Papuanatula (Papuanatula) parabessa 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 parabessa

description: Papuanatula (Papuanatula) parabessa sp. nov.
Figs 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82
Etymology.
The species name parabessa refers to the morphological similarity with P. bessa.
Material examined.
Holotype. Papua New Guinea • larva; Madang Prov., Simbai area; 05°12'42"S, 144°35'31"E; 1800–2400 m; 8. iii. 2007; leg. Kinibel; (PNG 151); on slide; GBIFCH 00592628; ZSM / SNSB. Paratypes. 14 larvae; same data as holotype; 3 on slides; GBIFCH 00976134, GBIFCH 00976137, GBIFCH 01221772; MZL; 11 in alcohol; GBIFCH 00975778, GBIFCH 00976055, GBIFCH 00976068, GBIFCH 00976135, GBIFCH 00976136, GBIFCH 00976138; MZL • 2 larvae; Papua New Guinea; Madang Prov., Simbai area, 05°13'23"S, 144°37'17"E; 1200 m, 10. iii. 2007; leg. Kinibel; (PNG 152); in alcohol; GBIFCH 00975776, GBIFCH 00976133; MZL • 3 larvae; Enga Prov., Wapanamanda; 05°38'06"S, 143°55'20"E; 1500 m; 6. xii. 2006; leg. M. Balke & Kinibel; (PNG 128); in alcohol; GBIFCH 00975773, GBIFCH 00976128; MZL • 8 larvae; Eastern Highlands Prov., Akameku - Brahmin, Bismarck Range; near 05°52'45"S, 145°23'13"E; 1200 m; 24. xi. 2006; leg. M. Balke & Kinibel; (PNG 110); in alcohol; GBIFCH 00975782, GBIFCH 00976091; MZL.
Diagnosis.
Larva. The following combination of characters distinguishes P. parabessa sp. nov. from other species of Papuanatula s. str.: body dorsally with row of long, fine, simple setae along midline; metanotum and abdominal terga I – V with medioposterior, broad, paired humps; abdominal terga II – VI with paired, semicircular, dark brown markings; femur grey-brown, basally with wedge-shaped blank, dorsally with submarginal, dark grey-brown streak; paracercus with nine segments.
Description.
Larva (Figs 77 – 82). Body length 4.2–5.8 mm, cerci much longer than body length (~ 2 ×).
Cuticular coloration (Fig. 77 a – d) Head and thorax dorsally grey-brown, with complex pattern. Abdomen dorsally brown, terga V, VI, and X pale brown; terga II – VI with paired, semicircular, dark brown markings; terga VII – IX with small, paired, dark brown spots. Femur grey-brown, basally with wedge-shaped blank, dorsally with submarginal, dark grey-brown streak. Tibia pale grey-brown; tarsus brown. Head, thorax and abdominal segment I ventrally ecru; protuberances of thoracic sterna brown. Abdominal segments II – VI and X yellow-brown, VII – IX brown. Cerci pale brown.
Hypodermal coloration (Fig. 77 a, c). Abdominal terga with narrow, dark brown to blackish, transverse band along posterior margin.
Head (Fig. 77 b). Dorsally with irregular row of long, fine, simple setae along midline. Antenna (Fig. 80 h). Length ~ 1.5 × head length. As typical for genus. Developing turbinate eyes in last instar male larva (Fig. 80 h) large, subquadrangular, broadly touching each other. Labrum (Fig. 78 a, b). Length 0.5 × maximum width, laterally convex. Dorsal, sub-marginal arc with ~ 32 feathered setae. Right mandible (Fig. 78 d, e). Margin between prostheca and mola with few denticles. Otherwise, as typical for subgenus. Left mandible (Fig. 78 f, g). Margin between prostheca and mola smooth, without denticles. Otherwise, as typical for subgenus. Hypopharynx (Fig. 78 c). As typical for genus. Maxilla (Fig. 79 c, d). Maxillary palp subequal in length to galea-lacinia; palp segment II approximately as long as segment I. Otherwise, as typical for genus. Labium (Fig. 79 a, b). As typical for the genus. Paraglossa dorsally with two spine-like setae near inner, distolateral margin. Labial palp with segment I 0.9 × length of segments II and III combined. Segment II with minute distomedial protuberance, dorsally with row of five spine-like setae near outer, distolateral margin. Segment III conical, pointed; 0.7 × length of segment II; inner dorsal margin with few feathered setae.
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 (Figs 77 b, 81 a) with irregular row of long, fine, simple setae along midline. Metanotum with medioposterior, broad, paired humps. Legs (Fig. 88 a – g). Ratio of leg segments: fore leg 0.8: 1.0: 0.3: 0.1, middle leg 0.9: 1.0: 0.3: 0.1 and hind leg 1.0: 1.0: 0.3: 0.2. Femur. Length ~ 4 × maximum width. Claw with one row of seven or eight denticles and one posterior seta.
Abdomen. Terga (Figs 77 b, 81 a, b, 82 d, e) with irregular row of long, fine, simple setae along midline. Terga I – V with medioposterior, broad, paired humps. Posterior margin of terga: I – II smooth, without denticles; III – IX with triangular, apically rounded denticles, partly with minute, pointed denticles in between. Surface with scattered small, ovoid, striated scales. Tergalii (Fig. 81 e, f). Ovoid, tracheation well developed; margins smooth, with short, fine, simple setae. Paraproct (Fig. 82 a – c). Posterior margin with prolongation and row of minute denticles. Caudalii (Fig. 81 c, d). Cerci apart from basal and distal part with 1–5 swimming setae per segment, initially increasing and then again decreasing toward distal part. Paracercus with nine segments.
Pose of subimaginal gonostyli under larval cuticle (Fig. 80 i). 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.
Subimago. Unknown.
Imago. Unknown.
Egg. Unknown.
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