bicolor; tarsi same color as tibiae; postgenae without suborbital setae; pronotum with lateral margins strongly sinuate before posterior angles; elytral sutural angles not pointed. There are two very different color forms in this species. The pale form is externally very similar to P. ferruginea , and the dark form is similar to P. plagiata and P. scutata . The differences between P. africana and those three species are provided under each of them, respectively.

Description. Body length 7.3–10.4 mm. Dorsum reddish brown, moderately polished; elytra color dimorphic: entirely reddish brown ( Fig. 80D ) or mainly black with narrow red apical margin, red area occupied apical tenth to eighth of elytra, disc without central red patch ( Figs 80C, 80E, 80F ). Antennae distinctly bicolor: basal four antennomeres reddish yellow, apical ones nearly black. Scutellum reddish brown; venter reddish brown; legs uniformly reddish brown. Vertex with sparse fine punctures; postgenae without suborbital setae; mentum with a pair of median setae, which are shorter than terminal labial palpomere; antennae extended to pronotal base. Pronotum sub-cordate, PW/PL = 1.32–1.46, subequal width as head, PW/HW = 0.97–1.07; widest at anterior third, lateral margins evenly rounded before middle, strongly sinuate before posterior angles; posterior angles rounded-obtuse, not prominent; lateral explanations slightly wide; disc finely wrinkled and punctate near median line. Elytra slightly dilated to apex; with isodiametric microsculpture, usually very shallow; striae faintly incised on apical half, with rows of fine punctures; intervals faintly convex, with fine punctures; discal depressions shallow, nearly triangular, occupying intervals 3 to 6, less than one-third of elytra length; elytral apices well rounded, sutural angles not pointed. Males with biseriate adhesive setae on apical half of mesotarsomere 1 and almost full length of mesotarsomeres 2–3. Apex of abdominal sternite VII straight, with two setae on each side in both sexes. Median lobe of aedeagus slenderer than the previous species (AL/AW = 4.5–4.8), ventral margin nearly straight at middle; apical lamella slightly thick, LW slightly greater than LL, apex rounded; in lateral view, apical lamella slightly bent upward. Endophallus with very widely flared basal expansion of primary sclerite; flagellum extending almost to base of apical orifice; apical sclerite widely V-shaped, well-defined, basal core distinct, small and strongly scaled; basal sheath coarsely scaled, apical sheath finely scaled, slightly larger than basal sheath; squamate sac divided, dorsal to squamate sheath; proximal sac large and dorsal-ventrally compressed, distal sac much smaller than proximal sac, closer to apex. Gonocoxite II of ovipositor nearly quadrate, length subequal to basal width, apex concave, inner apical angle strongly pointed; with two or three ensiform setae on outer apical angle, three on inner apical angle.

Distribution ( Map 14 , blue). Widely distributed in Sub-Saharan African continent. Known from the following counties: Cameroon, Senegal, Nigeria, the Central Africa Republic, Gabon, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia.

Remarks. P. africana is the most common and widespread Parena species in the African continent.After studying materials with dark and pale elytra from several localities, we found that these two forms with entirely different elytra colors belong to the same species. Aside from their different elytral color, they are identical in pronotal shape, elytral apices, microsculpture, antennal color, and, most importantly, the male genitalia ( Fig. 82 ). We examined a total of 37 specimens, nine of which were of the pale form (marked by an asterisk in the citations of examined materials) and the other 28 of the dark form.

The pale form of P. africana might be confused with several other species without a distinct elytra color pattern. Within subgenus Parena , ten species have uniform elytral color, which varies from reddish yellow to dark brown. All members of seven of these have monochromatic elytra, but the other three species are pleomorphic, with only a few individuals having the yellowish-brown unicolorous form. These ten species are classified into several different species groups, but their similar external appearances make their identification troublesome. To facilitate the identification of specimens of these species, we provide a key to species in the subgenus Parena with uniformly yellowish brown elytra.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Elytral base (left) of Parena spp. A P. (Parena) bicolor Motschulsky, Sumatra. B P. (Parena) africana (Alluaud), Cameroon. C P. (Crossoglossa) laesipennis (Bates), Taiwan. D P. (Bothynoptera) tripunctata (Bates), Beijing. E P. (Bothynoptera) dorsigera (Schaum), Guangxi. F P. (Bothynoptera) heteronycha sp. n., Laos, paratype. Scale bars = 0.5mm (a for fig. D, b for figs A B E F, c for fig. C). Abbreviations: bp elytral basal pore; sa the apex of scutellum; d1 the first discal setigerous pore.

FIGURE 5. Elytral apex (left) of Parena spp. A P. (Parena) africana (Alluaud), Cameroon. B P. (Parena) ruficornis sp. n., Central Africa, paratype. C P. (Parena) valeriae Facchini, holotype. D P. (Parena) madagascariensis (Alluaud), Madagascar. E P. (Bothynoptera) tesari (Jedlička), Taiwan. F P. (Bothynoptera) heteronycha sp. n., Laos, paratype. G P. (Bothynoptera) kurosai Habu, Japan. H P. (Bothynoptera) dorsigera (Schaum), Yunnan. I P. (Bothynoptera) dorsigera (Schaum), Beijing. J P. (Bothynoptera) dorsigera (Schaum), Japan. Scale bars = 0.5mm

FIGURE 11. Gonocoxites (left side) of ovipositor for Parena spp., ventral side (dorsal side for fig. Q). A–J subgenus Bothynoptera: A P. (Bothynoptera) heteronycha sp.n., Laos, paratype. B P. (Bothynoptera) dorsigera (Schaum), Shaanxi. C P. (Bothynoptera) kurosai Habu, Guangdong. D P. (Bothynoptera) tesari (Jedlička), Taiwan. E P. (Bothynoptera) taiwana Hua, Taiwan. F P. (Bothynoptera) tripunctata (Bates), Shaanxi. G P. (Bothynoptera) malaisei (Andrewes), Taiwan. H P. (Bothynoptera) quadrisignata Mateu, Yunnan. I P. (Bothynoptera) emarginata sp. n., holotype. J P. (Bothynoptera) triguttata sp. n., Sichuan, paratype. K–X subgenus Parena: K P. (Parena) bicolor Motschulsky, Sulawesi. L P. (Parena) rubripicta Andrewes, Yunnan. M P. (Parena) fasciata (Chaudoir), Taiwan. N P. (Parena) nigrolineata (Chaudoir), Taiwan. O P. (Parena) picipes sp. n., Borneo, paratype. P P. (Parena) andrewesi Jedlička, Philippine. Q P. (Parena) politissima (Chaudoir), Vanuatu. R P. (Parena) latecincta (Bates), Guizhou. S P. (Parena) circumdata Shibata, Taiwan. T P. (Parena) pendleburyi Andrewes, Borneo. U P. (Parena) fulva sp. n., Zimbabwe, paratype. V P. (Parena) madagascariensis (Alluaud), Madagascar. W P. (Parena) ruficornis sp.n., CentralAfrica, paratype. X P. (Parena) africana (Alluaud), Uganda. Y–γ subgenus Crossoglossa: Y P. (Crossoglossa) cavipennis (Bates), Taiwan. Z P. (Crossoglossa) laesipennis (Bates), Yunnan. α P. (Crossoglossa) testacea (Chaudoir), Zhejiang. β P. (Crossoglossa) sulawesiensis Kirschenhofer, Sulawesi. γ P. (Crossoglossa) sciakyi sp. n., holotype. Scale bar = 0.2mm.

MAP 14. Distributions for species in the Parena (Parena) plagiata group

FIGURE 80. Habitus of Parena (Parena) plagiata species group. A Holotype of Parena ferruginea (Chaudoir). B P. plagiata Motschulsky, male from The Republic of South Africa (Durban). C Lectotype of Parena africana (Alluaud). D P. africana (Alluaud), male from Senegal, the pale form. E P. africana (Alluaud), male from Cameroon, the dark form. F P. africana (Alluaud), female from the Central Africa Republic, the dark form. Scale bars = 2 mm.

FIGURE 82. Median lobe of male genitalia for Parena (Parena) africana (Alluaud) from different localities and in different elytra pattern forms, right-lateral (r), ventral (v), left-lateral (l), and dorsal (d) views: A Cameroon, the dark form. B Tanzania, the pale form. C Senegal, the pale form. D Zambia, the pale form. Scale bar = 0.5 mm.