Onthophagus bulga, Reid & Runagall-Mcnaull, 2022

Reid, Chris A. M. & Runagall-Mcnaull, Aidan, 2022, A Revision of the Onthophagus pexatus Species-group, with Description of a New Brachypterous Species (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae), Records of the Australian Museum (Rec. Aust. Mus.) 74 (5), pp. 131-150 : 134-137

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.3853/j.2201-4349.74.2022.1821
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:364EB32F-A79D-41E4-BFCF-F28142C2D51B
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/8A982BFB-338E-4FD1-A3A6-54070555645D
taxon LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:act:8A982BFB-338E-4FD1-A3A6-54070555645D
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Onthophagus bulga
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Onthophagus bulga View in CoL sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:8A982BFB-338E-4FD1-A3A6-54070555645D

Figs 1–2 View Figures 1–4 , 11 View Figures 11, 12 , 13–16 View Figures 13–16 , 25 View Figures 25–29 , 30 View Figures 30–34 , 35–37 View Figures 35–36 View Figures 37–41 , 42 View Figures 42–48 , 51–54 View Figures 51–53 View Figure 54

Onthophagus NSW 4 Monteith & Kenyon, 2011: 57; Reid et al., 2022: 473.

Holotype ♂ / NSW Biriwal Bulga NP 31.5520°S 152.2395°E 676 m 4–5.ii.2021 Reid & Runagall-McNaull AMNEF Site 30 jn Plan Trl / Doyles River Rd burnt dry scler[ophyll forest] macropod dung baited pitfall / Australian Museum K. 397166 GoogleMaps / HOLOTYPE Onthophagus bulga Reid & Runagall-McNaull, 2022/ AMS. Paratypes (18) all labelled “ Paratype Onthophagus bulga R & R-M. 2022”: New South Wales : 1♂ / Biriwal Bulga NP 31.5520°S 152.2395°E 676 m 4–5. ii.2021 Reid & Runagall-McNaull AMNEF Site 30/ jn Plan Trl / Doyles River Rd burnt dry scler macropod dung baited pitfall / K.397167/ ( AMS) GoogleMaps ; 1♂ / David Bray property 31.5063°S 152.2498°E 489 m 5–6.ii.2021 Reid & Runagall-McNaull AMNEF Site 35/ end of Gilloglys Rd burnt rainf margin macropod dung baited pitfall / K.397163/ ( AMS) GoogleMaps ; 4♀, identical labels except K.397161, K.397162, K.397164 or K.397165 ( AMS) ; 1♂ / 38 CG Fifes Knob Rd, about 4 km from Fifes Fire Trail 30°54'S 152°22'E Carrai SF 163A 740 m (NPWS Survey) 4 Feb–9 Apr 1993 M Gray G Cassis / K.397243/ ( AMS) GoogleMaps ; 1♀ / 38 CM Fifes Knob Rd, about 3 km from Fifes Fire Trail 30°54'S 152°22'E Carrai SF 163A 670 m (NPWS Survey) 4 Feb–9 Apr 1993 M Gray G Cassis / K.397241/ ( AMS) GoogleMaps ; 1♀, identical labels except K.397242 ( AMS) ; 1♀ / 38 CR Fifes Knob Rd, 2 km from Fifes Fire Trail 30°54'S 152°22'E Carrai SF 163A 800 m (NPWS Survey) 4 Feb–9 Apr 1993 M Gray G Cassis / K.397244/ ( AMS) GoogleMaps ; 1♂ / 57AM Grey Gums Forest Rd 1.1 km from Doyles River Rd 31°33'S 152°14'E Bulga SF 620 m (NPWS Survey) 4 Feb–9 Apr 1993 M Gray G Cassis / K.397239/ ( AMS) GoogleMaps ; 1♀, identical labels except K.397240 ( AMS) ; 1♂ */ 57AG Grey Gums Forest Rd 2.1 km from Doyles River Rd 31°33'S 152°14'E Bulga SF 560 m (NPWS Survey) 4 Feb–9 Apr 1993 M Gray G Cassis / K.397253/ ( AMS) GoogleMaps ; 1♂ / Tirrill Ck FR, Bulga SF, 31.5282°S 152.1399°E 546 m 5–6.ii.2021 Reid & Runagall-McNaull AMNEF Site 31/ Blue Mountain Ck Rd W of Tirrill Ck Xing burnt wet scler. macropod dung baited pitfall / K.397154/ ( AMS) GoogleMaps ; 1♂, 6♀, identical labels except K.397158 (male), K.397153, K.397155, K.397156, K.397157, K.397159, K.397160 minor ♂ / Walcha Survey, Cooplacurripa , grassy forest 31°36'03"S 151°49'59"E [955 m] Transect 18 HSQ OTB January 1993 Ian Oliver / K.397245/ ( AMS) GoogleMaps .

Description. Mature specimens entirely dull grey-black, usually matted with dirt (squalid) on pronotum, elytra and pygidium; fresh specimens with shiny and feebly microsculptured black head and pronotum, dull and densely microsculptured grey-black elytra, with shiny striae, and dull densely microsculptured grey-black pygidium; freshly emerged specimens usually teneral, with reddish elytral apices, venter, pygidium and legs; antennae yellowish-brown, clubs brown. Length, male 4–6 mm; female 4.5–6 mm.

Male. Head ( Figs 13, 15 View Figures 13–16 ). Surface smooth, shiny, with dense large punctures at base becoming smaller and sparser towards apex, and minute stubble at sides of vertex and on genae. Clypeal apical margin uptilted, arcuately excavate with sides of excavation slightly produced (worn flat and almost truncate in old specimens), side margins slightly rounded; clypeal suture entirely effaced at frontal portion, genal portions present but not raised; frons flat, without elevations, slightly medially depressed in larger specimens; eyes narrow, 5–6 facet rows in width, separated by 17–20 eye widths, canthus complete, closed by dorsal width of eye; apex of mentum shallowly excavate.

Thorax ( Figs 1–2 View Figures 1–4 , 11 View Figures 11, 12 , 25 View Figures 25–29 , 30 View Figures 30–34 , 35–36 View Figures 35–36 ). Pronotum. Broad in large males (as wide as elytra), narrower and flatter in small males. Strongly convex, slightly tumid at middle of anterior slope in larger specimens; surface smooth, entirely strongly and closely punctured, intervals shiny in fresh material but microreticulate, mostly less than half diameter of punctures, and covered in dense short semi-erect to strongly recurved setae; anterior angles 80–90°; anterior margined, sides margined and crenulate with curved short setae between crenulations, base without raised edge; pronotal hypomeron dull and densely microsculptured on outer half, strongly punctured, punctures separated by 1–2 diameters, with elevated rims, increasing in diameter towards sides, outermost punctures with long erect seta. Elytra. Almost circular in dorsal view, lacking humeral and preapical swellings, and short, length about equal to length of pronotum along midline. Dull and densely microreticulate, except apical half of suture shiny and striae shiny; intervals flat, with faintly raised lunate tubercles at bases of setae, tubercles more distinct on outermost interval, or all intervals with distinct lunate tubercles (northern specimens); intervals 1–7 with fairly dense erect short scale-like setae, not aligned in rows, outermost interval densely setose; strial punctures slightly broader than striae; metaventrite medially shiny, laterally (lateral to mesocoxae) dull and microreticulate, anterior smoothly convex with scattered long setae, midline of posterior half slightly depressed or grooved; wing narrow, with reduced venation, unfolded in repose and reaching only ¾ length of elytron. Legs. Protibiae elongated and narrowed, inner apical angle with compact dense tuft of yellow setae about twice length of apical spur; distal face of apical tooth with loose sparse tuft of yellow setae about as long as apical spur, 4th (smallest) lateral tooth at about midpoint; metafemoral ventral surface smooth and mostly shiny, weakly microreticulate, almost evenly punctured with moderately large punctures separated by 1–2 diameters.

Abdomen ( Fig. 37 View Figures 37–41 ). Ventrites dull, densely microreticulate and slightly rugose, obscuring puncturation, each with single transverse row of erect pale setae; Pygidium weakly convex, densely and evenly microreticulate except shiny raised margins; punctures distinct but sparse, separated by 2–3 diameters; setae short, scale-like, length about 3× width.

Aedeagus ( Fig. 46 View Figures 42–48 ). In lateral view, parameres “crested”, with a rounded apico-dorsal elevation and prominent but short apico-ventral “beak”.

Female. Head ( Figs 14, 16 View Figures 13–16 ). clypeal suture slightly elevated in frontal portion (faintly in worn specimens), sometimes effaced before reaching genal sutures, straight or slightly convex anteriorly; surface rougher than male, shiny, smooth at base becoming transversely rugose on clypeus, with dense large punctures throughout; pronotum slightly narrower than elytra and relatively flat, like small males; protibiae short and straight, with broad lateral teeth (often rounded due to wear). Minor male (1 specimen). Clypeal suture as male, clypeal surface as female, protibia as female.

Etymology. The species name, “bulga ”, a noun in apposition, means mountain in several eastern Australian languages including Biripi, one of the languages formerly used in the range of this species (Solling, 2014). Most of the material examined has been collected in Bulga State Forest or Biriwal Bulga National Park.

Notes. Onthophagus bulga is endemic to the eastern hills and ranges of central northeast New South Wales, in a triangle of localities from Carrai in the north to Barakee and Biriwal- Bulga in the south ( Fig. 54 View Figure 54 ). Much of the area of occurrence is relatively remote and poorly surveyed forest; we therefore expect this species to occur at more sites in the region.

This species occurs in wet sclerophyll or dry sclerophyll forest ( Figs 51–53 View Figures 51–53 ), at mid or moderately high elevation (489–955 m). Onthophagus bulga is clearly fire tolerant as all three sites in the 2021 survey where this species was trapped had been burnt in the 2019/2020 fires (Reid et al., 2022).

In the 2021 survey, both macropod dung and button mushrooms were used as baits, however O. bulga was only collected in traps using the first (Reid et al., 2022). This is not therefore a rarely collected species because of mycophily, such as members of the erichsoni species-group (Monteith & Rossini, 2017).

Onthophagus bulga was formerly designated “ Onthophagus NSW 4” (Monteith & Kenyon, 2011; Reid et al., 2022).