Chileanthicus melasomus ( Lea, 1922 ) Kejval, 2009

Kejval, Zbyněk, 2009, Taxonomic revision of the genus Chileanthicus Werner (Coleoptera: Anthicidae) 2180, Zootaxa 2180 (1), pp. 1-82 : 63-65

Chileanthicus melasomus ( Lea, 1922) comb. nov.

( Figs 171–176 )

Formicomus melasomus Lea, 1922: 505 .

Type locality. Australia, South Australia, Narracoorte .

Redescription (male, South Australia, ANIC). Head and pronotum black; elytra brown black, with bronze reflection, with two, rather vague, transverse, rufous brown bands ( Fig. 171 ), interrupted on suture, the anterior band widened laterally; antennae, legs and palpi dark brown, with rufous tinge.

Head 1.3 times as long as wide, unevenly rounded posteriorly; tempora parallel close behind eyes; posterior temporal angles rounded and less distinct. Eyes small, rather convex. Dorsal surface slightly glossy, densely punctured ( Fig. 171 ); punctation double, but coarse punctures only moderately larger than fine punctures. Setation short, fine, pale to brownish, decumbent, with only few, inconspicuous, erect setae. Antennae moderately enlarged in terminal third; antennomere III nearly twice as long as wide, about as long as IV; antennomere X 1.3 times, XI 1.9 times as long as wide.

Pronotum 1.2 times as long as wide, slightly wider than head including eyes, nearly evenly rounded anteriorly; pronotal disc rather evenly moderately convex, its lateral margins forming less distinct, rounded edge, lateral outlines nearly straightly narrowing towards base in dorsal view. Dorsal surface slightly glossy; punctation and setation similar to that on head.

Elytra 1.8 times as long as wide, conjointly rounded apically. Surface moderately glossy, distinctly punctured ( Fig. 171 ); basal punctation double, its coarse punctures somewhat smaller than those on head and more widely spaced. Setation sparser and slightly longer than on head, mostly decumbent, with scattered, short erect setae; setae mostly pale to brownish, silvery on transverse bands, rather evenly directing posteriad

Metafemora unidentate ( Fig. 172 ), subapical process rather strong, slightly obliquely projecting, pointed apically, facing inner side of tibia; mesotibia with small denticle on inner side apically; metatibia with distinct, blunt process on inner side apically ( Fig. 173 ). Setation rather uniformly short and fine.

Abdominal sternum III with minute protuberance medially, shortly before posterior margin. Sternum VII and tergum VII simple. Sternite VIII ( Fig. 174 ); paired prongs arcuate, their apical portion enlarged, strongly curved and finely setose laterally. Tergite VIII with posterior margin evenly rounded apically.

Aedeagus ( Figs 175, 176 ); apical portion of tegmen long, 1.8 times as long as basal-piece, narrow, moderately sinuous in lateral view, nearly evenly narrowing towards bluntly pointed apex in dorsal view; median lobe of aedeagus with paired finely membranous apical lobe with somewhat frayed margins.

Female. Externally differing from male by sternum III lacking median tubercule and by simple meso- and metatibiae.

Body length (♂ ♀). 3.7–4.7 mm.

Variation. Rather widespread and thus a somewhat variable species, mainly in body colouration and characters of punctation/setation. In paler coloured specimens the head and pronotum are rufous brown (head usually somewhat darker), the elytra brown with a paler suture, the lateral margins and with rather conspicuous/contrasting, yellowish brown, transverse bands (the anterior band uneven, extending dorsolaterally towards base); head sometimes with an indication of a sparsely punctured, glossy median longitudinal line, especially in the posterior half and near the clypeus; basal coarse punctures of the elytra more or less distinct, in some specimens barely discernible; silvery setae of the elytra may be slightly swirled medially on the posterior transverse band.

Type material. Lectotype ♂ [herewith designated; specimens mounted near handwritten “TY ♂ ”]: melasomus Lea , TYPE Narracoorte [h+p] // Formicomus melasomus Lea S. Australia. TYPE I.15263 [h; “TYPE” red] // S. Aust. Museum specimen [p; orange label]” ( SAMA) . Paralectotypes: 1 ♂ [mounted on the same label as lectotype] ( SAMA) ; 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Lucindale, S.A. Feuerheerdt [p] // Co-type [p] // Formicomus melasomus Lea S. Australia. Cotype 20633 [h; “ Cotype ” red] ( SAMA); 1 ♀, Y 1752 [h] // W Australia Blackb’s Coll [p] // Co-type [p] // melasomus W. Australia. Cotyp [h; “ Cotyp ” red] // S. Aust. Museum specimen [p; orange label] ( SAMA) .

Additional material. 2 ♂♂, South Australia ( SAMA) ; 1 ♀, Sas, 14 km WNW of Renmark, Bookmark Biosphere Reserve, Calperum Station , 34°07'S 140°37'E, flightintercept/ pitfall trap, 7.xi.-13.xii.1995, K. R. Pullen leg. ( ANIC) ; 2 ♂♂, 1 ♀, Sas , 31 km NW of Renmark, 33.59S 140.30E, pitfall trap, mallee, 8.- 21.viii.1995, A. Lambie leg. ( ANIC) ; 1 ♂, Sas , 14 km WNW of Renmark, 34°07'S 140°37'E, Mallee on dune, pitfall trap, 8.-21.viii.1995 A. Lambie leg. ( ANIC) ; 1 ♂, Sas , 15 km NNW of Renmark, 34°04'S 140°40'E, 5.ix.1995 R. Ubaidillah leg. ( ANIC) ; 1 ♂, Sas , 19 km NW of Renmark, 34°00'S 140°47'E, Chenopod shrubland, pitfall trap, 10.-21.viii.1995, A. Lambie leg. ( ANIC) ; 2 ♂♂, Sas , 32 km N of Renmark, 33°53'S 140°44'E, Flight intercept / pitfall trap, 9.x.-12.xii 1995, K. R. Pullen leg. ( ANIC) ; 1 ♂, Sas, 21 km WbyN of Calperum Homestead , 33°59'S 140°30'E, Pitfall trap, 28.iii.-12.iv.1995, A. Lambie leg. ( ANIC) ; 1 ♂, Sas , 0.4 km WSW of Teatrick, 36°23'4''S 140°52'38''E, micro pitfalls, 4.-8.xii.1995, Box Bulloak survey ( SAMA) ; 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Sas , 20 km SW of Loxton Snodgrass Farm, 34°33'S 140°22'E, 28.v.-1.vii.1991, A. J. McArthur leg. ( SAMA) ; 2 ♂♂, Sas , Berri ( SAMA) ; 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Sas, Adelaide , Blackburn leg. ( SAMA) ; 2 ♂♂, Sas, Murray Bridge , x.1911 ( SAMA) ; 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Sas, Murray Bridge , Lea leg. ( AMSA) ; 2 ♂♂, Sas, Morgan , A. M. Lea leg. ( SAMA) ; 1 ♀, Sas, Coorong, near Salt Creek , 12.vi.1966, J. Forrest leg. ( ANIC) ; 2 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀, Sas, Mount Lofty Ranges , S. H. Curnow leg. ( SAMA) ; 3 ♂♂, 1 ♀, Vic, Birchip , 22.iii.1903 ( SAMA) ; 1 ♂, 3 ♀♀, Vic, Robinvale , 34°35'S 132°46'E, red gum litter, 25.x.-3.xi.1988, T. Weir, J. Lawrence & M. Hansen leg. ( ANIC) ; 2 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀, Vic , 7 km SW of Wemen, 34°50'S 142°35'E, Mallee, 25.x.-3.xi.1988, T.Weir, J. Lawrence & M. Hansen leg. ( ANIC) ; 3 ♀♀, Vic, Lake Hattah , J. E. Dixon leg. ( ANIC) ; 2 ♀♀, same locality, Mallee leaf litter, 27.x.1967, E. B. Britton leg. ( ANIC) ; 2 ♂♂, 1 ♀, Vic, Bogong , ii.1941, E. Smith leg. ( DCDC) ; 1 ♂, Nsw, Kinchega Nat. Park , 32°30'S 142°20'E, disturbed scrub, xi.1985, K. Henle leg. ( ANIC) .

Differential diagnosis. C. melasomus seems to be close to C. insignis sp. nov. and C. paganus sp. nov., as suggested by the similar form of male sternite VIII (cf. Figs 174 , 137 and 180 ). Externally it resembles C. insignis sp. nov. by sharing a similar body form, but differs clearly by the median protuberance of male sternum III, the apical denticle of the metafemora ( Fig. 173 ), and by the morphology of the tegmen apex and the median lobe of the aedeagus (cf. Figs 140 , 176 ).

Distribution. Australia (South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales).

Remarks. Lea (1922) described F. melasomus based on an unstated number of specimens from Lucindale and Narracoorte in South Australia, and Yilgarn in Western Australia. The female syntype from Western Australia undoubtedly belongs to a different, unknown species, showing sparser and finer punctation of the head, a more elongate pronotum, which is distinctly narrower than head, nearly simply punctured elytra, with silvery setae on the posterior band quite distinctly swirled (transversely directed), and the smaller subapical process of the metafemora. The male syntype from Narracoorte is here designated as the Lectotype.

Figures

FIGURES 171–182: Chileanthicus melasomus (Lea), male, South Australia (ANIC): 171, body form and punctation of head (top) and elytra (bottom); 172, metafemur; 173, apex of metatibia; 174, sternite VIII; 175, aedeagus in ventral view; 176, apex of aedeagus in ventral (right) and lateral (left) view; C. paganus sp. nov., male, holotype: 177, body form and punctation of head (top) and elytra (bottom); 178, metafemur; 179, apex of metatibia; 180, sternite VIII; 181, segment IX (spiculum); 182, apex of aedeagus in ventral (right) and lateral (left) view. Scale (1.0 mm): A, 171, 177; B, 172, 175, 178; (0.5 mm): B, 173, 174, 179; C, 181; D, 176, 182.

FIGURES 135–145: Chileanthicus insignis sp. nov., male, holotype: 135, body form and punctation of head (top) and elytra (bottom); 136, metafemur; 137, sternite VIII; 138, tergite VIII; 139, segment IX (spiculum); 140, apex of aedeagus in ventral (left) and lateral (right) view; C. interruptus (Lea), male, Townsville (SAMA): 141, body form and punctation of head (top) and elytra (bottom); 142, metafemur; 143, sternite VIII; 144, segment IX (spiculum); 145, apex of aedeagus in ventral (right) and lateral (left) view. Scale (1.0 mm): A, 135, 141; B, 136, 142; (0.5 mm): C, 136; D, 139, 143, 144; (0.2 mm): E, 137; F, 140, 145.