Echinothallis banderbearella Skelley, Leschen & Liu, 2021

Skelley, Paul E., Leschen, Richard A. B. & Liu, Zhenhua, 2021, New Australian Erotylinae with notes on Dacnini (Coleoptera: Cucujoidea Erotylidae), Zootaxa 4948 (3), pp. 363-380 : 365-367

Echinothallis banderbearella Skelley, Leschen & Liu , new species

Figures 1–8

Diagnosis. Echinothallis banderbearella is presently the only recognized species in the genus and is found in east central Queensland.

Description. Length 3.6–3.9 mm; width 1.3–1.4 mm. Body elongate, covered with large nearly coalescing punctures bearing setae, surface structure and setae can obscure other characters ( Figs. 1–3 ); setae variable between two forms, long dark erect bristles, shorter golden recumbent setae; body color entirely dark brown, appendages slightly lighter.

Head with surface entirely covered by deep setose punctures same diameter as facets; dorsal interocular distance = 4× eye; fronto-clypeal suture obscured in surface structure.

Antenna relatively long, slender, club strong moderately tight; antennomere 1 large, width 1.5× width of antennomere 2; antennomere 2 circular; antennomere 3 elongate, 2× longer than antennomere 2; antennomeres 2–7 nearly equal in width; antennomeres 4–7 as wide as long; antennomere 8 as long as antennomere 7, 1.2× wider than antennomere 7, apically angled at sides; antennomeres 9–10 1.5× longer and 1.5× wider than antennomere 7, subtrapezoidal, apex flat; antennomere 11 transversely elliptical, width slightly less than antennomere 10, apically obliquely truncate.

Pronotum convex, sides at anterior 1/3, almost quadrate, width = 1.1× length at midline; entire discal surface densely covered with coarse deep, seta bearing punctures that nearly coalesce.

Elytra with striae evident, punctures seta bearing, as large as pronotal punctures, nearly touching next puncture in row, not reduced laterally; intervals with smaller setae bearing punctures; surface smooth; epipleuron moderately wide basally, evenly narrowing to apex, with small seta bearing punctures.

Prosternum convex, densely covered with long seta bearing punctures as large as facets, punctures separated by 1 diameter. Metaventrite surface with coarse punctures bearing long setae, punctures size of facets, separated by less than 1 diameter. Abdomen with surface of ventrites 1–4 with scattered punctures bearing long setae as on metanepisternum, ventrite 5 with puncture denser.

Male with row of small tubercles on inner margin of all tibia. Female allotype lacking legs, protibia expected to lack row of tubercles.

Material examined. The male holotype of Echinothallis banderbearella ( Figs. 1–3 ) label data: “[white paper, printed] QLD D. Hannah / Oakleigh / Tree Clearing / site 23.1 / 28-xi-1999 ” // “[orange paper with camera symbol] ANIC / Image” // “[red paper, printed] HOLOTYPE ♂ / Echinothallis / banderbearella / Skelley, Leschen, Liu” ( ANIC) .

Paratypes (3 total) AUSTRALIA: Queensland: same data as holotype (1 ♂, allotype ♀, ANIC); Yarmina Sta- tion, Tree clearing exp., site quadrat (59.1), Mar. 1999 (1 ♂ ANIC) .

Etymology. Banderbears are Deepwoods creatures of the fictional world The Edge in the ‘The Edge Chronicles’, a series of children’s books by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell. These large furry creatures have a thick furry coat. This species name, “banderbear-ella” meaning small banderbear, was chosen because this beetle was collected in woodlands, has a thick furry coat, and ‘banderbear’ sounds like a proper name for an Australian animal.

Figures

FIGURES 1–8. Echinothallis banderbearella sp. nov.: 1–3) habitus, holotype; 1) dorsal view; 2) ventral view; 3) lateral view; 4) female genitalia, allotype; 5–8) male genitalia, paratype; 5) abdominal segments VIII–IX, ventral view; 6) tegmen, dorsal view; 7) penis, lateral view; 8) penis, dorsal view. Scale bars: 1–3 = 1.0 mm, 4–8 = 0.2 mm.