Parena (Parena) politissima
Creators: name: Shi, Hongliang
name: Liang, Hongbin
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Carabidae
Parena
Parena politissima

description: [32] Parena (Parena) politissima (Chaudoir, 1883)
Habitus: Figs 62E, 62F. Male genitalia: Fig. 65. Gonocoxites of ovipositor: Fig. 11Q.
Chaudoir, 1883: 20 (original: Crossoglossa; type locality: Nouvelle-Calédonie; lectotype in MNHN); Andrewes, 1927b: 13 (Samoa).
Type material examined. Crossoglossa politissima Chaudoir: Lectotype (MNHN, Fig. 62E), designated herein: female, body length = 10.1 mm, pin mounted, "Ex Musaeo / Chaudoir", "TYPE" [red label], "politissima / Chaudoir / Nouv. Calidonie / H. Deyrolle" [ex Chaudoir’s box label, pinned under specimen now], "MUSEUM PARIS / 1952 / Coll. R. OBERTHUR".
Notes on types. This species was originally described from an unspecified number of specimens from "Nouvelle-Galedonie". In the collection of MNHN, we examined one female perfectly in accord with the original description. We designate it as the lectotype herein. The abdomen of lectotype was partly damaged by dermestid beetles, with the abdominal sternite nearly complete but ovipositor missing.
Non-type material examined. 1 male (NHML), "Samoan Is., Malololelei, Upol Is. 18.iv.25. P.A. Buxton and G.H. Hopkins.", "Brit. Mus.1927-518.", " Parena politissima Chaud. H.E. Andrewes det." <Fig. 65>. 1 female (NHML), "Samoan Is., Malololelei, Upol Is. 18.iv.25. P.A. Buxton and G.H. Hopkins.", "Ex. Coll. Brit. Mus.", " politissima Chaud. Compared with type. E.B.B.", " Parena politissima Chaud. H.E. Andrewes det.", "H.E. Andrewes Coll. B.M. 1945-97.". 1 female (NHML), " New Hebrides: Malekula, Ounua. Feb.1929. Miss L.E. Cheesman. B.M. 1929-234.", "Ounua Malekula 8.ii.29 127", " Parena politissima Chaud. H.E. Andrewes det." <Figs 11Q, 62F>.
Comparisons. This species is easily distinguishable from all other Oriental-Australian species of the subgenus by its completely pitchy or dark brown dorsum. It might be close to P. andrewesi for their shallow elytra striae and deep elytra disc depression.
Description. Body length 7.3–10.1 mm. Dorsum uniformly pitchy or dark brown, polished; antennomeres pitchy or dark brown, the basal four antennomeres lighter than the apical ones; apices of mandibles reddish brown, legs brown, tarsomeres same color as tibiae; venter pitchy or dark brown, abdominal sternites lighter than metasternum. Frons sparsely punctate; postgenae without suborbital setae; antennae barely extended to pronotal base; labrum quadrate, apex nearly straight; mentum with a pair of very short median setae. Pronotum transverse, PW/PL = 1.30–1.55 (the holotype with pronotum much wider than other three specimens), wider than or subequal to head, PW/HW = 0.98–1.13; widest near anterior third, lateral margins well curved before middle, gradually narrowed to base and slightly sinuate before posterior angles; posterior angles widely obtuse. Elytra slightly dilated to apex, surface with shallow isodiametric microsculpture; striae barely incised, with fine puncture rows; interval not convex, with very spares punctures; disc with deep and large depressions near basal third of intervals 3 to 6. Males with reduced adhesive setae on venter of mesotarsi, only present by two short rows near apex of mesotarsomere 2. Abdominal sternite VII with two setae on each side in both sexes; apex shallowly emarginate in males. Median lobe of aedeagus relatively stout (AL/AW = 4.8), ventral margin gradually curved in lateral view; right margin hardly sinuate before apical lamella; apical lamella narrow rounded-triangular, LL slightly greater than LW, apex weakly bent upward in lateral view. Endophallus with distinct flared basal expansion of primary sclerite; flagellum ending before middle of median lobe; apical sclerite narrowly V-shaped, well chitinized, basal core distinct, small and ovate; squamate sheath heavily scaled, basal sheath much smaller than apical sheath; squamate sac well divided, near middle of median lobe, dorsal to squamate sheath; proximal and distal sacs dorsal-ventrally compressed, similar in size, distal sac much closer to apex than proximal one. Gonocoxite II of ovipositor nearly quadrate, length slightly greater than basal width, apex strongly concave with small denticle near inner apical angle, with two ensiform setae on inner apical angle, one near apical denticle, two on outer apical angle.
Distribution (Map 10, black). New Caledonia, Samoa (Upolu Is.), Vanuatu (Malekula Is.).
Remarks. This species is only known by four specimens collected from three Pacific Islands. However, the three ones from Samoa and Vanuatu (Fig. 62F) are somewhat different from the holotype (Fig. 62E) in: (1) size much smaller, Body length = 7.3–8.3 mm (10.1 mm for the holotype); (2) dorsal color lighter, dark reddish brown (pitchy for the holotype); (3) pronotum much narrower, PW/PL = 1.30–1.39 (PW/PL = 1.55 for the holotype). These three specimens were determined as P. politissima by Andrewes (1927b). We follow his treatment and consider the above differences as geographical variation, whereas the males from the type locality are necessary for future studies to prove this.
description: Published as part of Shi, Hongliang & Liang, Hongbin, 2023, Taxonomic revision of the genus Parena Motschulsky, 1860 (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Lebiini, Metallicina), pp. 1-144 in Zootaxa 5286 (1) on pages 108-109, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5286.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/7958937