Austrocyphon pictus ( Blackburn, 1892 ) Blackburn, 1892

Zwick, Peter, 2013, Australian Marsh Beetles (Coleoptera: Scirtidae) 4. Two new genera, Austrocyphon and Tasmanocyphon, Zootaxa 3706 (1), pp. 1-74 : 14-16

Austrocyphon pictus ( Blackburn, 1892) , comb. nov.

( Figs. 17–23 )

Helodes ( Cyphon ?) pictus Blackburn 1892: 520 .

Type material. Helodes pictus Blackb. , ♂ lectotype: design. P.Zwick 2011 / T. [black ink] / 38 [red ink; on the narrow card on which the specimen was originally mounted; 2 legs remain attached to it, rest of body re-mounted on new card] / Type [circular, red edge] / Blackburn coll. 1919–236 / Helodes pictus Blackb. ( NHML). Paralectotypes: 2♂ [originally together on single card]: design. P.Zwick 2011 / I. 9279 Cyphon pictus Blackb. / Victoria / Cotype / Victorian Alps Blackburn Helodes pictus, Blackb. / Co-types / 14 AZ [red, on specimen card].

Additional material studied. VIC: 2♂, 36.43S, 146.50E, VIC, Mt. Buffalo NP 450m, Eurobin Ck, 830, 12.Feb.1987, A.Newton & M.Thayer / wet sclero. forest, wet leaves, flood debris, forest stream; 1♂, 37.44S 145.43E VIC Warburton 2.2 km NE on Acheron Way 320m 27.Feb.1993 931 A.Newton & M.Thayer / Euc.regnans forest w. Acacia dealbata ex window trap ( ANIC). 1♂, Ferntree Gully 1.1.23 C.Oke (MV; Armstrong det. fenestratus ). 1♂, Grampians, Halls Gap, Silverband Falls, 15.11.2007, P.Zwick (PZ).— TAS: 1♂, 42.41S 146.43 TAS, National park, low bushes entrance to NP, Feb. 1992, C.Reid ( ANIC). 13♂, 2♀, TAS 18K SW Derwent Bridge 29/11/00, C.H.S.Watts; 1♂, Helodes pictus Blkb. 8823 Tasmania; 1♂, 1♀, Frankford Tas. Lea / in cop.; 5♂, 1♀, King I. Tas. Lea/ Helodes (Cyphon) pictus Blkb. King Island 10552; 1♂, Launceston; 2♂, Nat. Mus. Victoria G.French's coll. 5.11.0 8 / Helodes (Cypon) pictus Blb. Tasmania (all SAMA). 2♂, Hobart TAS: Lea / Helodes (Cyphon) pictus Blkb ( ANIC). 1♂, King Isl. (MV; Armstrong det. " fenestratus Blackb. = pictus "). 1 specimen, Franklin, Huon R., Tasm. J.J.W., G.C.Champion coll. B.M. 1927-409 / Cyphon pictus Blackb. Id. by J.Armstrong [ NHML; abdominal tip damaged, gender unknown].— ACT: 7♂, 35.16S 149.06E, Black Mtn S.E.slope, light trap, ACT 5 Feb. 1966, A.A.Calder; 3♂, 35.16S, 149.06E Black Mtn ACT 600m, Dec.1987 M.E.Irwin ex Malaise trap; 2♂, Blundell's F.C.T. 30.4.30 A.L.Tonnoir; 1♂, 35.22S 148.50E Blundells Ck 3km E of Piccadilly Circus, 850m, ACT Apr. 1984 Weir, Lawrence, Johnson; 1♂, 35.19S 148.51E, Wombat Ck. 6 km NE of Piccadilly Circus, 750m, ACT, Apr.1984, Weir, Lawrence, Johnson / flight interception window / trough trap; 1♀, Gibraltar Creek A.C.T. near Falls, 5.xi.73 S.Misko (all ANIC).— NSW: 17♂, 4♀, Orange N.S.W. J.Armstrong; 4♂, Island Bend Kosciusko J.Armstrong; reverse side: Nov. 52; 1♂, Tallangandra SF NSW 8 km SSE Captain Flat Sept. 1989 C.Reid beating Gahnia etc. by stream; 1♂, 34.39S 150.43E NSW Jamberoo Mt. Road 25.Sep 93 C Reid at escarpment subtrop. Rainforest; 1♂, Nadgee SF NSW 400m Maxwell's Ck 13–19.Jan.1987 D.Bickel warm temp. rainforest; 2♂, 34.24S 150.50E Mt. Keira Scout Camp NSW ca. 320m 4/ 5 Mar.1981 Lawrence & Calder / at light; 1♂, Kioloa S.F. NSW rainforest gully 5km SW Kioloa 23 Feb. 1986 C.Reid beating Sassafras etc.; 1♂: Mt Keira Wollongong NSW 9.Feb.1981 (M.V.) J.Powell; 1♂, 1 km W Barrengarry 27.Sep. 1986 C.Reid on Ac. melanoxylon flwr (all ANIC). 1♂, NSW nr Yowaka River 59 05208N 557 2161E [sic!] 16.2.00 / J&R Miller (coll.Watts, SAMA). 1♂, Thredbo R., 6 mls downstream from Thredbo village, in flight, 23.11.1972, P.Zwick (PZ).

Habitus. Oval, BL 2.2–2.9 mm, BL/BW ca. 1.6. Brown with a large yellow or pale spot on the shoulder, a transverse row of three spots near midlength, and a large subapical spot. Beetles with the colour pattern shown in the left half of Fig. 17 may be recently eclosed individuals. In other presumably older specimens the yellow darkens or is replaced by brown until essentially three pale spots and reddish brown seams along pronotal borders remain (right half of Fig. 17 ). Individuals from Derwent Bridge are particularly dark, with entirely dark pronotum.

Male. T8 (not shown) short, transverse, apodemes about twice as long as short transverse plate. Plate with microtrichia, and setae plus pecten along caudal edge. S8 V-shaped, rather large but the sclerites are narrow.

T9 with long and strong apodemes, plate divided into three pairs of lobes. The dorso-median lobes are separated by a rounded notch reaching forward to the antecosta, their apices are rounded. An extension of the apodemes runs along the medial edge of these lobes. They are connected to lateral lobes armed with many fine spinules and a straight row of sharp teeth near the lower edge ( Fig. 20 ). The lobes of the third pair are membranous and soft, with rounded apices. S9 with handle-like base and a parallel plate ending in two widely separate pilose lobes ( Fig. 21 ).

Pala about half total length of penis, much narrower than distal part which is not flanged. Trigonium short and stout, with distinct basal spur, apical spinules, and a hook-shaped centema ( Figs. 22, 23 ).

Tegmen narrow, bent like a hairpin, the thin parameres end in sharp tips turning mediad ( Fig. 23 ).

Female. Genitalia not distinctive. Well pigmented specimens can be identified by their dorsal colour pattern ( Fig. 17 ).

Notes. Although originally described as Helodes ( Cyphon ?), occasional identification labels in collections suggest subsequent authors regarded this as a species of Cyphon . I am uncertain whether the name was ever published in this combination. If so, it would have been a secondary junior homonym of Cyphon pictus Motschulsky, 1856 . The latter does not belong in the family Scirtidae ( Ruta 2009) , and the present species is now placed in a different genus, Austrocyphon . Therefore, Article 59(2) of ICZN applies, and the name Austrocyphon pictus ( Blackburn, 1892) is available.

The nominal taxon was repeatedly confused with several other patterned species. A lectotype designation was needed to ensure the consistent use of the name. The card on which the lectotype is mounted was obviously secondarily divided, leaving only part of the number written on it. M.Barclay (NHML) consulted file cards relating to Blackburn's collection and wrote in a letter: "38 [clearly the card has been cut in half at some stage, to separate one specimen that Blackburn apparently subsequently decided was not conspecific; I think it may have said 3814 which reads as follows]: Helodes (Cyphon) pictus, Blackb. Austr. Alps 11/90". This conforms with the published type locality which is "Victoria; Alpine district".

Once the identity of the patterned species occurring in Tasmania was clarified by study of their genitalia it turned out that A. pictus can be recognized by its relatively stout shape and the transverse arrangements of the elytral marks. The other species in question ( A. doctus (Lea) , A. perdoctus sp. n., A. linguatus sp. n.) are more slender, and an oblique brown mark on the posterior half of their elytra dominates the pattern. The intensity of pigmentation varies intraspecifically but differences in genitalia among these variants were not noticed. In collections, A. pictus was also misidentified as A. fenestratus (Blackburn) whose pattern (if at all present) is entirely different.

Austrocyphon pictus clearly belongs in the genus but its relations with other species are doubtful, the build of T9 is unique.

Figures

FIGURES 17 – 23. Austrocyphon pictus (Blackburn), male. 17, habitus; left half shows the pattern of a pale specimen, right half of figure of a dark specimen. 18, S 8; 19, T 9, dorsal; 20, ventral view of right half of T 9 to show denticle row on middle lobe (ml), dorsal lobe (dl) in background, ventral lobe (vl) diagrammatically shown as transparent; 21, S 9; 22, penis with terminal section of vas deferens; 23, penis with parameres. 17 – 19 and 21 – 23 to the same scale.