Lepanus feehani Gunter & Weir, 2019

Gunter, Nicole L. & Weir, Thomas A., 2019, Revision of Australian species of the dung beetle genus Lepanus (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae): key to species groups and description of 14 new species from the L. pygmaeus species group, Zootaxa 4564 (1), pp. 41-80 : 62-63

Lepanus feehani Gunter & Weir , new species

( Figs. 5C , 8C , 10C , 14 )

Type series. Holotype: ♂ “ 15.17S 145.13E 1km N of Rounded Hill QLD, 5-6 Oct. 1980 T. Weir ” [15°17’00’S, 145°13’00”E]/ “ human dung trap open forest” / “more in spirit tube” / “ANIC Database No. 25- 060379 ” / “ Lepanus NQ26 det. T.A.Weir 2018 ” in ANIC. Paratypes: Queensland: 1 km N of Rounded Hill , 15°17'S 145°13'E, 5–6.x.1980, T.A. Weir (25-065530 × 2 ♂ in ANIC) ; 1 km N of Rounded Hill , 15°17'S 145°13'E, 5– 7.v.1981, A. Calder & J. Feehan (25- 060373 x 1 ♀ in ANIC) ; 1 km N of Rounded Hill, 15°17'S 145°13'E, 5– 6.x.1980, J.C. Cardale (25- 060378 x 2 ♂, × 1 ♀ in ANIC) ; 3 km NE Mount Webb, [15°3'S, 145°9'E], 1– 3.x.1980, T.A. Weir (25- 060376 × 1 ♀ in ANIC) ; 3 km NE Mount Webb, [15°3'S, 145°9'E], 30.iv–3.v.1981, A. Calder & J. Feehan (25- 060372 × 1 ♀ in ANIC) ; Cape Flattery Heath, 45 km N Cooktown , [15°05'00"S, 145°16'00"E], 20 m, 13–14.vii.1976, G.B. & S.R. Monteith (25-015583 x 5 ♂, 4 × ♀, 3 × sex undetermined in QM also as T50127–T50138) ; 7 km N Hope Vale Mission , [15°14'S, 145°7'E], 4.x.1980, T.A. Weir (25- 0 60377 x 1 ♀ in ANIC) ; 14 km NW Hope Vale Mission , [15°16'S, 144°59'E], 7–10.v.1981, J. Feehan (25- 0 60374 x 1 ♀, 25- 060375 x 1 ♀ in ANIC) .

Description. Head and pronotum dark brown and elytra light brown. Antennal clubs grey.

Total length: 2.0– 2.3 mm. Holotype measurements: Total length 2.2 mm, elytral width 1.4 mm.

Male: Head: U-shaped between clypeal teeth, which are short and upturned. Margin slightly angulate at clypeogenal suture. Genal angle rounded. Basal carina present but interrupted medially. Dorsal part of eyes narrow in size, separated by interocular space approximately 20 times eye width (30: 1.5); eye canthus not dividing eye. Head 1.2 × wider than long (38:32).

Prothorax: Hypomeral surface finely reticulate with light punctation. Hypomeral striae about half the length of hypomeron. Pronotum 1.7 × wider than long (62:36).

Elytra: Surface smooth. Striae 1–4 very narrow and double but almost appearing single, striae 5–7 single, striae 6–7 with discernible punctures in the basal half. All striae on disc equal width. Elytra 1.1 × wider than long (74:68). Elytral flange and groove relatively wide.

Legs: Front edge of protibiae deeply angulate; apical digit elongate and sharp; 2 teeth on outer edge. Inner edge of metatibiae almost straight. Metatarsi with 2nd tarsomere subequal to the 5th. Tarsal claws minute, appearing simple.

Abdomen: Pygidium with almost circular depression containing a tubercle appearing like an inverted V in upper third; tip of tubercle darker. Depression occupies more than half of the pygidial disc and extends under the slightly angulate upper edge of pygidium. Abdominal surface slightly reticulate right across. Segment 6 punctate.

Pterothorax: Medial lobe of metaventrite finely punctate and narrowly margined between mesocoxae. Lateral lobe of metaventrite smooth and punctate with setae. Meso-metaventral suture very slightly arched. Mesoventrite with slight notch anteriorly. Mesoventrite and mesepimeron smooth. Metanepisternum reticulate.

Female: As per the L. pygmaeus species group.

Etymology. Named in honour of John Feehan, who has collected many of the specimens in the paratype series and for his contribution to Australian Dung Beetle project.

Distribution. Known only from 23 specimens collected from low elevation open and closed forests north of Cooktown in the WET bioregion ( Fig. 14 ). This species may represent a short-range endemic as all specimens have been collected within a 25 km radius.

Comments. Lepanus feehani has previously been referred to as “ Lepanus NQ26” under the informal nomenclature sensu Yeates et al. (2011). The majority of specimens have been collected in dung baited pitfall traps, however specimens have also been collected in berlesed leaf-litter and by yellow-pan traps. L. feehani has been collected both day and at night.

Figures

FIGURE 5. Habitus of species within the Lepanus pygmaeus species group. A, Lepanus andersonorum; B, Lepanus crenidens; C, Lepanus feehani; D, Lepanus gubara; E, Lepanus guthrieae; F, Lepanus lentil. All specimens in comparative scale. Scale bar 1 mm.

FIGURE 8. Pygidial configuration of species within the Lepanus pygmaeus species group. A, Lepanus andersonorum; B, Lepanus crenidens; C, Lepanus feehani; D, Lepanus gubara; E, Lepanus guthrieae; F, Lepanus lentil; G, Lepanus lingziae; H, Lepanus mckenziei; I, Lepanus menendezae. All specimens in comparative scale. Scale bar 0.2 mm.

FIGURE 10. Left, dorsal, and right view of aedeagi of species within the Lepanus pygmaeus species group. A, Lepanus andersonorum; B, Lepanus crenidens; C, Lepanus feehani; D, Lepanus gubara; E, Lepanus guthrieae. Not in comparative scale, given size difference aedegi are roughly grouped in three size classes as per lower left schematic and scaled accordingly. Size class indicated by shaded silhouette and 0.2 mm scale bar.

FIGURE 14. Map of known records for 10 species within the Lepanus pygmaeus species group overlaid with predicted distribution boundary of L. pygmaeus (dashed line) taken from Fig. 13 map.