Exocelina astrophallus (Balke, 1998)

Shaverdo, Helena V., Surbakti, Suriani, Hendrich, Lars & Balke, Michael, 2012, Introduction of the Exocelina ekari-group with descriptions of 22 new species from New Guinea (Coleoptera, Dytiscidae, Copelatinae), ZooKeys 250, pp. 1-76 : 5-7

4. Exocelina astrophallus (Balke, 1998) Fig. 27

Copelatus (Papuadytes) astrophallus Balke, 1998: 324.

Type locality.

Papua New Guinea: Madang Province, 1-3 km SE Brahman.

Type material examined.

Paratypes: 5 males "PAPUA NEW GUINEA Madang, 1-3 km SE Brahman, June 21 1991. D. Larson" (NHMW).

Additional material.

1 male "PAPUA NEW GUINEA Madang Pr. Brahmin, 150 m, 26IX2002, M Balke (PNG 24)", "273 DNA M Balke" (ZSM). 6 males, 5 females, 7 exs. "Papua New Guinea: Madang, Usino, 260m, 15.iii.2007, 05.31.125S, 145.25.316E, Kinibel (PNG 158)", one male additionally with a green label "DNA M. Balke 3320" (ZSM). 4 males "Papua New Guinea: Madang, Keki-Sewan, Adalbert Mts., 300m 30.xi.1994, 04.40.558S, 145.27.187E, Binatang Boys, (PNG 121)", one of them additionally with a green label "DNA M. Balke 1529" (ZSM). 6 males, 8 females, 10 exs. "Papua New Guinea: Madang, Highway nr. Madang, ford, 80m, 26.xi./2.-3.xii.1994, 05.24.405S, 145.38.213E, Binatang Boys, (PNG 117)", one of them additionally with a green label "DNA M. Balke 4090" (NHMW, ZSM). 6 males, 3 females "Papua New Guinea: Madang, nr. Brahmin, 200m, 25.xi.1994, nr. 05.47.026S, 145.24.131E, Balke & Kinibel (PNG 116)" (ZSM). 17 males, 11 females "Papua New Guinea: Madang, Wannang, 270m, 31.x.2008, 05.15.458S 145.02.389, Posman, (PNG187)", one of them additionally with a green label "DNA M. Balke 4167" (NHMW, ZSM).

Diagnosis.

Beetle middle-sized, piceous, with paler pronotum (especially on margins) and head, teneral specimens reddish-brown, submatt; pronotum with distinct lateral bead; male antennomeres simple; male protarsomere 4 with middle-sized, thick, evidently curved anterolateral hook; median lobe short and with extremely strongly discontinuous (broken and curved) outline; paramere with shallow notch on dorsal side and subdistal part elongate, with dense, long, thin setae.

Additions and corrections to the description.

For the complete description see Balke (1998).

Size and shape: Beetle middle-sized (TL-H 3.8-3.9 mm, TL 4.05-4.2 mm, MW 2.0-2.15 mm), with oblong-oval habitus, broadest at elytral middle, with elytral apex slightly rounded. Coloration: piceous, with paler pronotum (especially on margins) and head, teneral specimens pale reddish brown to dark brown, with paler posterior part of head and lateral sides of pronotum (Fig. 27).

Surface sculpture: Head, pronotum, and elytra with distinct microreticulation and punctuation, dorsal surface, thus, submatt. Metaventrite and metacoxa distinctly microreticulate, metacoxal plates with longitudinal strioles and transverse wrinkles. Abdominal sternites with distinct microreticulation, strioles, and fine sparse punctation, coarser and denser on two last abdominal sternites.

Structures: Pronotum with distinct lateral bead. Base of prosternum and neck of prosternal process with sharp ridge, without anterolateral extensions. Blade of prosternal process lanceolate, rather narrow, strongly convex, with distinct bead and few setae; neck and blade of prosternal process evenly jointed.

Male: Antenna simple. Protarsomere 4 with middle-sized, thick, evidently curved anterolateral hook. Protarsomere 5 ventrally with anterior row of 36 longer setae and posterior row of 14 shorter setae. Median lobe short and with extremely strongly discontinuous (curved, plicate) outline. Paramere with shallow notch on dorsal side and subdistal part elongate, with dense, long, thin setae. See Figs 37, 46, 64 in Balke (1998).

Female: Without evident differences in external morphology from male, except for abdominal sternite 7 without striae.

Distribution.

Papua New Guinea. The species is known only from the Madang Province (Fig. 50).