Macrolema albascutica, Reid & Beatson. CR, 2010

Reid, C. A. M. & Beatson, M., 2010, 2486, Zootaxa 2486, pp. 1-60 : 13-14

Macrolema albascutica sp. nov.

( Figs 4, 20, 32, 46, 61, 68, 82, 97, 100, 115, 129, 130)

Material examined

Types: Holotype: male/ Mt Lewis N Qld 7 Dec 1975 A & M Walford-Huggins [ ANIC]; Paratypes (5): female, same data as holotype [ ANIC]; male/ NEQ 17:16S 145:52 E Bellenden Ker summit 8 Oct 1991 1560m Monteith , Janetzki & Cook / [ QMB]; female/ Windsor Tableland, NE Mt Carbine N Qld 2 Sept 1986 A & M Walford-Huggins [ AMS]; female/ 26km up Tinaroo Ck Rd via Mareeba N Qld 19.vii–24.viii.1983 Storey & Brown / Malaise trap / [ QDPIM]; male/ Mt Lewis 750m rainforest 22km SW Mossman NE Qld 7 Jan 1978 Anthony Hiller coll./ [ QMB]; male/ Bellenden Ker range, NQ Cable Tower 3, 1054m, Oct 17–24 1981, Earthwatch & Qld Museum / [ QMB] .

Description

Length: males 11–12.5mm, females 13–15; body moderately convex in profile, length c. 3x height. Body and appendages dark reddish-brown (one teneral specimen pale reddish-brown) with metallic green reflection, weak ventrally and on legs, except (i) labrum and palpi reddish-yellow; (ii) apices tibiae, tarsi clear red; (iii) antennomeres 8–11 creamy-white to pale yellow; (iv) most of remaining antennomeres, at least 4–7, purplishblue.

Head ( Figs 4, 20, 32): head puncturation variable but frontoclypeus more finely and closely punctured than sparsely and more strongly punctured remainder of head; depressed between eyes, with or without groove on midline of vertex; eyes large and laterally prominent, separated by c. 2x eye widths (male) or c. 2.7x eye widths (female); gena short, c. 0.11x eye length (male), or c. 0.15x eye length (female); antennae c. 4x socket diameters apart; antennae c. 0.75x body length (male), or c. 0.6x body length (female); all antennomeres elongate: 2 shortest (c. 0.5x first), <1=3, <4=8=9=10, <5=6=11, <7 (male), female similar but 7=11; labrum not densely setose, with 2–3 pairs of prominent setae; apical maxillary palpomere elongate, almost cylindrical in male, more fusiform in female, preapical palpomere as long as apical.

Thorax ( Figs 4, 46): pronotal puncturation variable in size and density, sparsely and strongly punctured at sides, base, midline and hypomeron, more diffusely on anterior half of disc, shining, with scattered distinct micropunctures between macropunctures; pronotal width 1.45x length, with strongly developed convex lateral lobes at middle; pronotal disc with pair of deep lateral depressions, with or without shallow basal depression; anterior margination complete; 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 irregularly shaped deep depressions on basal half of disc, one on stria 4, and 2 on striae 6–9; elytral punctures fine and shallow in basal half, evanescent towards apex; elytra partly striate, with striae 1–5 regular and 6–9 partially obliterated by deep elytral depressions, without interstrial punctures; 1–2 deep irregular depressions along basal half of elytron adjacent to epipleuron; upper margin epipleuron reaching base of elytron, but not continued on basal edge; mesoventrite median process strongly arched to truncate apex; metaventrite shining and sparsely and minutely punctured, anterior with complete margination and without median depression, edge pitted lateral to middle; metepisternum not microreticulate, strongly punctured; 1 short spur on protibia, 2 on remainder.

Abdomen ( Figs 61, 68, 82, 97, 100, 115, 129): ventrites I and II entirely fused; ventrites I–V smooth and shining, not microreticulate, moderately closely and strongly punctured on apical half of I–II, and most of III–V, long semi-erect pubescence in transverse apical bands on each ventrite; ventrite I laterally keeled along basal 2/3, other ventrites with short lateral keels, <0.25x ventrite length; apex ventrite V narrowly truncate in both sexes; sternite VIII of male Y-shaped; apex of penis triangular in dorsal view, apical angle c.90°, tip straight and not thickened in lateral view; female sternite VIII with quadrate basal apodeme; gonocoxite without distinct setae; spermatheca falcate, with densely coiled duct.

Notes

Etymology: from Latin alba and scutica, meaning white-whipped, in reference to the antennae.

The 7 specimens of Macrolema albascutica were collected from September to January and July or August (teneral example). All were taken at moderate to high elevation, 750–1560m, in tropical rainforest, north Queensland, from Bellenden Ker to Windsor Tableland ( Fig. 130) .