Halbherria daffneri Perreau, 2019

Perreau, Michel, 2019, Phylogeny of Bathysciotina Guéorguiev, 1974, based on morphology with a special emphasis to Italian genera and with the description of a new species of Halbherria (Coleoptera Leiodidae Cholevinae Leptodirini), Zootaxa 4590 (3), pp. 367-381 : 374-376

Halbherria daffneri Perreau , n. sp.

Holotype: Italia, Belluno , Cesio Maggiore Piani Eterni , Creste di Cimia // Abisso dei Piani Eterni 3640 V/ Bl, 1880 m // 5.8.1993 leg. Grupo speleo Valdobbiadene ( ZSMC).

Paratypes: 1 female from same place and same collect; 1 female: Italia, prov. Belluno , Cesio Maggiore Piani Eterni , Creste di Cimia // grotta Congiunzione, 1870 m VIII.1990 – VIII.1991, leg. Grupo speleo Valdobbiadene ( ZSMC) .

Description. Length: 4 to 4.15 mm, weakly pigmented, anophtalmous, with a pholoeuonid body shape ( Fig. 1 ).

Head elongated, with a strong and dense puncture. Antenna approximately 0.57 times as long as the body length, inserted on the first third of the length of the head. Second antennomere longer than the first one. The 1st to 6th and 8th antennomeres cylindrical, the 7th and 9th to 11th conical (regularly widened from base to apex). The approximate length of the antennomeres of the holotype are, in micrometers: 38, 41, 38, 38, 35, 35, 38, 24, 36, 33, 43. Maxillary palpi wide, the apical segment conical, slightly shorter than the preapical one.

Pronotum transverse, 1.5 times (male) or 1.4 times (female) wider than long, the sides convex in the anterior half part, concave in the posterior half, sinuated in the middle ( Fig. 1 ), the posterior angles significantly protruding outward. Puncture of the pronotum strong and dense, similar to that of the head, lying on a microreticulate background, with no transverse alignment.

Elytra 1.5 times longer than wide, independantly rounded at the apex, without sutural stria. Elytral punctation strong and foveolated ( Fig. 45 ), always associated with erect setae, not coalescent into transversal strigae, and with microreticulation between dots.

Mesoventral process moderately high, with a keen ventral edge, bearing long ventral setae ( Fig. 2 ).

Legs slender. Protarsi four segmented and undilated in both sexes, mesotarsi and metatarsi five segmented and undilated in both sexes. Protibiae with a lateral row of irregular spines. Mesotibiae and metatibiae without an apical comb of spines. Onychium with two interongular setae.

Aedeagus with a trifid median lobe (in dorsal view), the two lateral branches significantly shorter and more slender than the median branch ( Fig. 9 ). Median lobe angulate in the middle, then thickened in lateral view ( Fig. 11 ). Parameres thin, regularly arcuate, as long as the median lobe, with three apical setae extended partly beyond the apex of the median lobe, the external seta inserted slightly behind the two others ( Fig. 10 ). Endophallus without basal sclerites, with two symmetric lateral longitudinal narrow lamellae in the medio-apical region ( Fig. 9 ).

Female ventrite VIII with a short spiculum ventrale ( Fig. 28 ). Spermatheca weakly sclerified ( Fig. 38 ), spermaduct without basal sclerite. Appendicular parts of the genital segment (gonocoxites and subgonocoxites) present.

Etymology. Dedicated to the late Hermann Daffner, specialist of Leiodidae and of subterranean fauna, who first noticed this new species ( Daffner, 1992) but did not describe it.

Discussion. As shown by the phylogenetic analysis, and despite its completely different body shape compared to the other species of the genus, this species should be placed in the genus Halbherria , more precisely in the “ stefani “ species group. The placement in Bathysciotina is supported by the following set of characters: four segmented protarsi; absence of dilatation of protarsi and mesotarsi; presence of a protibial lateral irregular row of spines. The placement in Halbherria is supported by the trifid median lobe of the aedeagus with unequal length of the apophyses and the presence of two parallel sclerites in the medio-apical region of the endophallus. The placement in the “ stefani ” species group is supported by the angular shape of the aedeagus in lateral view and the thin parallel medioapical sclérites of the endophallus. The pholeuonid body shape compared to bathyscioid morphology of the other species of Halbherria is the result of a more advanced state of troglobiomorphy.

Distribution. The species is recorded from two caves of the high altitude karst system of Piani Eterni in southern Dolomitic mountain range, in the Dolomiti Bellunesi national park (Italian Alps) where it occurs along with Sinuicollia dalpiazi Paoletti , and Orotrechus grottoi Daffner, 1992 . This karst system is one of the deepest in north- ern Italy reaching a depth of more than 1000 m. Its karstologic and tectonic characteristics were investigated by Sauro et al. (2013) and the groundwater fauna is reviewed in Sambugar et al. (2008). This locality significantly extends the distribution area of Halbherria towards the north ( Fig. 60 ). No information is available about the depth and the conditions in which the species has been collected.

Figures

FIGURE 60. Geographical and altitudinal distribution of species of the Italian genera of Bathysciotina (except Sphaerobathyscia). Detailed distribution are given for the species of Aphaotus, Halbherria, Sinuicollia and Lessiniella, only geographical global limits of the distribution area is given for the genus Neobathyscia. For coherence, graphical codes are the same as in Giachino & Vailati, 2005 and Vailati, 2017, supplemented with the data of the genera Lessiniella and Sinuicollia (with agreement of the authors).

FIGURES 1–8. Halbherria daffneri n. sp. 1, habitus of holotype. 2, mesoventral process. Figures 3–8. Protibiae et protarsi. 3, H. zorzii. 4, Neobathyscia mancinii. 5, Sphaerobathyscia hoffmanni. 6, Bathysciotes khevenhuelleri. 7, Albanella zoufali. 8, Speonesiotes remyi. Scale bar is 100 μm.

FIGURES 43–48. Elytral surface. 43, Halbherria zorzii. 44, Aphaotus jureceki. 45, H. daffneri. 46, Sinuicollia dalpiazi. 47, Lessiniella trevisioli. 48, Sphaerobathyscia hoffmanni. ss=sutural stria, scale bar is 100 μm.

FIGURES 9–27. Male genital morphology. 9, Halbherria daffneri n. sp. aedeagus dorsal. 10, H. daffneri n. sp., aedeagus, tip of paramere. 11, H. daffneri n. sp. aedeagus lateral. 12, H. zorzii aedeagus dorsal. 13, H. zorzii aedeagus lateral. 14, H. tamaninii aedeagus dorsal. 15, H. tamaninii aedeagus lateral. 16, Sinuicollia dalpiazi, aedeagus dorsal. 17, S. dalpiazi, aedeagus lateral. 18, Speonesiotes muelleri. aedeagus dorsal. 19, Speonesiotes muelleri, aedeagus lateral. 20, Albanella scutariensis aedeagus dorsal. 21, Albanella scutariensis, aedeagus lateral. 22, Redensekia likana, aedeagus dorsal. 23, Aphaotus jureceki, aedeagus dorsal. 24, Neobathyscia mancinii, genital segment. 25, H. zorzii, genital segment. 26, Aphaotus jureceki, genital segment. 27, Bathysciotes khevenhuelleri, genital segment. Scale bar is 100 μm.

FIGURES 28–42. Female genital morphology. 28–35, ventrite VIII and spiculum ventrale. 36, genital segment. 37–42, spermatheca. 28, 38, Halbherria daffneri n. sp. 29, H. zorzii. 30, Sinuicollia dalpiazi. 31, 41, Ravasinia lonae. 32, Lessiniella berica. 33, 39, Redensekia likana. 34, 36, 42, Sphaerobathyscia hoffmanni. 35, Bathyscidius tristiculus. 37, Bathysciotes khevenhuelleri. 40, Speonesiotes narentinus. bs=basal sclerite, scale bar is 100 μm.