Macrolema aenescens ( Bowditch 1913 )

Reid, C. A. M. & Beatson, M., 2010, 2486, Zootaxa 2486, pp. 1-60 : 12-13

Macrolema aenescens ( Bowditch 1913)

( Figs 3, 19, 45, 99, 114, 130)

Macrogonus aenescens Bowditch 1913: 268

Macrolema aenescens: Reid 2000: 862

Material examined

Types: Holotype: female/ Moroka Brit N. G. 3500ft x.[18]95 Anthony / Macrogonus aenescens Bow type/ type 8472/ type F. C. B. coll/ [ MCZ].

Description of Macrolema aenescens (Bowditch) [female only]

Length 15mm; body relatively convex in profile, length 2.7x height. Body and appendages red, except (i) basal half of head, tips of mandibles, middle of pronotum, elytra except epipleura, tibiae, middle of ventrites dark reddish-brown with weak to strong metallic green reflection, (ii) antennae and tarsomeres 1–3 dark brown with metallic blue reflection. This may be a slightly teneral specimen.

Head ( Figs 3, 19): anterior half finely and closely punctured, posterior more sparsely punctured; circular depression between eyes and deep groove on midline of vertex; eyes small, separated by 4.5x eye widths, gena 0.4x eye length; antennae 4x socket diameters apart; antennae c. 0.6x body length; all antennomeres elongate: 2 shortest (c. 0.6x first), <3, <1=4, <5=6=8=9=10, <7=11; labrum not densely setose, with 2–3 pairs of prominent setae; apical maxillary palpomere elongate, almost cylindrical, preapical palpomere as long as apical.

Thorax ( Figs 3, 45): pronotum closely and strongly punctured at sides, base, midline and hypomeron, sparsely on anterior half of disc, shining, with distinct micropunctures between macropunctures; pronotal width 1.8x length, with strongly developed flat lateral lobes at middle; pronotal disc with pair of deep lateral depressions and shallow basal depression; anterior without margination at middle half of edge; hypomeron at least partly punctate; prosternal process narrow and strongly arched from base to truncate apex; scutellum impunctate, elongate-triangular with blunt apex; elytron with 2–3 irregular rugose depressions on basal half of disc, a small shallow one on stria 4, and a large irregular area (or 2 coalescent) on striae 6–8; elytral punctures large and deep in basal half, much shallower towards apex; elytra partly striate, with striae 1–5 regular and 6– 9 partially obliterated by rugose elytral depressions and large interstrial punctures; irregular rugosity along basal half of elytron adjacent to epipleuron; upper margin epipleuron obliterated below humerus, not reaching base of elytron; mesoventrite median process strongly arched to concave apex; metaventrite shining and sparsely punctured, anterior with median depression and no margination at middle, edge pitted lateral to this; metepisternum distinctly microreticulate and sparsely punctured; 1 short apical spur on protibia, 2 on remainder.

Abdomen ( Figs 99, 114): ventrites I and II entirely fused; ventrites I– V smooth and shining, not microreticulate, sparsely and finely punctured, more conspicuosly so on IV– V; ventrite I laterally keeled along basal half, other ventrites without lateral keels; apex female ventrite V rounded; female sternite VIII with transverse basal apodeme, widest at apex; gonocoxite distinctly setose; spermatheca hook-shaped, with densely coiled duct.

Notes

Macrolema aenescens is known from the single type specimen, collected in 1895 at 1100m, at Moroka in the Owen Stanley Range , near Port Morseby ( Fig. 130). The village of Moroka has since been abandoned ( Bell 1984) .