Euconnus (Napochus) palmwoodianus Franz

Jałoszyński, Paweł, 2015, Taxonomy of ' Euconnus complex'. Part III. Morphology of Euconnus subgenus Napochus and revision of the Australian species (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Scydmaeninae), Zootaxa 3925 (1), pp. 1-24 : 12-14

Euconnus (Napochus) palmwoodianus Franz

( Figs. 24, 26 , 35–38, 57–58)

Euconnus (Napochus) palmwoodianus Franz, 1975: 161 , Fig. 136.

Type material studied. Holotype: AUSTRALIA (Queensland): ♂, four labels ( Fig. 26 ): "Umg. Maipoton (sic!) / Queensld., Austr. / lg. H.Franz 1970 " with "Pa76" on the reverse side [white, printed; reverse handwritten], " Euconnus / ( Napochus ) / palmwoodianus m. / det. H. Franz" [white, handwritten and printed], " Typus " [red, handwritten], " SAMA Database / No. 25-036980" [white, printed] ( SAM).

Additional material studied (14 ♂♂). 4 ♂♂, Queensland, 11.45S, 142.35E, Heathlands, 22.iii - 25.iv. 1992, Malaise trap in dump, open forest, T. McLeod leg.; 3 ♂♂, Queensland, 11.51S, 142.38E, 12 km SSE Heathlands, 22.iii - 25.iv1992, Malaise trap in closed forest, T. McLeod leg.; Queensland, 4 ♂♂, 11.45S, 142.35E, Heathlands, 26.i. - 29.ii.1992, Malaise trap in dump open forest, P. Feeney leg.; 2 ♂♂, Queensland, 11.45S, 142.35S, Heathlands, 1-21.v.1992, Malaise trap in dump open forest, P. Feeney leg.; 1 ♂, Queensland, 11.51S, 142.38E, 12 km SSE Heathlands, Malaise trap in closed forest, 1-21.iii.1992, P. Feeney leg. (specimens in ANIC and cPJ).

Diagnosis. Large species, BL 1.38–1.63 mm; aedeagus in ventral view with very narrow ventral apical projection gradually narrowing from base to apex and reaching apex of dorsal apical projection, internal lateral projections slender, as long as ventral apical projection and convergent distally; external lateral projections indiscernible; in lateral view both ventral and dorsal apical projections strongly curved dorsally; parameres with strongly expanded apices.

Description. Body of male ( Fig. 24 ) strongly convex but with slightly flattened elytral dorsum, elongate, with long appendages, BL 1.38–1.63 mm (mean 1.49 mm); glossy, uniformly light brown; vestiture slightly lighter than cuticle.

Head rhomboidal, broadest at eyes, HL 0.28–0.30 mm (mean 0.29 mm), HW 0.28–0.33 mm (mean 0.30 mm); vertex and frons confluent, convex; supraantennal tubercles feebly marked; eyes large, strongly convex and coarsely faceted. Punctures on vertex and frons variable, from fine and inconspicuous to distinct; setae long, dense, suberect to erect, additionally tempora and vertex with long and dense bristles directed posteriorly. Antennae short, AnL 0.58–0.68 mm (mean 0.61 mm); antennomeres I–II elongate, III–VII slightly transverse and VIII–X strongly transverse, antennomere XI slightly longer than wide.

Pronotum in dorsal view subtrapezoidal, broadest at base and strongly narrowing anteriorly, PL 0.33–0.40 mm (mean 0.37 mm), PW 0.35–0.43 mm (mean 0.39 mm); basal pits distinct, transverse groove shallow, in some specimens barely discernible. Punctures on pronotal disc variable but always fine; setae fine and obscured by dense, long and thick bristles (especially on sides).

Elytra suboval and slightly flattened, broadest nearly in or slightly anterior to middle, EL 0.78–0.93 mm (mean 0.83 mm), EW 0.58–0.70 mm (mean 0.64 mm), EI 1.26–1.39; basal impressions shallow but distinct, humeri elongate; apices separately rounded. Punctures on elytral disc fine and shallow; setae long, sparse and strongly erect. Hind wings well-developed, twice as long as elytra.

Legs long and slender; unmodified.

Aedeagus (Figs. 35–38) stout, AeL 0.32 mm, in ventral view with abruptly delimited and long apical part; ventral apical projection very narrow, subtriangular, gradually narrowing distally and in ventral view reaching apex of dorsal apical projection; both ventral and dorsal apical projections strongly curved dorsally; internal lateral projections long, slender and subtriangular, distinctly convergent distally; external lateral projections indiscernible. Parameres broad, in lateral view with strongly broadened apical parts, each with 3–4 long apical setae and several short and thin subapical setae.

Female. Unknown or indistinguishable from E. pisoniae (see remarks).

Distribution. SE and N Queensland ( Figs. 57–58 ).

FIGURES 35–46. Napochus of Australia; aedeagus in ventral (35, 37, 39, 41, 43, 45) and lateral (36, 38, 40, 42, 44, 46) views. Euconnus palmwoodianus (Franz) , distorted aedeagus of holotype (35–36) and intact aedeagus of non-type (37–38), E. pisoniae Franz (39–40), E. setiphallus sp. n. (41–42), E. yadhaigana sp. n. (43–44), E. microlaminatus sp. n. (45–46).

Remarks. The label reads "Umg. [i.e., environ] Maipoton [misspelled Mapleton]", while Franz (1975) gives the collecting site as a forest east of Palmwoods. He also supplements the collecting data with day and month not specified on the label: the 11th of September; and information that the holotype male was taken from rotten wood. The holotype, collected near the Sunshine Coast, is slightly larger than specimens coming from Cape York. Its aedeagus is distorted and although aedeagi of specimens from N Queensland are very similar (even specimens with similarly collapsed median lobe were seen), it is necessary to study additional, well-preserved material from Palmwoods to confirm conspecificity. Euconnus palmwoodianus and E. pisoniae are the largest species of Australian Napochus , all new species described below are distinctly smaller. However, these two species are so similar that only their aedeagi provide unambiguous diagnostic characters. It was not possible to associate any females with males of either species, males were found in the same localities, so the criterion of co-occurrence could not be used to help in identifications.

Figures

FIGURES 24 – 34. Napochus of Australia; dorsal habitus (24 – 25, 28 – 34) and original labels of holotypes (26 – 27). Euconnus palmwoodianus (Franz) (24, 26), E. pisoniae Franz (25, 27), E. setiphallus sp. n. (28), E. yadhaigana sp. n. (29), E. microlaminatus sp. n. (30), E. feeneyi feeneyi sp. n. (31, 32), E. feeneyi parallelilaminatus ssp. n. (33, 34).

FIGURES 57 – 64. Distribution of Napochus in Australia. Euconnus palmwoodianus (Franz) (57, 58), E. pisoniae Franz (59), E. setiphallus sp. n. (60), E. yadhaigana sp. n. (61), E. microlaminatus sp. n. (62), E. feeneyi feeneyi sp. n. (63), E. feeneyi parallelilaminatus ssp. n. (64).