Notolioon cardamine, Lawrence, John F., Slipinski, Adam, Jäger, Olaf & Pütz, Andreas, 2013

Lawrence, John F., Slipinski, Adam, Jäger, Olaf & Pütz, Andreas, 2013, The Australian Byrrhinae (Coleoptera: Byrrhidae) with descriptions of new genera and species, Zootaxa 3745 (3), pp. 301-329 : 307-309

Notolioon cardamine sp. n. ( Figs 1 D, 2E, 12H)

Diagnosis. This species differs from most other Notolioon in its small size, the total length not exceeding 2.7 mm and usually 2.4 mm or less. Among those Notolioon species overlapping in size range, N. atronitens and N. multicolor have a dorsal vestiture of longer, recumbent hairs. The Tasmanian N. viridiaeneus is usually metallic green or blue in color, with longer, narrower and more convex prothorax and exceedingly fine dorsal punctation, and the Tasmanian N. bryophagus is metallic green in color with more well-developed metacoxal plates (unusual for the genus) and a well-developed crural impression formed by the pronotal hypomeron, mesopleuron and elytral epipleuron. N. globosus ia about the same size as N. cardamine and the color of both species varies from red to black, but N. globosus differs in having a transverse antennomere 7, longer, narrower and more convex prothorax, a shorter metaventrite, the shortest length of which is about 0. 75 times as long as the shortest diameter of the mesocoxal cavity, and one or two short spurs extending posteriorly from the edge of each mesocoxal cavity.

Description. Length 1.9–2.7 mm. Body length/elytral width 1.21–1.34. Color of pronotum and elytra uniformly red to uniformly black, but head almost always black; ventral surfaces similar to dorsal surfaces or sometimes slightly lighter in color; legs, palps and antennae yellow to yellowing-brown. Dorsal surfaces subglabrous, with a few short erect, fine setae; ventral surfaces with short, decumbent fine setae. Dorsal surfaces very finely and sparsely punctate. Head with relatively sharp frontal ridge. Lateral pronotal carina with distinct bead visible for its entire length from above. Scutellar shield absent. Elytra moderately convex, with their outline in lateral view only slightly different from that of pronotum; sides of elytra with distinct beads delimiting outer edges of epipleura, widest anteriorly where they are visible from above. Ratio of antennal lengths: 2.5: 1.375: 2.25: 1.125: 1.125: 1.0: 1.0: 1.25: 1.25: 1.25: 2.50; antennomere 3 almost 3 times as long as wide; antennomere 7 slightly longer than wide. Pronotum about 0.48–0.54 times as long as wide. Elytra about 0.77–0.89 times as long as wide and 1.71–2.07 times as long as pronotum. Shortest length of metaventrite about 0.75 times shortest diameter of mesocoxal cavity, with weakly diverging, recurved postcoxal lines but without posteriorly projecting spurs. Phallobase 0.8 times as long as wide, anteriorly subacute; paramere s 1.6 times as long as phallobase and 2.9 times as long as wide, sharply acute and dorsally curved at apex; penis about 1.9 times as long as parameres and 10 times as long as wide, parallel with acute, cleft apex and relatively long basal struts.

Distribution. Higher altitudes on Mount Kosciusko, New South Wales.

Type specimens: Holotype, male: AUSTRALIA: NEW SOUTH WALES: Blue Lake Kosciusko Nat. Park (36.24S, 148.19E), 4.ii.1981, on Cardamine , A. Gibbs (ANIC). Paratypes: NEW SOUTH WALES: 38, same data as holotype (AMS, ANIC, MVM, SAM, SMZ, QMB); 2, same locality, 19.iii.1980, recumbent stems of Cardamine sp., A. Gibbs (ANIC). Other Specimens Examined: 4, Smiggin Holes, Kosciusko Nat. Park, 1680m, v, viii, ix, x.1986, pitfalls, K. Green (ANIC); 14, South Ramshead, 1850m, Kosciusko Nat. Park, ii, iv, v, xii.1981, ii, iii, v, vi.1982, ii, v, vi.1983, pitfalls, K. Green (ANIC); 26, South Ramshead, 2000m, Kosciusko Nat. Park, iii, iv, v, x, xii.1981, i, ii, iv, v, vi.1982; v, viii.1983, vi, vii.1986, pitfalls, K. Green (ANIC).

Notes. This species appears to be restricted to the alpine areas of Mt. Kosciusko, where adults and larvae have been found feeding on recumbent stems of a snow-patch variant of Cardamine lilacina Hook ( Brassicaceae ). The species was also shown to be a vector of the turnip yellow mosaic tymovirus (Guy & Gibbs 1985). Specimens from South Ramshead and Smiggin Holes are consistently smaller and usually lighter in color than those from Blue Lake and so have been excluded from the type series. This group of small, globular Notolioon species requires further study.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Byrrhinae: Notolioon spp., habitus, dorsal: A, N. viridinitens (Lea), length = 2.55 mm; B, N. dives (Lea), length = 3.8 mm; C, N. griffithi (Lea), lenth = 3.45 mm; D, N. cardamine n. sp., length = 2.5 mm; E. N. simplicicornis (Lea), length = 2.9 mm; F, N. atronitens (Lea), length = 2.35 mm; G, N. nodipennis (Lea), length = 5.5 mm; H, N. maculatipes (Lea), length = 3.15 mm; I, N. multicolor (Lea), length = 2.0 mm.