Matthewsius stricklandensis Gunter & Weir

Gunter, Nicole L. & Weir, Thomas A., 2017, Two new genera of Australian dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) with the description of six new species and transfer of six described species, Zootaxa 4290 (2), pp. 201-243 : 220

Matthewsius stricklandensis Gunter & Weir , new species

Figs 2 A, 3E, 6E, 5F

Material examined. New South Wales: Holotype: ♂, 33°22'18S, 151°19'17E, Strickland State Forest, near Banksia Picnic area, 21–27 September 2011, dung and mushroom trap, N. Gunter (in ANIC, 25–057591, ( DNA code COL 2015 )) . Paratypes: 33°22'18S, 151°19'17E, Strickland State Forest , near Banksia Picnic area , 21–27 September 2011, dung and mushroom trap, N. Gunter, in ANIC 25-053903 (1x ♂, 1x ♀); 33°22'18S, 151°19'17E, Strickland State Forest, near Banksia Picnic area, 21–27 September 2011, dung and mushroom trap, N. Gunter, in AM , ANIC 25–057589 (♀, DNA code COL 2013 ); 33°22'18S, 151°19'17E, Strickland State Forest , near Banksia Picnic area, 21–27 September 2011, dung and mushroom trap, N. Gunter, in QM , ANIC 25–057590 (♀, DNA code COL2014)).

Etymology. Named after Strickland State Forest, the locality of the only known specimens collected to date.

Description. Colour: Black. Antennae yellow.

Holotype measurements: 4.2 mm in length, 3.2 mm across widest point of elytra.

Total length: 3.4–4.4 mm

Male: Head: Broad U-shape between clypeal teeth, which are slightly upturned. Rest of margin of head feebly convex to eye. Mentum almost square, bordered anteriorly, reticulate, with setation sparse on posterior corners. Edge of head bordered, wider between eye canthus and suture, genal angle slightly prominent. Dorsal parts of eyes notched, separated by an interocular space of about 15 times eye width; eye canthus not dividing eye. Surface smooth, nitid, glabrous, with extremely heavy, round punctures; punctures separated by less than 1 diameter. Head width to length ratio 41:23.

Pronotum: Anterior angles almost 90° with a distinct border. Basal angles distinct, basal margin rounded, lateral edge margined. Hypomeron surface reticulate with heavy punctation. Punctures along basal margin almost extend to basal edge, with punctures different from disc. All punctures round to slightly elongate without setae, separated by less than 1 diameter, less dense medially. Hypomeral stria short. Pronotum width to length ratio 70:37.

Elytra: Surface smooth. Intervals densely punctate, punctures bearing extremely small setae; setae barely longer than width of puncture. Striae impressed, 1–6 geminate, appearing as 2 parallel lines; 7 single; all striae with simple punctures, crenulate apically. All striae on disc equal width, extending to base; striae 7 short and only present in basal 2/3rd; striae 8 confined to groove posteriorly. Ratio of length of elytra along suture to maximum elytral width 70:80.

Legs: Prothoracic legs with trochantofemoral anterior pit and trochanter excavated dorsally for reception of inner apical edge of protibia. Protibiae with 3 teeth on outer edge, which is serrate between teeth and proximal to teeth; each tooth with 2 groups of setae dorsally, front edge straight between apical tooth and short broad apical spur. The tooth on underside near base of tarsus is a blunt projection. Protibiae inner apical angle produced, with an apical comb of short flattened bristles and on lower surface a brush of long setae extending beyond edge of comb. Claws small and simple. Mesotibiae broad and densely setose on the inner side. Metatibiae with the inner edge of tibia not crenulate. Males with small, blunt tooth at inner apical edge of metatibiae. Tarsomere 1 wider than the other tarsomeres but not lobed.

Abdomen: Pygidium with transverse groove at the base reaching basal angle, with a narrow groove around the rest of the pygidium. Ventrites reticulate only at the sides, with a row of punctures along the anterior edge of ventrites 2–5, ventrite 6 punctate. Suture between abdominal ventrites simple.

Pterothorax: Medial lobe of metaventrite punctate and broadly margined between the mesocoxae. Mesometaventral suture almost straight. Lateral lobe of the metaventrite finely reticulate with horseshoe-shaped punctures. Mesoventrite smooth with horseshoe-shaped punctures extending medially but less defined, not notched anteriorly. Mesepimera finely reticulate and punctate. Metanepisterna finely reticulate with round punctures.

Hind wings: Absent.

Female: Protibiae not expanded at the inner apical angle with longer apical spur. Setae on tarsomeres shorter and less dense than in males. Mesotibiae lack inner brush of setae. Pygidium markedly more convex.

Distribution. See Fig. 5 F. The species is only known from the single collecting event from Strickland State Forest, 4–7 km northeast of Gosford, New South Wales. All specimens were trapped in a dung and mushroom baited pitfall trap in open eucalypt forest. Given limited sampling effort in the area the species may be more widespread than currently documented.

Comments. This species was referred to as “ Lepanus NSW6” in Yeates et al. (2011).

Figures

FIGURE 2. Key characters of Matthewsius new genus, all scale bars 0.25 mm. A, lateral view of elytra (M. stricklandensis); B, ventral view of profemur, note presence of trochantofemoral anterior pit and ornamentation on apex of protibia (M. illawarrensis); C, close up of ornamentation on apex of protibia, white arrow pointing to comb and black arrow pointing to brush of setae (M. illawarrensis); D, prothoracic leg with three tibial teeth each with two groups of setae dorsally (M. illawarrensis ♂); E, male mesotibia with dense brush of setae (M. illawarrensis ♂); F, female mesotibia without dense brush of setae (M. illawarrensis ♀); G, male metatibia with small, blunt tooth (M. illawarrensis ♂); H, female metatibia without small, blunt tooth (M. illawarrensis ♀), inset includes close up of claw; I, male metatibia with small, blunt tooth (M. penelopae ♂).

FIGURE 5. Distributional maps of species belonging to the new genera Matthewsius and Monteithocanthon including close up insets of A, Pilbara region, Western Australia; B, northeastern Queensland; C, southeastern Queensland; D, southwestern Western Australia; E, southeastern South Australia; F, central to southeastern New South Wales.