Mecynotarsus phanophilus Lea, 1922

Kejval, Zbyněk, 2013, Taxonomic revision of the Australian Notoxinae (Coleoptera: Anthicidae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae (suppl.) 53, pp. 1-98 : 68-70

Mecynotarsus phanophilus Lea, 1922

( Figs 88–97 , 162, 163 , 181 )

Mecynotarsus phanophilus Lea, 1922: 511 . Mecynotarsus phaenophilus (incorrect subsequent spelling): UHMANN (2007): 21 (redescription).

Type locality. Australia, Queensland, Cairns.

Type material. SYNTYPES: 1 ♀, ‘ phanophilus Lea , TYPE Cairns [p+h] // I. 15269 Mecynotarsus phanophilus Lea Queensland TYPE [h] // S.A. Museum Specimen [p; red label]’ ( SAMA); 1♀, ‘ Cairns dist.A. M. Lea [p] //Attracted to light [p] Co-type [p] // S.A. Museum specimen [p; red label]’ ( SAMA).

Additional material. AUSTRALIA: QUEENSLAND: 13 ♂♂ 17 ♀♀, 70km SW of Greenvale , at light, 1995–1996 [various dates], A. J. Watts leg. ( SAMA) ; 1 ♀, 1 km S of Musselbrook Mining Camp, Musselbrook Creek , 18°37′S 138°08′E, at light, 10.v.1995, T.Weir leg. ( ANIC) ; 1♀, Funnel Creek , 21°47′S 148°55′E, at light, 12.xii.1968, Britton & Misko leg. ( ANIC) ; 1 ♀, Townsville 12.–16.viii.1918 [no collector] ( ZSMC) ; 1 ♂, Townsville , 16.–22.iii.1965, Exp. J. Balogh [identification label ‘ M.amabilis ’ by Uhmann] ( HNHM) ; 1♂ 1♀, 20 km N of Townsville, Bushmans Beach, at light, 16.–18.i.1998, A. J. Watts leg. ( SAMA). NORTHERN TERRITORY: 1 ♂, 48 km SWS of Borroloola, Mc Arthur River , 16°27′S 136°05′E, 29.x.1975, M. S. Upton leg. ( ANIC) ; 1 ♂, 14 km NW of Cape Crawford , 16°34′S 135°41′E, 6.xi.1975, M. S. Upton leg. ( ANIC) ; 7 ♂♂ 8 ♀♀, West MacDonnell Range National Park, Simpson Gap , 23°40′S 133°43′E, 3.–5.i.2009, S. Jakl leg. ( ZKDC, NMPC) ; 1 ♀, same data, except: 600 m, 3.–4.i.2009, S. Bílý leg. ( ZKDC) ; 1 ♀, same data, except: 11.i.2009, S. Bílý leg. ( NMPC) ; 1 ♀, Carnarvon Gorge , 26.–30.iii.1964, G. Monteith leg. ( QMBA) ; 2 ♂♂, S of Mackay, Boothill Creek, 24.v.1968, G. Monteith leg. ( QMBA). NEW SOUTH WALES: 1 ♂ 1 ♀, Moree , 29.xii.1971, B. Cantrell leg. ( QMBA) ; 1 ♂ [strongly abraded], Mulwala [partly illegible, no date and collector] ( SAMA). SOUTHERN AUSTRALIA: 2 ♂♂ 1 ♀, Ross Waterhole , 27°08′S 135°33′E, at light, 4.ix.1989, I. Bunic leg. ( ANIC) ; 1 ♂ 1 ♀, Mudla Eore , 35 km NNE Billa Kalina Homestead, at light, 4.xii.1974, J. A. Herridge leg. ( SAMA) .

Redescription (Holotype, female). Body length 2.6 mm. Body reddish brown, elytra slightly paler, unicolourous; legs and antennae reddish.

Antero-lateral margins of frons simple. Gular rugules of different sizes, anteriorly larger, ordered, contiguous to fused as in Fig. 139 . Clypeal granules minute but distinct. Setation of head vertex fine, appressed, with some longer, more raised setae at base, distinctly coarser and subdecumbent around eyes and ventro-laterally.Antennae rather moderately long; antennomeres III–V nearly 1.8 times, X 1.2 times as long as wide; setation mostly fine, distinctly coarser to scaly and with some long, raised setae on basal two antennomeres.

Pronotum moderately transverse, its lateral margins rather strongly, evenly convex in dorsal view; posterior collar very narrow and inconspicuous. Pronotal horn robust and wide, triangular, its posterior angles distinct in dorsal view ( Fig. 162 ); horn margins armed with 4 lobules on each side, apical lobule simple, widely rounded; horn crest very distinct, strongly raised, rather short, with coarse rugules on margins; submarginal rugules mostly coarse and distinctly spaced; median rugules largely fused and forming irregular sculpture, with several minute granules scattered posteriorly. Setation whitish, slightly yellowish to reddish dorsally, largely scaly and appressed to subdecumbent, finer, much sparser and raised on pronotal horn dorsally; scales on pronotal disc of two sizes, larger scales more raised, subdecumbent and distinctly truncate apically, their surface somewhat glossy; antebasal paired setae absent medially and probably present laterally, difficult to recognize owing to presence of another tactile setae (especially antero-laterally).

Elytra 1.6 times as long as wide; omoplates and postbasal impression absent. Setation scaly, reddish to brownish and whitish, mixed and forming also rather vague darker markings, appressed and evenly ordered; scales nearly linear, rounded to truncate apically, glossy, distinctly spaced (surface visible, Fig. 181 ); scattered tactile setae absent, but humeri with several longer and more raised, stiff setae.

Male characters (Bushmans Beach, SAMA). Sternum VII nearly simple, slightly produced medially. Tergum VIII and aedeagus as in Figs 88–90 .

Variation. Body length (♂ ♀) 2.1–2.8 mm. Pronotal horn with 3–4 lobules on each side, varying in prominence of posterior angles and shape of lobules ( Figs 162, 163 ). Brownish setose markings may be reduced to absent (Levi Creek). The specimens from the southernmost (Levi Creek, Moree) and deep inland localities (Simpson Gap) show more or less distinct differences in the shape of the parameres and the postero-ventral margin of male tergum VIII ( Figs 91–94, 95–97 ).

Differential diagnosis. Mecynotarsus phanophilus seems to be very close to M. obesus sp. nov., both in male and external characters, however, it differs by the shorter, more compact horn crest, by the narrower, nearly linear and apically rather truncate body scales (cf. Fig. 181 versus 179) that are partly subdecumbent on the pronotum, by the less prolonged and rounded apex of the parameres, and by the rounded posterior margin of male tergum VIII (not emarginate). Externally, it may also resemble M. bullatus sp. nov., but differs by the smaller body size, distinct and more or less separate rugules of the crest margins (never fused and forming a strongly raised and evenly shaped, semicircular rim), the somewhat denser setation of the elytra, the somewhat slender antennae (especially the less robust basal antennomere), the absence of scattered tactile setae on the elytra, and mainly by the form of the parameres (cf. Fig. 89 versus 34).

Distribution. Australia: New South Wales (new record), Northern Territory (new record), Queensland ( LEA 1922), South Australia (new record).

Figures

Figs 88–97. Mecynotarsus phanophilus Lea, 1922: 88 – tergum VIII, 89 – tegmen in dorsal view, 90 – median lobe in dorsal view. 91–94 – paramera: 91 – Simpson Gap, 92 – Moree, 93 – Levi Creek, 94 – Mc Arthur River. 95–97 – postero-ventral margin of tergum VIII: 95 – Simpson Gap, 96 – Moree, 97 – Levi Creek. Scale (0.2 mm): A – Figs 88–93, 95–97; B – Fig. 94.

Figs 159–167. Pronotal horn in dorsal view: 159 – Mecynotarsus mastersii MacLeay, 1872 (Cedar Creek National Park), 160 – M. obesus sp. nov., 161 – M. parvulus sp. nov., 162 – M. phanophilus Lea, 1922 (Greenvale), 163 – the same (Ross Waterhole), 164 – M. pilicornis sp. nov., 165 – M. pusillus sp. nov., 166 – M. speciosus sp. nov., 167 – M. weiri sp. nov.

Figs 177–185. Setation of elytra: 177 – Mecynotarsus kingii MacLeay, 1872 (Shoalhaven River), 178 – M. nobilis sp. nov., 179 – M. obesus sp. nov., 180 – M. parvulus sp. nov., 181 – M. phanophilus sp. nov., 182 – M. pilbarensis sp. nov., 183 – M. regalis sp. nov., 184 – M. speciosus sp. nov., 185 – M. weiri sp. nov.

Figs 133–140. 133 – Mecynotarsus setulosus sp. nov., head in lateral view (paratype, Fowlers Gap), 134 – M. excavatus sp. nov., apex of elytra in female (paratype, Aoue-Enga), 135 – M. grandior sp. nov., apex of elytron in male (paratype, Kimberley Research Station), 136 – M. obesus sp. nov., metatibia with tarsus (paratype, Hull River), 137 – M. excavatus sp. nov., male protibia (paratype, Aoue-Enga). 138–140 – head in ventral view: 138 – M. auripilosus sp. nov. (paratype, Kambah Pool), 139 – M. bullatus sp. nov. (paratype, Regans Ford), 140 – M. ziczac King, 1869 (Swain Reefs).