Apteropilo clarinotus, Bartlett, Justin S., 2009

Bartlett, Justin S., 2009, Taxonomic revision of Apteropilo Lea, 1908 (Coleoptera: Cleridae), Zootaxa 2200, pp. 41-53 : 49-50

Apteropilo clarinotus sp. n.

( Figures 3 , 7 , 12, 13, 16, 17)

Type material. Holotype (gender not determined): Queensland: Cairncross Park, Maleny, 4 Dec.1966, G. Monteith (QM). Paratypes (2): Queensland: Lamington National Park, 28˚ 13.20 S, 153˚ 07.30 E, 1989, R. Kitching, High Canopy Fogging (H 4/19), (954), (GU 6540) (1Ψ, QM); Lamington National Park, 28˚ 13.20 S, 153˚ 07.30 E, 1989, R. Kitching, Low Canopy Fogging (L–8–2), (76.2), (GU 6539) (1ɗ, QM).

Note: The holotype was originally deposited in the University of Queensland Insect Collection, St Lucia. Both paratypes were originally deposited in the insect collection of the Kitching Lab, Griffith University, Nathan.

Description. Total length: 3.8–4.2 mm.

Head: Cranium black-brown, area above antennal insertions and underside of head brown, clypeus and labrum brown to dull yellow, palpi yellowish, basal antennomeres yellow, antennae progressively more brown towards club, club brown to very dark brown; frons and part of vertex partly smooth yet moderately distributed with circular punctation, clypeus smooth; antennae with pedicel shorter than A3, club about as long as combined length of A3–7.

Thorax: Prothorax quadrate (length to width ratio = 1:1), disc black-brown blending to brown along apical margin, prosternum brown; pronotal disc partly smooth with reasonably sparse conspicuous circular punctation; lateral tubercles inconspicuous; paralateral and discal seta-bearing pits inconspicuous (faint circular impressions surrounding two regular looking pits on each side of pronotum can be observed under diffused light). Pterothoracic sterna deep red-brown to blackish; elytra (length to width ratio = 1.77–1.93:1) very dark brown, each elytron with a transverse, weakly S-shaped, white callositous fasciae in the middle which reaches the lateral margin but not suture ( Fig. 3 ), and a small sub-lateral globular white callositous spot just below the humeral flank. Legs: basal half to two-thirds of femora yellow, apical third to half of femora and entire tibiae brown, entire tarsus yellowish.

Abdomen: Ventrites brown with apical margins slightly paler. Males: genitalia as in Figs. 12 (tegmen) and 13 (phallus).

Vestiture: Head thinly vested with pale, long and short, erect to slightly posteriorly directed, setae; pronotum similarly vested with fine, pale, slightly anteriorly directed setae, and slightly thicker darker erect setae; elytra thinly vested with short, black, and white, posteriorly directed erect setae, and longer erect setae; humeral tubercles with short tuft of black setae.

Remarks. This small black species is separated from A. pictipes and A. volans by the presence of white callositous deposits on the elytra, the reduction of the prothoracic lateral tubercle and by the smooth evenly rounded pronotal disc, which only has very small paralateral and discal seta-bearing pits.

Etymology. The specific epithet, clarinotus (from Latin clarus = bright or distinct, and nota = mark), is in reference to the bright appearance of the white callositous marks against the black background of the elytra.

Biology. Nothing specific is known of the biology of this species.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 3. (1) A. humerofuscus sp. n., paired pronotal pits; (2) A. chrysocome comb. n., paired pronotal pits; (3) A. clarinotus sp. n., detail of elytra showing binodulate punctation and white callositous deposit. Scale bars = 0.2 mm.

FIGURES 4 – 9. Adult habitus: (4) A. chrysocome (Elston), specimen from Tanjil Bren; (5) A. raldae sp. n., paratype from Lilyvale; (6) A. humerofuscus sp. n., holotype. (7) A. clarinotus sp. n., holotype; (8) A. pictipes Lea (holotype of P. peckorum syn. n.); (9) A. volans sp. n., holotype. Scale bars = 1 mm.