Australara, Barr & Shepard, 2021

Barr, Cheryl B. & Shepard, William D., 2021, A review of the Larainae of Australia with description of seven new species and the new genus Australara (Coleoptera, Byrrhoidea, Elmidae), ZooKeys 1073, pp. 55-117 : 55

Australara gen. nov.

Type species.

Australara glaisteri sp. nov.

Differential diagnosis.

Australara (Fig. 13 ) is distinguished by the following characters: Body shape elongate; antennae subserrate, thin, very long; eyes moderately protuberant; maxillary palpi long and robust, apices tapered, sensory areas oblique and narrowly oval; labial palpomere 3 apex with white, digitiform, sensory area; pronotum with two faint, anterior transverse impressions laterad of the midline, basal sublateral carinae absent; prosternum moderately short anterior to procoxae, not extending beneath head; prosternal process spinose; mesoventrite with a narrow projection from the anterior margin containing a slit-like mesoventral cavity to receive the prosternal process; apices of hind tibiae exceeding the elytral apex.

Stetholus species (Figs 34 - 42 ), with similarly elongate bodies, are differentiated by the antennae (shorter, distinctly clavate), maxillary palpi (apical sensory area strongly oblique to base of palpomere 4 and widely open); prosternum (very short anterior to the procoxae), mesoventrite (mesoventral cavity large and deep, not within an anterior projection), and length of the hind legs (tibiae not exceeding elytral apices). Hydora (Figs 15B-D , 17 - 20 , 22 ), like Australara , has an elongate body, long hind legs, and similar maxillary palpi, but differences include characteristics of the eyes (hemispherical, very protuberant), pronotum (with basal sublateral carinae), and mesoventrite (mesoventral cavity deep and moderately wide, not within an anterior projection).

Description.

Body elongate; setose, setae longer and more dense on venter than on dorsum. Antenna thin, very long, antennomeres 3-11 subserrate; eye moderately protuberant, subcircular at base; maxillary palpus long and robust, palpomere 4 with apex tapered, sensory area oblique, narrowly oval. Pronotum lightly sculptured with a pair of faint anterior transverse impressions and a pair of elongate basal sublateral impressions. Elytron marginate, shallowly punctate and striate, apex acute. Prosternum moderately short anterior to procoxae, not extending anteriorly beneath head; prosternal process long, spinose, carinate. Mesoventrite with a narrow projection from the anterior margin containing a slit-like mesoventral cavity. Abdominal ventrites 1 and 2 combined much shorter than ventrites 3-5 combined. Legs long, slender, apex of hind tibia extending beyond elytral apex.

Etymology.

From the Latin australis, meaning southern, in reference to the Southern Hemisphere as well as the continent of Australia, plus Lara , the type genus of the subfamily Larainae .

Distribution.

Known only from the type locality in north Queensland, Australia (Fig. 1 ).

Comments.

Described from only three specimens, all males, from one locality. The larva is unknown.

Figures

Figure 15. Hydora laticeps, lectotype male A specimen labels B dorsal habitus C ventral head and prosternum D lateral head and pronotum (photographs courtesy of the Australian Museum, Natalie Tees).

Figure 22. Hydora laticeps, non-type female from Cann River, VIC A dorsal habitus B ventral habitus C lateral habitus (photographs courtesy of the Queensland Museum, Geoff Thompson).

Figures 13, 14. Australara glaisteri gen. nov., sp. nov., male 13 habitus A dorsal B ventral (photographs courtesy of the Australian National Insect Collection, CSIRO, Zhenhua Liu) 14 male genitalia A dorsal view B lateral view C ventral view.

Figures 34, 35. Stetholus carinatus sp. nov., holotype male 34 habitus, 3.7 mm long A dorsal B ventral 35 male genitalia A dorsal view B lateral view C ventral view.

Figures 41, 42. Stetholus woronora sp. nov., holotype male 41 habitus, 5.2 mm long A dorsal B ventral 42 male genitalia A dorsal view B lateral view C ventral view.

Figures 17 - 19. Hydora laticeps, paralectotype males; dorsal habitus with specimen labels 17> AM specimen (photograph courtesy of the Australian Museum, Natalie Tees) 18 ANIC specimen (photograph courtesy of Vit Sykora, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic) 19 ANIC specimen (photograph courtesy of the Australian National Insect Collection, CSIRO).

Figures 20, 21. Hydora laticeps, non-types from Lyneham, ACT 20 female habitus, 4.5 mm long A dorsal B ventral 21 male genitalia A dorsal view B lateral view C ventral view.

Figures 1 - 12. Geographical distribution of species records 1 Australara glaisteri gen. nov., sp. nov. 2 Hydora laticeps 3 Ovolara australis 4 Ovolara lawrencei sp. nov. 5 Ovolara leai 6 Ovolara monteithi sp. nov. 7 Potamophilinus papuanus 8 Stetholus carinatus sp. nov. 9 Stetholus elongatus 10 Stetholus longipennis sp. nov. 11 Stetholus metatibialis sp. nov. 12 Stetholus woronora sp. nov.