Macrolema submetallica (Jacoby)

Reid, C. A. M. & Beatson, M., 2010, 2486, Zootaxa 2486, pp. 1-60 : 24-25

Macrolema submetallica (Jacoby)

( Figs 13, 29, 55, 76, 90, 108, 123, 134)

Macrogonus submetallicus Jacoby 1894: 330

Macrolema submetallica: Reid 2000: 862

Material examined

Type: Holotype: female: / Queensland (Meek) / Tring coll. Type F. C. B. Coll. / type 8471/ Macrogonus submetallicus Jac. / [ MCZ].

Non-types (7): Queensland: female: / Coen NQ 24.v.1951 C. Oke / [ MVM]; female: / Mareeba 2.i.1939 J. G. Brooks / J. G. Brooks bequest 1976/ [ ANIC]; 3 males, 2 females : / S Johnstone R ., Queensland H. W. Brown / [ AMS] .

Description

Length: males 11–12mm, females 12.5–13.5mm; body convex in profile, length c.2.8–3.0x height. Body and appendages black or blackish-brown with faint metallic purplish-blue reflection, except (i) labrum, palpi and elytra reddish-yellow; (ii) anterior angles pronotum, prosternal process, hypomeral processes, anterior face mid coxae, edges abdominal ventrites, reddish-brown; (iii) vaguely indicated parts of head, and scutellum dark brown.

Head ( Figs 13, 29): head puncturation variable but frontoclypeus more finely and closely punctured than sparsely and more strongly punctured area between eyes, middle of vertex almost impunctate; depressed between eyes, with two deep grooves at sides of depression, with or without groove on midline of vertex; eyes separated by c.3.6x eye widths (male) or c.4.5x eye widths (female); gena c.0.22–0.24x eye length; antennae c.5.5x 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), <3, <1=4, <5=6=8=9=10, <7=11 (male and female); 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 shorter than apical.

Thorax ( Figs 13, 55): pronotal puncturation variable in size and density, generally with sparse large punctures laterally and at base, sparser on disc; pronotum shining, with scattered distinct micropunctures between macropunctures; pronotal width 1.7x length, with strongly developed angular 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 to raised slightly convex apex; scutellum impunctate, elongate-triangular with blunt apex; elytron with 3 irregularly shaped shallow depressions on basal half of disc, one on striae 4–5, and 2 on striae 6–9; elytral punctures fine and shallow in basal half, evanescent towards apex, interstrial punctures much smaller than strial; elytra partly striate, with striae 1–5 regular and 6–9 partially obliterated by elytral depressions; 1–2 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 median depression and incomplete margination, edge pitted lateral to middle; metepisternum microreticulate, strongly punctured; 1 short spur on protibia, 2 on remainder.

Abdomen ( Figs 76, 90, 108, 123): ventrites I and II entirely fused; ventrites I– V smooth and shining, not microreticulate, sparsely and finely punctured on apical half of I–II, and most of III– V, sparse pubescence not in distinct transverse apical bands on each ventrite; ventrite I laterally keeled along basal ½–3/4, other ventrites without lateral keels; apex ventrite V rounded in both sexes; sternite VIII of male Y-shaped; apex of penis broadly truncate in dorsal view, tip acute and slightly curved in lateral view; female sternite VIII with short basal apodeme, expanded to apex; gonocoxite distinctly setose; spermatheca hook-shaped, with densely coiled duct.

Notes

The 8 specimens of Macrolema submetallica examined were collected from 3 localities in north Queensland ( Fig. 134), most recently in 1951. Macrolema submetallica may reasonably be considered ‘Endangered’ in conservation status (International Union for Conservation of Nature 2001), given its rarity, large size and restricted distribution.

Two of the three detailed localities are on the Atherton Tableland; the third, Coen, is therefore an unlikely location. It is in a biogeographically distinct region, 450km north of Mareeba and South Johnstone River. The collector of this specimen was one of many schoolteachers around Australia contacted by Oke to send material to the Museum of Victoria (K. Walker, pers. com.). Oke then labelled or relabelled the material in Melbourne, which could easily have led to error. The month of collection for this specimen is also unusual. The specimen is identical to the other female material. We therefore consider it mislabelled.