Allothnonius mouldsi Allsopp & Smith, 2022

Allsopp, Peter G. & Smith, Andrew B. T., 2022, Australian Melolonthini (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae): a third species of Allothnonius Britton, 1978, and notes on the other known species, Zootaxa 5099 (4), pp. 475-484 : 476-478

Allothnonius mouldsi Allsopp & Smith , new species

( Figs. 1–6 , 18 )

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:769A8492-8798-458D-B914-B49E4FCEF8B1

Type series. Holotype ♂. NORTHERN TERRITORY, Keep River x-ing [Crossing] [15.872°S, 129.182°E], Victoria Hwy [Highway], N.T. 7 Jan. 1986 M.S. & B.J. Moulds | Photographed Specimen [purple label] | QM Reg. No. T 250929 [yellow label]; in QM.

Paratype. 1♂, same collection data as holotype [ CMNC] .

Description. Male holotype ( Figs. 1–5 ). Body 14.5 mm long; head black; pronotum very dark brown to black; scutellum lighter brown; elytra, pygidium, legs and abdominal ventrites brown; antennae pale yellow-brown; palpi reddish brown. Labrum rounded laterally with deep median indentation, not protruding beyond anterior margin of upper clypeus, with a mixture of scattered short and longer setae. Terminal palpomere of maxillary palp slender, about as long as palpomeres 1–2 together, dull area on upper surface. Anterior face of clypeus 5x as wide as long, with line of setiferous punctures across middle and laterally; outline of upper surface broadly rounded with a slight median indentation, without an emargination but reflexed on anterior, surface very coarsely punctured, with flattened, adpressed, white setae, longer, thinner and denser laterally. Frons coarsely and densely punctured, anterior quarter with long, thin, white setae with a few shorter, broader, flattened, white setae in between; median half covered with dense, flattened, white setae. Ocular canthi with longer, pale-yellow setae in addition to flattened, white setae. Antennal club in males 7-lamellate but lamella of antennomere 4 0.8x length of other lamellae; antennomere 3 wedge-shaped. Pronotal width across base 2x mid length, sides obtusely angled behind middle, anterior and posterior angles obtuse, posterior angles slightly rounded, anterior and posterior margins narrowly raised and defined by grooves continuous from side to side; surface coarsely punctured, with short, flattened, white setae varying in size from contained within their punctures to about twice puncture diameter. Scutellum with scattered setae similar to pronotal setae. Elytral sutural and two other striae impressed, surface fairly uniformly punctured, punctures smaller than those on pronotum and each containing a small, flattened, pale seta; lateral margins with fringe of light-brown setae. Propygidium uniformly and densely clothed with recumbent, parallel-sided, flattened, pale-yellow setae. Pygidium with scattered, flattened, white setae, sparser in posterior angle; posterior margin with longer, finer, brown setae. Ventral thorax with dense, long, pale-yellow setae. Legs with scattered pale-yellow setae and a few flattened, white setae. Abdominal ventrites laterally with dense, flattened, white setae, longer and more scattered medially, posterior half of penultimate segment and posterior segment almost bare, bare area on penultimate segment bounded anteriorly by row of long, yellow-brown setae, posterior margin of posterior segment with long, yellow-brown setae. Aedeagus ( Figs. 3–5 ) symmetrical, lateral edges slightly tapering then expanded, rounded and folded dorsally at apices.

Variation (paratype). Body 13.8 mm long; head very dark brown to black; pronotum dark brown; scutellum and elytra brown with apices slightly darker; pygidium, ventral thorax, and legs lighter brown; ventrites dark brown except posterior half of penultimate and all of final ventrite lighter brown. Anterior face of clypeus 4.7x as wide as long. Pronotal length 1.8x width. Scutellum laterally with a few scattered setae similar to pronotal setae, centre almost bare. Abdominal ventrites with dense, flattened white setae extending across middle (except on posterior half of penultimate ventrite and posterior ventrite).

Female. Unknown.

Etymology. Named for Max Moulds, continuing the use in the genus of names that honour one of the collectors. A noun in the genitive case.

Distribution. Known only from the type locality ( Fig. 18 ); it has a Köppen-Geiger climate classification ( Beck et al. 2018) of Aw (savannah).

Natural history. The type series was collected during early January. Both specimens had moth scales attached, so were presumably taken at light.

Figures

FIGURE 18. Known collection localities of Allothnonius spp. in northern Australia.

FIGURES 1–6. Allothnonius mouldsi Allsopp & Smith new species, holotype male. 1, dorsal view; 2, ventral view; 3, aedeagus, lateral view; 4, aedeagus, dorsal view; 5, aedeagus, ventral view; 6, label.