Mesystoechus ciliatus Waterhouse, 1878

Allsopp, Peter G., 2021, The Australian endemic genera Mesystoechus Waterhouse, 1878, Amblochilus Blanchard, 1851, and Bilobatus Machatschke, 1970 revisited (Coleoptera Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae: Anoplognathini), Zootaxa 4965 (2), pp. 363-374 : 367-368

Mesystoechus ciliatus Waterhouse, 1878

Mesystoechus ciliatus Waterhouse, 1878: 228 .

Type series. Lectotype ♂ (here designated): AUSTRALIA: QUEENSLAND: Type (red-ringed, circular, printed] | Moreton Bay , 61 53 [violet, printed] | dissected mouthparts | Mesystoechus ciliatus Type C. Waterh. [handwritten] | LECTOTYPE ♂, Mesystoechus ciliatus Waterhouse des. P. Allsopp 2021 [yellow highlighted, printed] [ NHML].

Other material examined. AUSTRALIA. QUEENSLAND: 2♂, Brisbane, R. Illidge [ UQIC]; 1♂, Brisbane, 3.xi.1957, M. Permiakoff, sweeping [ UQIC]; 13♂, Corinda, Brisbane, 29.xi.1991, 15.xii.1991, 17.xii.1991, 6.xi.1992, 8.xi.1992, 23.xi.1992, 2.xi.1993, 3.xi.1993, 26.xi.1993, 24.xi.1994, M. De Baar [ ANIC, QDPC, QM]; 1♂, Darra, Brisbane, R. Illidge [ UQIC]; 6♂, no further data [ NHML, SAM]. NEW SOUTH WALES: 2♂, Clarence River [ SAM]; 1♂, Ulmarra, S.L.S. [ NHML]; 1♂, Grafton, xii.94, N.H. [ SAM]; 1♂, Maclean, 25.i.1959, M. Watt [ ASCT]; 2♂, Southgate SF [ State Forest ], Grafton, 18.xii.1984, R.H. Eldridge [ ASCT]; 1♂, Tabbimoble nr Woodburn, 15.xi.1957 [ ANIC] . AUSTRALIA: 3♂, no further data [ NHML]. NO DATA: 5 m. [ ANIC, NHML, QM, SAM] .

Diagnosis. Male ( Figs. 7–8 ). Body 9–11 mm long; dorsum generally yellowish brown; clypeus and V- to Tshaped central section of frons yellowish brown, lateral frons dark brown to black; scutellum dark brownish black; pronotum with a variable pattern of dark yellowish black, fully developed it consists of a median longitudinal zone broadening posteriorly, a pair of symmetrical lateral curved bands and a pair of indistinct lateral patches, but darker colour may cover almost the entire pronotum or be reduced to a few darker spots on either side; abdominal tergites, sides of the coxae and femora light yellowish brown; pygidium, abdominal ventrites, and legs dark brown. Mentum with anterior margin evenly convex. Anterior margin of upper section of clypeus weakly recurved. Anterior margin of pronotum glabrous. Elytral intervals weakly costate. Larger claws with a minute tooth at about half length. Description by Carne (1954: metatibia of male Fig. 6 ; parameres of male Figs. 7-8 ); Carne (1958: 217); Weir et al. (2019: dorsum Plate 68A).

Female. Unknown.

Remarks. The sex of the holotype was not stated explicitly in the original description, Ohaus (1904), Carne (1958), or Cassis & Weir (1992); Carne (1958) did not state whether he had examined the type, but he saw only males of this species. Waterhouse (1878) also did not state how many specimens he saw, and he gave no range in the length measurement. He did, however, say that “I have only dissected one specimen ...”, which can be taken to mean he had more than one syntype. There is only a specimen in NHML with dissected mouthparts and marked “Type”, and I designate it the lectotype in order to stabilise nomenclature and have labelled it as such.

Distribution ( Fig. 15 ). Known from coastal areas from the Brisbane area and south to the Clarence River/ Grafton area, New South Wales ( Carne 1958; De Baar 1992). Atlas of Living Australia (2019) records a specimen from ‘Mitchell River, New South Wales’—Mitchell River is an old name for the Mann River (29.67°S, 152.15°E), a tributary of the Clarence River (https://www.gnb.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/180532/7_LocalitiesNamesNSW1954_M-P.pdf).

Natural history. Adult males of M. ciliatus are diurnal, actively flying during hot, sunny periods and resting during cloud cover ( De Baar 1992). Flight is rapid and maintained up to a height of 30 cm and (rarely higher), but more usually lower above grass and in and out of thick hedges with leaf litter. Flight patterns are in straight lines or circular. De Baar’s observations during 1984–1991 were that all flew between 1000 and 1400 hr between 26 October and 14 November. Following a long dry period, emergences during 1991 were delayed until 29 November to 17 December and followed heavy storm rains. During 15–17 December there were very hot and steamy mornings and adults were active as early as 0900 hr but not in the afternoon. No females have been collected, and, based on De Baar’s observations of males dropping into leaf litter, females probably remain in the soil, emit pheromones, copulate on the surface of the soil, and oviposit nearby.

Figures

FIGURES 7–15. Mesystoechus species. 7–8, Mesystoechus ciliatus Waterhouse, 1878, male: 7, dorsal view; 8, lateral view; 9–10, Mesystoechus costatus Carne, 1958, male: 9, dorsal view; 10, lateral view; 11–14, Mesystoechus lithgowae, new species, male holotype: 11, dorsal view; 12, lateral view; 13, parameres, frontal view; 14, aedeagus, lateral view; 15, known distribution of Mesystoechus spp. in southeastern Queensland and northeastern New South Wales: yellow squares—M. ciliatus; blue triangles—M. costatus; red star—M. lithgowae. Figs. 7–14 photographed by Greg Daniels.

FIGURES 1–6. Amblochilus bicolor Blanchard, 1851. 1–2, male lectotype: 1, lateral view; 2, labels; 3–5, male: 3, dorsal view; 4, lateral view; 5, ventral view; 6, known distribution of Amblochilus bicolor in southeastern Queensland and northeastern New South Wales. Figs. 1–2 photographed by Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle. Figs. 3–5 photographed by Matthias Seidel.