Tomogenius motocola Mazur, 1990

Lackner, Tomas & Leschen, Richard A. B., 2017, A monograph of the Australopacific Saprininae (Coleoptera, Histeridae), ZooKeys 689, pp. 1-263 : 197-200

Tomogenius motocola Mazur, 1990 Figs 698, 699-707, 708-715, 767

Tomogenius motocola Mazur, 1990: 774, figs. 1-4.

Type locality.

Australia: South Australia: 18 miles ESE of Penong.

Type material examined.

Tomogenius motocola Mazur, 1990: paratype, ♀, side-mounted on a triangular card: "32 mi, NW by N / of Eucla Motel / W.A. 18.Oct.1968 / Britton, Upton / Balderson" (printed); followed by: " ANIC Database No. / 25 054256" (printed); followed: “PARATYPE” (blue, printed label); followed by: " Tomogenius / motocola / det. S. Mazur" (printed-written); followed by: “Paratypus” (beige printed label); followed label: " Tomogenius / motocola " (written); followed by: “10-141” (yellow, pencil-written label; added by the senior author) (ANIC).

Additional material examined.

AUSTRALIA. Western Australia: 2 ♂♂, Nullarbor Pl., Dingo Cave, 28.x.1968, J. Lowry (ANIC; 1 ♂ in coll. TLAN); 1 ♀ & 1 ♂, Madura Cave, 27.x.1968, J. Lowry (ANIC); 2 specs., King George’s Sound, without further details (AMS). South Australia: 1 ♀, Koonalda Cave, 3.iv.1970, J. Lowry (ANIC); 12 specs., Fisher E.W. Line, coll. Toughlow & Wright, further details missing (AMS; 3 specs. in coll. TLAN); 1 spec., Fisher, Troughlow & Wright coll.; K.K.Spence collection, further details absent (AMS); 1 spec., Murray River, A.H. Elston coll., without further details (AMS).

Biology.

This species is found in caves.

Distribution.

South and Western Australia (Fig. 767).

Re-description.

Body length: PEL: 3.25-3.40 mm; APW: 1.50-1.60 mm; PPW: 2.50-2.60 mm; EL: 2.20-2.25 mm; EW: 2.75-2.85 mm.

Body (Fig. 698) ovoid, moderately convex from above, underside slightly flattened, pronotum narrower than elytra, cuticle chestnut brown, without metallic luster; legs, mouthparts and antennae appendages similarly colored.

Antennal scape (Fig. 699) not particularly thickened, with two short setae; club rather large, oval, dorsally with two horizontal slit-like pits, ventrally with two vertical slit-like pits, entirely covered in dense short sensilla, intermingled with sparse longer erect sensilla; sensory structures of antennal club apart from sensory slit-like pits present dorsally and ventrally, not examined.

Mandibles (Fig. 699) impunctate, with rounded outer margin, acutely pointed, sub-apical tooth on inner margin of left mandible very small, almost inconspicuous; labrum even, sparsely punctate, approximately twice as wide as long, labral pits each with two moderately long labral setae; terminal labial palpomere elongated, its width about one-fourth its length; mentum (Fig. 700) sub-trapezoid, anterior angles slightly produced, anterior margin with a shallow median notch, surface around it two long setae from each side, lateral margins with a single one row of much shorter sparse ramose setae, disc with few scattered setae; rest of the mouthparts not examined.

Clypeus (Fig. 699) even, rounded laterally, on anterior half with sparse fine punctures, separated by several times their diameter, punctures becoming larger and coarser on posterior half; frontal and supraorbital striae absent, occipital stria present, fine; frontal disc (Fig. 699) with fine round to ellipsoid punctures separated by several times their diameter; eyes convex, well visible from above.

Pronotal sides (Fig. 698) feebly convergent anteriorly, apical angles obtuse, marginal pronotal stria complete, thin, slightly carinate, somewhat weakened behind head; disc entirely punctate, medially punctures separated by several times their diameter, fine, becoming coarser and denser laterally, especially near apical angles where they are separated by less than their own diameter, large and ovoid; pronotal hypomeron glabrous; scutellum very small.

Elytral epipleura with scattered punctures of various sizes; marginal epipleural stria double, both striae weakly impressed but complete; marginal elytral stria well impressed, continuous along elytral apex as very weakened apical elytral stria; humeral elytral stria inconspicuous (absent?); inner subhumeral stria present as a short median fragment; elytral disc with four dorsal elytral striae 1-4, all striae in punctures, first originating at elytral base, other three striae slightly distanced from elytral base and their basal ends curved; first and second reaching about two-thirds of elytral length apically, third and fourth striae slightly shorter than first and second, surpassing elytral length apically; between fourth dorsal elytral and sutural striae a characteristic hooked appendix present, basally connected to basal fragment of sutural elytral stria; sutural elytral stria apart from this basal fragment evanescent on basal third, on apical two-thirds (roughly) present, fine, becoming weaker apically. Entire elytral disc punctate, on basal half (roughly) punctures very fine and sparse, separated several times their diameter, on apical half (roughly) punctures larger and denser, separated approximately by their diameter, becoming denser apically; punctures near extreme elytral apex with minuscule striolae among them.

Propygidium (Fig. 701) transverse, about four times as broad as long, completely exposed, with very dense punctures separated by less than their diameter; pygidium (Fig. 701) with sparser round punctures, separated by about their diameter, becoming sparser and finer towards apex.

Anterior margin of median portion of prosternum (Fig. 702) rounded; marginal prosternal stria present only laterally; prosternal process slightly convex on apical third between carinal prosternal striae, broad, dorso-laterally with sparse fine punctures; carinal prosternal striae (Fig. 702) straight, parallel, terminating near large and deep apical foveae separated by apex of prosternal process; lateral prosternal striae carinate, slightly convergent anteriorly, attaining apices of carinal prosternal striae.

Discal marginal mesoventral stria (Fig. 703) well impressed, somewhat carinate, straight medially; disc flattened, with round punctures separated by about their diameter, punctures becoming finer medially, in female paratype examined punctures of mesoventrite with very short setae; meso-metaventral suture distinct, straight meso-metaventral sutural stria absent.

Intercoxal disc of metaventrite (Fig. 704) in examined female paratype medially with shallow depression; disc of metaventrite punctate, medially punctures finer and sparser, in male with minuscule setae becoming larger and coarser along lateral and basal margins. Lateral metaventral stria well impressed, carinate, slightly bisinuate, almost straight, not reaching metacoxa; lateral disc of metaventrite (Fig. 705) flattened, with round shallow large punctures; metepisternum + fused metepimeron (Fig. 705) evenly with much coarser and denser punctation; lateral metepisternal stria present, deeply impressed and almost complete.

Intercoxal disc of first abdominal ventrite flattened, completely striate laterally; surface of disc with scattered oblong punctation, punctures becoming sparser and finer medially.

Protibia (Fig. 706) flattened and somewhat dilated, outer margin with three low apical teeth topped by short denticle, followed by five widely spaced short denticles; setae of outer row short, moderately dense; setae of median row similarly dense and regular, slightly shorter than those of outer row; protarsal groove shallow; anterior protibial stria complete, costate; two thin, short tarsal denticles present apically; protibial spur short, straight, growing out from apical protibial margin; apical margin of protibia posteriorly with three tiny apical denticles; outer part of posterior surface of protibia (Fig. 707) finely imbricate, with a row of short setae; median part of posterior surface with an additional row of minuscule setae; posterior protibial stria complete, with scattered minuscule setae turning into a row of tightly-spaced short setae near apical margin; inner margin with double row of dense short setae.

Mesotibia slender, outer margin with a single row of dense thin denticles growing in size apically; setae of outer row sparse, regular, short, growing somewhat longer apically; setae of median row irregular, much shorter than those of outer row; posterior mesotibial stria complete; anterior surface of mesotibia with dense row of well sclerotized short denticles, with another similar row of much shorter and finer setae situated below it; anterior mesotibial stria complete, terminating in several tiny inner anterior denticles; mesotibial spur stout, short; apical margin with two tiny denticles; mesotarsus shorter than mesotibia; claws of apical tarsomere about half its length; metatibia basically similar to mesotibia, but denticles of outer margin much sparser than those of mesotibia; claws of apical tarsomere in both cases slightly bent, shorter than half its length.

Male genitalia. Eighth sternite (Figs 708-709) fused on its entire length; vela laterally with two brushes of regular short setae creating a ‘suction-cup’ like appearance best observable from lateral view; eighth tergite apically straight, laterally with numerous pseudo-pores; eighth tergite and eighth sternite not fused laterally (Fig. 710). Ninth tergite (Figs 711-712) longitudinally divided medially; tenth tergite conspicuously small, basally slightly inwardly arcuate, apically rounded; spiculum gastrale (Fig. 711) gradually dilated near its apical end, basal end slightly dilated, spoon-like, outwardly arcuate. Aedeagus (Figs 713-714) slender, parallel-sided, parameres not fused on their apical third, apex of aedeagus acute (Fig. 715); basal piece of aedeagus short, ratio of its length: length of parameres 1: 3; aedeagus curved from lateral view (Fig. 714).