Barryfilius contiguus ( Britton, 1978 ) Allsopp, 2022

Allsopp, Peter G., 2022, Australian Melolonthini (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae): reclassification of eight species to Antitrogus Burmeister, 1855 and Barryfilius new genus, Zootaxa 5213 (5), pp. 513-545 : 525

Barryfilius contiguus ( Britton, 1978) , new combination

( Figs. 14 , 20 , 25 )

Lepidiota contigua Britton, 1978: 65 , figs. 195–196 (aedeagus), fig. 282A (head and pronotum).

Type series. Holotype male in NHML: Australia (examined).

Other material examined. AUSTRALIA: Queensland: 1♂, paratype ( ANIC) ; 1♂, Windsor Tableland, via Mt Carbine [16.45°S, 145.25°E], 12.i.1980, R.I. Storey ; 1♂, Windsor Tableland, via Mt Carbine [16.45°S, 145.25°E], 27–28.i.1980, R.I. Storey and N. Gough ; 13♂, Windsor Tableland, via Mt Carbine [16.45°S, 145.25°E], 26.xii.1983 – 24.i.1984, Storey and Halfpapp ( QDAF, QM) ; 85♂, Windsor Tableland , 27.xii.1988 – 10.i.1990, E. Schmidt and ANZSES ( QM) .

Diagnosis. Male. Body 18–20 mm long; uniformly red-brown ( Fig. 14 ). Terminal palpomere of maxillary palp about 0.8 mm long, elongate-elliptical (length:width 2.7:1.0), with a flat, reticulate, elliptical depression on the dorsal side. Clypeus with anterior face moderately deep, width 6x length; upper surface moderately transverse, width 3.2x length, anterior margin slightly indented in middle, with rounded angles; upper surface moderately concave, densely punctured (50 mm-2), each of the broad, flat-bottomed punctures with a flattened, white seta that is shorter than the radius of the puncture. Frons similarly punctured to upper surface of clypeus; posterior quarter with only a few punctures and setae; antero-laterally rarely with a few, recumbent, yellow setae above the eye. Antennae with 10 antennomeres, antennomere 3 elongate-cylindrical, antennomere 4 discoidal, antennomere 5 slightly lamellate, antennomere 6 lamellate but lamella 0.45x long as lamellae of antennomeres 8–10, antennomere 7 lamellate but lamella 0.75x long as lamellae of antennomeres 8–10, antennomeres 8–10 lamellate, 2.4–2.5 mm long. Pronotum transverse, greatest width 1.5–1.6x length; anterior margin narrow, continuous and raised, punctate except in middle; lateral edges with a broadly rounded, obtuse angle in middle, straight before and after angle; posterior margin with a narrow, raised margin in middle; anterior angles slightly obtuse, posterior angles slightly more obtuse; surface of disc uniformly punctured (approximately 17 mm-2), each puncture with a small rounded or slightly elongate, white seta about as long as diameter of the puncture, punctures and setae denser and setae more elongate along posterior margin and lateral margins. Scutellum with a line of small punctures close to lateral edge, disc sparsely punctured with setae as on pronotum. Elytra sparsely but fairly uniformly punctured (ca 10 mm-2) except on sutural interval, each puncture with an elliptical, white seta (0.06 mm long), longer and thinner than those on pronotum. Propygidium with a few punctures with elliptical, white-yellow setae in posterior-lateral angles. Pygidium irregularly punctured in middle, denser towards anterior margin; setae similar to those on elytra, surface between punctures microreticulate, long, yellow setae on posterior-lateral margins. Ventral surface of thorax densely clothed with long, fine, yellow setae; pronotal hypemeron with a mixture of long, yellow setae on inner edge, moderately long, white setae, and broader, shorter, white setae. Teeth on outer edge of protibia short and blunt. Ventrites sparsely clothed with short, setae similar to elytra; first visible ventrite with longer, yellow setae; penultimate ventrite with a few, scattered, long, yellow setae along posterior margin; terminal ventrite without lateral lobes. Aedeagus slightly asymmetrical, apices recurved and close to each other ( Fig. 20 ).

Female. Unknown.

Distribution ( Fig. 25 ). Britton (1978) saw specimens labelled, at best, ‘Queensland’. The species occurs on the Windsor Tableland, 42 km northwest of Mossman in an isolated area of closed forest described as simple microphyll vine-fern forest ( Storey & Allsopp 1989 ).

Natural history. Adults have been collected in December–January in malaise and flight-intercept traps; flying adults were not attracted to lights ( Storey & Allsopp 1989 ).

Figures

FIGURE 25. Known distribution of Barryfilius species in northeastern Queensland. Putative distribution of B. centralis (Britton, 1978) in the Northern Territory, and likely collection site in northeastern Queensland indicated at Mount Elliot or Mount Abbott.

FIGURES 14–18. Adult males of Barryfilius species, dorsal views. 14, Barryfilius contiguus (Britton, 1978); 15, B. laevis (Arrow, 1932); 16, B. lewisae (Britton, 1978); 17, B. quinarius (Britton, 1978); 18, B. vernus (Britton, 1978). Photographs by Greg Daniels.

FIGURES 19–24. Aedeagi of Barryfilius species. 19, Barryfilius centralis (Britton, 1978); 20, B. contiguus (Britton, 1978); 21, B. laevis (Arrow, 1932); 22, B. lewisae (Britton, 1978); 23, B. quinarius (Britton, 1978); 24, B. vernus (Britton, 1978). Figures reproduced from Britton (1978) (CSIRO, used with permission).