Sauvagesinella palustris Matthews, 1974

Gunter, Nicole L. & Weir, Thomas A., 2017, Two new genera of Australian dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) with the description of six new species and transfer of six described species, Zootaxa 4290 (2), pp. 201-243 : 241

Sauvagesinella palustris Matthews, 1974

Figs. 5 D, 12D, 13D.

Material examined. Western Australia: Holotype: [34°47'00''S, 118°25'00"E], Cheyne Beach, E. Matthews, 6 November 1967 (in ANIC 25-056696 ) ; Paratypes: [34°47'00''S, 118°25'00"E], Cheyne Beach, E. Matthews, 6 November 1967 (in ANIC 25-056697 x 10); 34°48'40''S, 118°23'25"E, Cheynes Beach, 1 km NW, G. Monteith, 9– 10 November 2010 (in ANIC 25- 060894, 25–058647); [34°02'00''S, 115°00’00"E], Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park, K. Will, 30 September–1 October 2010 (in ANIC 25- 060893); [35°01'00''S, 117°54'00"E], Mount Clarence , J. Ridsdill Smith, 5 September 1984 (in ANIC 25-056700 ) ; [33°47'00''S, 118°11'00"E], Thomas River estuary, 25 km NW by Mount Arid, J. Feehan, 4 November 1977 (in ANIC 25-056698 ) ; [34°57'00''S, 118°11'00"E], Two Peoples Bay Reserve, Albany, S. Peck and J. Peck, 9–14 June 1980 (in ANIC 25-056699 and CMNC).

Description. Total length: 4.0– 5.5 mm

Colour: Orange-brown to black. Antennae with black club.

Male: Head: Broad U-shape between clypeal teeth, which are slightly upturned. Mentum almost square, sericeous, bordered anteriorly; with striations and sparse setation on posterior corners. Edge of head bordered, genal angle prominent. Dorsal parts of eyes narrow, separated by an interocular space of about 23 times eye width; eye canthus almost dividing eye. Surface smooth, reticulate, sericeous; with dense, small, puncture-forming, irregular transverse rows; punctures bearing fine, decumbent, forward-directed setae. Head width to length ratio 77:60.

Pronotum: Anterior angles quadrate and sharp. Basal angles and basal margin rounded, lateral edge margined. Surface nitid, with dense, uniform, small, round to oval punctures separated by 1 diameter or less and all punctures with fine, recumbent setae. Hypomeron surface reticulate and sericeous. Hypomeral stria usually absent, inconspicuous if present. Prosternal process not angulate or toothed. Pronotum width to length ratio 67:42, widest at anterolateral angles.

Elytra: Intervals reticulate and punctate. Double row of recurved setae on intervals. Superficial striae geminate, slightly crenulate, impunctate. All striae on disc equal width, extending to the base; elytral interval 7 with a humeral boss; stria 8 confined to deep groove posteriorly. Epipleura markedly wrinkled. Ratio of length of elytra along suture to maximum elytral width 58:72.

Legs: Protibiae with 3 teeth on outer edge, which is serrate between teeth and proximal to them; underside with finely crenulate ridge. Dorsal carina from 3rd tooth extending to base, exposing large lateral basal area when viewed from above. Tooth on underside near base of tarsus. Broadly rounded expansion of inner apical end bearing small, narrow spur; apical comb of short, flattened bristles and brush of long setae underneath, which is directed downward perpendicular to surface. Claws large and toothed. Metafemora flattened on posterior face, which is bounded by 2 carinae. Metatibiae slightly bent, crenulate, bearing small inner tooth.

Abdomen: Pygidium without groove; uniformly, densely, shallowly punctate; each puncture bearing a small, fine, recumbent seta. Surface smooth and shiny between punctures. Ventrites finely reticulate, with a row of punctures along the anterior edge of ventrites 2–5, ventrite 6 punctate.

Pterothorax: Medial lobe of metaventrite smooth, nitid, narrowly margined between mesocoxae, with median tubercle in line with base of mesocoxae. Meso-metaventral suture slightly arched with extremely small to absent median acute projection. Lateral lobe of the metaventrite with punctures. Mesoventrite punctate laterally, not notched anteriorly. Mesepimera impunctate and reticulate. Metanepisterna reticulate with a few punctures. Mesoventrite with row of punctures bordering meso-metaventral suture.

Hind wings: Reduced to strap-like vestiges about 2/3 length of abdomen.

Female: Without tubercle on medial lobe of metaventrite. Protibiae not expanded at the inner apical angle with longer apical spur, ridge on underside with crenulations larger and bearing setae. Mesotibiae lack inner brush of setae. Metatibiae not modified.

Distribution. See Fig. 5 D. Known from southwestern Western Australia from Leeuwin – Naturaliste National Park east to Cheynes Beach. Collected at the edges of swamps in dung-baited traps.

Figures

FIGURE 5. Distributional maps of species belonging to the new genera Matthewsius and Monteithocanthon including close up insets of A, Pilbara region, Western Australia; B, northeastern Queensland; C, southeastern Queensland; D, southwestern Western Australia; E, southeastern South Australia; F, central to southeastern New South Wales.