Mecynotarsus concolor King, 1869

(Figs 40, 41, 120, 173, 192)

Mecynotarsus concolor King, 1869: 4 . Mecynotarsus concolor: PIC (1911): 14 (catalogue); LEA (1922): 473, 510 (catalogue, remarks on characters). Notoxus decemdentatus Pic, 1899: 189, syn. nov. Notoxus decemdentatus: PIC (1911): 7 (catalogue); UHMANN (1993): 87 (record); UHMANN (2000): 146 (record). Notoxus decemnotatus (incorrect subsequent spelling): LEA (1922): 473.

Type locality. South Australia, Gawler, dried riverbed of Gawler River.

Type material. M.concolor – SYNTYPES (Fig.120): 2♀♀, ‘ Mecynotarsus concolor RLK Gawler Mrs Kr. [h] // A35017 [h] // [orange round label] // HOLOTYPE [p; red label] // Australian Museum K 269858 [p]’ (AMSA).

N. decemdentatus – SYNTYPES (Fig. 123): 2♀♀, ‘ Notoxus 10-dentatus i. l. Schauf.Nov. Holland [h] // 10 dentatus Pic [h]’ (MNHN); 1 ♀, ‘(Schaufuss) [h]’ (MNHN).

Additional material. AUSTRALIA: 2 ♂♂ 1 ♀, ‘ Pascoe Coll. ’ (BMNH); 1 ♂ 2 ♀♀, ‘Austr. 73·7’ (BMNH). SOUTH AUSTRALIA: 2 spec. [mounted on single card], ‘ K35066 [h] // Mecynotarsus concolor King S. Australia [h] // Australian Museum K 269859 [p]’ (AMSA) ; 3 ♂♂ 1 ♀, Gawler [no date], Odewahn leg. (NMPC); 4 ♀♀, Gawler [no date and collector, probably Odewahn leg.] (NMPC); 3 ♀♀, South Australia [no precise data, date and collector] (ANIC) ; 8 spec., ‘ Adelaide F. Bates 81·19’ (BMNH); 1 ♂, Olary, 24 km WNW, 32°17′S 140°19′E, Britton, Misko & Pullen leg. (ANIC). NEW SOUTH WALES: 1 ♂, Fowlers Gap Research Station, 31°05′S 141°42′E, at light, 29.xi.–2.xii.1981, J. C. Cardale leg. (ANIC).

Redescription (male, Gawler, NMPC). Body length 2.5 mm. Reddish; pronotum and head moderately darker.

Antero-lateral margins of frons simple. Gular rugules of different sizes, anteriorly coarser, ordered and fused as in Fig. 139. Clypeal granules minute, nearly indistinct. Setation of head evenly short, dense, finer and appressed on vertex, somewhat coarser laterally along eyes and ventrally. Antennae moderately long; antennomeres III–V about twice, X 1.5 times as long as wide; setation mostly rather short and fine, inconspicuous, distinctly coarser in basal third / half, and with some long, stiff setae on basal antennomere.

Pronotum 1.5 times as long as wide, its lateral margins somewhat unevenly shaped, angled at widest point and then nearly evenly narrowing towards base in dorsal view; posterior collar narrow but distinct. Pronotal horn robust, moderately wide, its posterior angles indicated in dorsal view; horn margins armed with 4 widely rounded lobules on each side; horn crest very distinct, clearly raised, long and rather narrow, with three coarse and two minute rugules on margins; submarginal rugules minute to coarse, forming uneven row laterally; single large median longitudinal rugule and several minute granules postero-medially. Setation whitish to pale brownish, scaly and quite appressed; pronotal horn largely rather sparsely indistinctly setose; scales on pronotal disc with indistinct, fine margins, nearly merging and entirely covering surface; antebasal paired setae distinct (somewhat thickened) both laterally and medially, another tactile setae absent.

Elytra 1.8 times as long as wide; omoplates and postbasal impression absent. Setation similar to that on pronotum, scaly, whitish and brownish, forming vague markings, at places somewhat mixed (Fig. 192); elongate scales nearly merging and entirely covering surface (Fig. 173); erect tactile setae absent.

Male characters. Sternum VII slightly produced medially. Tergum VIII and aedeagus as in Figs 40, 41.

Variation. Body length (♂ ♀) 2.4–2.9 mm; pronotal horn with 3–4 lobules on each side; darker markings on elytra may be both distinct and rather vague (always rather vaguely outlined).

Differential diagnosis. Mecynotarsus concolor is extremely close to M. hortensis, differing only by the somewhat paler colouration of the body scales (especially on the elytra, elytral apices pale reddish) and by the shape of the parameres and postero-ventral margin of the male tergum VIII (prominence of median process, setation) (cf. Figs 40, 41 and 60, 61).

Distribution. Australia: New South Wales (new record), South Australia (KING 1869, UHMANN 2007).

The records of the herein synonymized Notoxus decemdentatus from New Caledonia and New South Wales by UHMANN (1993, 2000) were found to be based on misidentified specimens of Mecynotarsus excavatus sp. nov. and M. apicipennis, respectively.