Papuanatula (Papuanatula) obscura Kaltenbach, Kluge & Gattolliat, 2025, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Kaltenbach, Thomas
name: Kluge, Nikita J.
name: Gattolliat, Jean-Luc
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Ephemeroptera
Baetidae
Papuanatula
Papuanatula obscura

description: Papuanatula (Papuanatula) obscura sp. nov.
Figs 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71
Papuanatula sp.: Kluge and Novikova 2014: fig. 37.
Etymology.
The species name obscura refers to the dark color of male imago (Fig. 70 a, b).
Material examined.
Holotype. L-S-I ♂ {specimen number [VIII] (11) 20124}; Indonesia • Papua, Baliem valley, Wamena, river Elagaima; 19. viii. 2012; coll. N. Kluge & L. Sheyko; SPbU. Paratypes. same locality and collectors; 15–19. viii. 2012: 4 L-S-I ♂, 5 L-S ♂, 1 I ♂, 2 L-S-I ♀, 7 L-S ♀, numerous larvae; SPbU.
Diagnosis.
Larva. The following combination of characters distinguishes P. obscura sp. nov. from other species of Papuanatula s. str.: body dorsally with irregular row of long, fine, simple setae on midline; abdominal terga without protuberances; femur with clearly outlined wedge-shaped blank on proximal 1 / 2; abdominal terga mostly brownish, terga I and V – VI brighter; posterior margins of abdominal terga II – IX with short, blunt denticles; tracheation of tergalii poorly visible.
Description.
Larva (Figs 65 – 69). Cuticular coloration. Head, pronotum, mesonotum and metanotum brownish, with darker and paler areas; fore protoptera nearly uniformly brownish (Fig. 66 b – d, k). Thoracic pleura brownish, sterna mostly colorless with some areas pale brownish. Cuticle of femur mostly brownish, with clearly outlined wedge-shape blank on proximal 1 / 2; apex of femur bordered with darker brown (Fig. 66 e – g). Tibia and tarsus mostly from colorless to pale brownish, distal end and outer side of tarsus darker brown (Fig. 66 e – g). Abdominal terga mostly brownish, with lateral areas paler; terga I and V – VI more or less paler than others; sterna mostly colorless (Figs 65 a, 66 b). Cerci uniformly pale brownish.
Hypodermal coloration. Legs without hypodermal markings. Each abdominal tergum I – IX with wide dark brown transverse band close to anterior margin and with narrower dark brown transverse band close to posterior margin (Fig. 65 a). Tissues of tergalii colorless, without pigmentation associated with trachea, so tracheae poorly visible (Fig. 66 i).
Head. Long, fine, soft, colorless setae irregularly situated along midline (Fig. 65 b). Antenna (Fig. 66 c, j). Length ~ 1.5 × head length. As typical for subgenus. Developing turbinate eyes in last instar male larva (Fig. 66 h) with larger facets in middle and smaller facets on periphery; ovoid, rather small, with big distance to each other. Labrum (Fig. 67 a) widened distally; long setae on dorsal surface numerous and forming integral, regular transverse row; each seta consists of stout stem and numerous long processes on both sides; setae and their processes intensively yellowish colored. Right mandible (Fig. 67 d). As typical for subgenus. Left mandible (Fig. 67 c). As typical for subgenus. Hypopharynx (Fig. 67 b). As typical for genus. Maxilla (Fig. 67 b). Maxillary palp as long as galea-lacinia. Otherwise, as typical for the genus. Labium (Fig. 67 e – g). Paraglossae widened near middle, with lateral side forming concavity in proximal part; three apical setal rows sharply bent at apex of paraglossa. Glossa shorter than half of paraglossa, with finger-like (distal) portion as long as triangular (proximal) portion. Glossa with several long setae at apex and one long seta near middle of ventral side. Labial palp without distomedian projection on segment II; segment III with median margin longer than lateral margin.
Thorax. Sterna. With small protuberances on sides of prosternum and close to openings of mesothoracic and metathoracic sternal apodemes (as in Fig. 108 a). Terga (Fig. 65 b). Long, fine, soft, colorless setae irregularly situated along midline of all terga. Metanotum without hind protoptera or their vestiges. Legs (Fig. 68 a – f). Fore femur slightly widened in proximal part; hind tibia shorter than others. Femur. Outer side of each femur with single regular row of long, hair-like setae bearing numerous fine, short branches on all sides. Tibia. Patella-tibial suture present on all legs, terminated near middle of inner margin of tibia. Tibia-tarsal condylus turned to anterior side. Anterior side of each tibia with regular row of setae similar to that on femur. Tarsus. Anterior side of each tarsus with regular row of similar, but smaller (shorter and narrower) setae. Posterior side of each tarsus with regular row of short, stout, oval setae (looking pointed in profile) and one much longer, thinner, pointed seta distad of them. Claw with row of six short denticles and one somewhat larger denticle distad of them; one long, arched posterior setae (Fig. 68 e); occasionally 2 such setae (Fig. 68 c).
Abdomen. Terga (Figs 65 b, 69 b – d). Long, fine, soft, colorless setae irregularly situated along midline of all abdominal terga. Abdominal terga without dorsal unpaired or paired protuberances, only with slightly expressed paired, submedian elevations. Abdominal terga with small, roundish scales with small sockets and radial striation. Posterior margins of abdominal terga II – IX with short, blunt denticles. Posterior margin of tergum X with smaller, blunt denticles. Tergalii (Fig. 66 i) of abdominal segment I absent; tergalii II – VII subequal, oval. Each tergalius with costal and anal ribs narrow, smooth, present on proximal 1 / 2 of tergalius only. Paraproct (Fig. 69 a) with posterior prolongation bent toward bases of caudalii, with many small, equal denticles on median-posterior margin (Kluge and Novikova 2014: fig. 37). Caudalii (Fig. 66 a) without swimming setae; vestiges of swimming setae present on distal part of cerci. Paracercus short, consisting of ~ 6–8 segments.
Pose of subimaginal gonostyli under larval cuticle (Fig. 71 a). In mature larva ready to molt to subimago, subimaginal gonostyli packed under larval cuticle in “ Labiobaetis - type ” pose: 2 nd segments directed medially and bent proximally; 3 rd segment directed medially (as continuation of 2 nd segment) and narrowed apically, being deformed corresponding to space between subimaginal styliger and larval cuticle.
Subimago. Cuticular coloration. Pronotum and prosternum partly brown (as in Fig. 60 f). Mesonotum pale brown with medioparapsidal suture colorless, other sutures darker brown (Fig. 70 d). Meso- and metathoracic pleura and sterna with colorless, pale brownish and dark brown areas (Fig. 70 e). Cuticle of wings colorless, with microtrichiae brownish. Legs nearly colorless, with pale brown bordering on femur and base of tibia (as in Fig. 36 d). Abdomen diffusely colored with very pale brownish, mostly in distal part. Cerci colorless with setae brown.
Hypodermal coloration. As in imago.
Texture. (Fig. 70 i). On all legs of both sexes, each tarsomere covered mostly with blunt microlepides, with pointed microlepides near apex.
Imago. Imago, male (Fig. 70 a – c, f). Head dark brown. Antennae ochre. Turbinate eyes dark brown, high and narrow, cylindrical, with faceted surfaces round and widely separated. Thorax brown, equally dark dorsally, laterally, and ventrally. Fore wing with membrane mostly colorless, area of pterostigma slightly tinged with brownish; veins intensively ochre-brownish. Pterostigma with 5–10 oblique cross veins (Fig. 70 a). Fore leg mostly pale brown, middle and hind legs mostly ochre; femur of each leg with brown apex (Fig. 70 f). Abdominal coloration similar to that of female and larva, but darker: all terga and sterna brown, each tergum I – IX with wide darker brown transverse band close to anterior margin and with narrower dark brown transverse band close to posterior margin (Fig. 70 a – c). Cerci brown.
Genitalia (Fig. 71 b, c). Sterno-styligeral muscle absent. Each unistyliger slightly widened apically, with median margin concave and apex thickened. At lateral side of gonostylus, its 1 st segment roundly-convex at apex and separated from 2 nd segment by concavity; at median side of gonostylus, 1 st segment more gradually turns to 2 nd segment. Second segment equally wide along its length. Third (terminal) segment of gonostylus nearly as wide as 2 nd, with length twice exceeding width. Penial bridge with poorly expressed membranous projection between unistyligers. Each gonovectis semicircular, with lateral (basal) and median (apical) portions equally long, apex bent medially.
Imago, female (Fig. 70 g, h). Head and thorax dorsally dark brown, ventrally mostly ochre. Hypodermal abdominal coloration as in larva: mostly ochre, each tergum I – IX with wide dark brown transverse band close to anterior margin and with narrower dark brown transverse band close to posterior margin. Coloration of legs, wings, and cerci as in male.
Egg (Fig. 37 d, e). Irregularly oval. Chorion without regular relief.
Dimension.
Fore wing length (and approximate body length): male 5.5 mm, female 7 mm.
Distribution.
New Guinea (Fig. 147).
description: Published as part of Kaltenbach, Thomas, Kluge, Nikita J. & Gattolliat, Jean-Luc, 2025, Redescription of Papuanatula Lugo-Ortiz & McCafferty (Ephemeroptera, Baetidae), with description of a new subgenus and 20 new species, pp. 159-347 in ZooKeys 1227 on pages 159-347, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1227.138100