Austrocyphon scissus, Zwick, 2016

Zwick, Peter, 2016, Australian Marsh Beetles (Coleoptera: Scirtidae). 9. The relations of Australasian Ypsiloncyphon species to their Asian congeners, additions, mainly to Petrocyphon and Prionocyphon, and a key to Australian genera of Scirtinae, Zootaxa 4085 (2), pp. 151-198 : 188

Austrocyphon scissus , n. sp.

( Figs 90–94 )

Type material. ♂ Holotype: 17.10S 145.39E QLD Danbulla SF, E entrance 13 Jun.1992 C.Reid beating vines/ rainf. trees/Acacia (ANIC).

Habitus. BL 2.5 mm, BL/BW ~1.65. Oval, dark brown, head almost black, humeri with indistinct reddish tinge. Antenna brown, flagellar antennomeres asymmetrical, front sides extended, antenna appearing slightly serrate near base. General body structure as for the genus.

Male. Plate of T8 with wide U-shaped caudal notch, a group of a few small setae on either side of notch, remainder of plate bare except for a few minute microtrichia in caudal third ( Fig. 90 ). S8 not seen. T9 divided into long straight rods, with membranous remnants of a transverse connection between the rods near midlength. Distal half of rod deeply divided into two slender spikes, medial one shorter than lateral one ( Fig. 91 ). S9 with poorly delimited handle-like base, plate slender, rhomboid, narrow caudal margin with U-shaped notch, a group of short setae on either side of notch; remainder of plate bare ( Fig. 92 ).

Tegmen and parameres with very long narrow bases, paramere tips resemble weak hooks surrounded by membranes ( Fig. 92 ). Penis narrow and slender, much shorter than sclerites of T9 and parameres. Slightly upcurved pala much longer than distal part of penis from transverse bridge to wide, slightly bilobed apex. Foramen oval, short trigonium not nearly filling it ( Fig. 93 ). Centema a strong curved claw, no spinules near it ( Fig. 94 ).

Female. Not known.

Note. This species is a member of the A. adelaidae -group. Mainly by the structure of T9, it is most similar to A. adelaidae (Blackburn) and A. aculeatus Zwick , both from SE-Australia. It differs from both in details of T9, and by the notched T8 as well as by the slender non-flanged penis with unusually long pala.

Etymology. The Latin adjective scissus means split, divided, a description of the apex of T9.

Figures

FIGURES 90 − 94. Austrocyphon scissus n. sp., male terminalia. 90, T 8; 91, T 9; 92, S 9 and tegmen; 93, penis; 94, apex of penis, enlarged. 91 − 93 to the same scale. Abbreviations: ce, centema; pa, pala; pd, the fused parameroids; pe, paramere; te, tegmen; tb, transverse bridge; tr, trigonium.