Nothocyphon frater ( Blackburn, 1892 ) Blackburn, 1892

Zwick, Peter, 2015, Australian Marsh Beetles (Coleoptera: Scirtidae). 7. Genus Nothocyphon, new genus, Zootaxa 3981 (3), pp. 301-359 : 338-340

Nothocyphon frater ( Blackburn, 1892) , new combination

( Figs. 4−7 , 92–97, 171, 172)

Helodes ( Cyphon ?) frater Blackburn, 1892: 520 .

Type material: Redescribed by Klausnitzer (1981), the actual specimen in the Natural History Museum, London, was not examined for this study. The penis of the type is illustrated in Klausnitzer (1981: fig. 16). In the interest of a stable nomenclature, this specimen is here designated as Lectotype ( ICZN, Article 74.4). The label is “Blackburn coll., 1910/236, Type ” ( Klausnitzer 1981). For the probable type locality see the Notes section below.

FIGURES 92–100. Nothocyphon frater- group, males. N. frater : 92, T8; 93, S8; 94, T9; 95, specimen from Dilgry R., penis, tegmen and S9, superimposed; 96, penis and tegmen, superimposed, specimen from Little Yarra R.; 97, armature of paramere.— N. patruelis : 98, penis and tegmen, superimposed; 99, armature of paramere.—100, N. amita , penis and tegmen, superimposed. 92−96, 98, 100, and 97, 99 to same scales, respectively.

Other material examined: VIC: 1♂: Dandongadale, 11.1.55, Neboiss \ Neboiss det.? ovensensis ; 1♂: Tanjil Bren, Vic. 22.3.1958 A. N. (all MV). 1♂: Nat. Mus. Victoria G.French's coll. 5.11.08; 2♂: VIC 10K E Warburton 14/1/87 C.H.S.Watts; 7♂: VIC 5km NW Marysville 2/12/98 C.H.S.Watts; 1♂: VIC Panmure Mt Emu Creek 30/5/ 0 5 C.H.S.Watts; 1♂: VIC Fisherman's rest 6/11797 C.Watts (all SAMA). 8♂: VIC, Jamieson R., 29.12.1972; 2♂: VIC, Ovens R. 2 mls downstream from Harrietville, 23.11.1972; 2♂, 2 probable ♀: VIC, Little Yarra R. nr. Yarra Junction, 7.10.1972; 1♂: Delatite R. 7.7 mls downstream from Mirrimbah, 24.11.1972; 1♂: VIC, Dandenong ranges, Monbulk, 29.11.1972; 1♂: VIC, Royston R., 28.12.1972; 1♂: VIC, Mt. Buffalo, Eurobin Falls, 24.11.1972; 1♂: VIC, Pretty Valley, Mt. McKay, 7.1.1971; 2♂: VIC, Steavenson R. near Buxton, 28.12.1972 (all leg. P.Zwick, PZ).— NSW: 1♂: NSW, 3km N Lansdown, nr Taree G.Williams 13.Sept.1991 \ ex Acradenia euodiifolia blossoms; 1♂: Dorrigo N.S. Wales; 1♂: 31.53S 151.32E Barrington Tops Dilgry R. NSW 26.Nov.1985 C.Reid on Tree Ferns & Nothofagus; 1♂: Adaminaby-Kiandra Rd., NSW, 27.1.66, E.Britton; 1♂: 36.25S, 148.22E, NSW, Kosciusko NP, Betts Ck NE 833 1740m 14. Feb.1987, A.Newton & M.Thayer \ Alpine meadow FMHD #87-267 Sphagnum at stream edge and in bog (all ANIC). 1♂: National Park—Lea \ 8809 Cyphon N.S. Wales; 1♂: NSW 15 K W Jindabyne Little Thredbo River 6/1/06 on Leptospermum flowers C.H.S.Watts; 1♂: NSW Dead Horse Gap 4.5 km W Thredbo 6/1/06 C.H.S.Watts; 8♂: NSW Thredbo River 6 K N Jindabyne 6/1/06 on Leptospermum flws C.H.S.Watts (all SAMA). 1♂: NSW, Geehi R. on Alpine Way, 24.11.2005, P.Zwick (PZ).— TAS: 1♂: Helodes (Cyphon) ovensensis Blkb. King Island; 1♂: 41.36S 145.41E, TAS, Murchison Hwy/Que R. Mine Rd. 680m, 907, 11–27 Jan.1993 A.Newton & M.Thayer \ Noth. cunn. rainforest FMHD #93-22 window trap (all ANIC). 1♂: King Island; 4♂: Arthur Plains S.W. Tas 3.2.1965 Neboiss; 2♂: Lake Dobson, Tas. 20. Feb. 1967 A. Neboiss (all MV). 1♂: West Tamar \ 20/10/94 [1894! on reverse side]; 1♂: Hobart Tas. Lea; 1♂: Helodes (Cyphon) ovensensis Blkb. King Island 10553 \ King I. Tas. Lea; 1♂: King Island, Tas., Lea; 1♂: Strahan, Tas. Lea & Carter; 4♂: TAS Dove Lake Cradle Mtn—Lake St. Clair N. Pk. 19/1/00 C.H.S.Watts; 3♂: TAS Black River 5km NW Mawbanna 27/11/00 C.H.S.Watts (all SAMA). 1♂: TAS, Ellendale, 4.12.1972; 1♂: Australia, TAS, Wedge R., 5.12.1972; 1♂: TAS, Guide R., 2.12.1972; 1♂: TAS, Sassafras Ck nr Mole Ck, 6.12.1972; 6♂: TAS, Clarence R., 4.12.1972 (all leg. P.Zwick; PZ).

Habitus. Elongate, anterior two thirds of elytra almost parallel, body in side view rather flat, not domed ( Figs. 171, 172 ). BL 2.1–2.4 mm, BL/BW ~1.7. Mature specimens are uniformly dark brown, also legs and antennae. Antennal segments 2 and 3 of subequal length, flagellar segments slightly conical, little more than twice as long as apically wide, terminal segment little longer ( Fig. 4 ).

Male. Apodemes of T8 shorter than the truncate plate. S8 weak, pale sclerites in Y-like arrangement. T9 represented by straight apodemes continued backward along the segment's side edge, eventually curving slightly mediad. S9: two large lobes beset with long setae. S9 is laterally quite firmly attached to the sides of T9 and lacks a sclerotized base (Figs. 92–94). Penis (Figs. 95, 96) with narrow oval pala and much wider plate-like parameroids separated by a fine median slit, never divergent. The widest point is near the base. The parameroids are almost parallel, in the caudal fifth narrowed to blunt tips. A stripe along the slit is more strongly sclerotized than the rest and connected to a faint curved line delimiting a slightly more sclerotized apical area with few sensory pores. The short bifid sharply pointed trigonium stands at the start of the slit, basally from the widest point of the parameroids. The ring-shaped tegmen supports a simple ear-shaped membranous lobe and bears a few (ca 5–7) short forward pointing spines on the arched sclerite caudally from the membranous appendage (Fig. 97).

Female (presumed, not figured). T8 and ovipositor unmodified. S8 with narrow front end, the slender rods converge and lie side by side in the anterior section but do not meet. Prehensor and surface of bursella similar to N. amita , but sclerites more elongate and weakly sclerotized, spinules seem to be finer and sparser.

Notes. Blackburn apparently collected Austrocyphon ovensensis (Blackburn) and N. frater together and described them in succession, saying about H. frater “Victoria; also by sweeping on the banks of the Ovens”. Why he called the species frater (Latin, brother) is unknown. Klausnitzer's drawing (1981: fig. 15) misses the tegminal armature.

There are no definite females of N. frater but some taken together with males at Little Yarra River are most probably conspecific because they closely resemble the female of N. amita ; see below.

Nothocyphon frater is common along the banks of fast flowing streams. N. patruelis and N. amita resemble it much but are regarded as separate biospecies in view of consistently different details of genitalia. Also, N. frater and N. patruelis coexist in Tasmania. In contrast, according to present knowledge, N. frater and N. amita are allopatric.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 7. Head structures of Nothocyphon spp. N. lindensis: 1, head capsule with right mandible, ventral; 2, left mandible; 3, labial palpus. — N. frater: 4, antenna; 5, left mandible, ventral; 6, maxillary palpus; 7, labium. Not to scale.

FIGURES 165 – 173. Habitus of Nothocyphon spp.: 165, N. lindensis; 166, N. taurus; 167, N. taeniatus; 168, N. denticulatus; 169, N. donnabuangi; 170, N. imitator; 171, N. frater; 172, N. frater, lateral; 173, N. taurus, lateral. To similar sizes, not to scale.