Nothocyphon lindensis ( Blackburn, 1892 ) Blackburn, 1892

Zwick, Peter, 2015, Australian Marsh Beetles (Coleoptera: Scirtidae). 7. Genus Nothocyphon, new genus, Zootaxa 3981 (3), pp. 301-359 : 307-310

Nothocyphon lindensis ( Blackburn, 1892) , new combination

( Figs. 1−3 , 8−10 , 14 , 165 )

Helodes ( Cyphon ?) lindensis Blackburn, 1892: 522 . Helodes lindensis— Klausnitzer, 1981: 118, figs. 1–6.

Type material examined: To stabilize the use of the name a lectotype is here designated: 1♂: Helodes lindensis, Blackb. Co-type \ Port Lincoln Blackburn \ 433 [red, on specimen card itself; also a red line across base of card] \ Lectotype design. P.Zwick 2014 \ Nothocyphon lindensis (Blackburn) ♂, det. P. Zwick 2014 ( SAMA). Paralectotypes here designated: 1♀: Cyphon lindensis Bl. S. Australia \ Paralectotype design. P.Zwick 2014 \ Nothocyphon lindensis (Blackburn) ♀, det. P. Zwick 2014 ( SAMA). 1♂, paralectotype here designated from Klausnitzer's (1981) illustrations ( ICZN, Article 74.4); the actual specimen in the Natural History Museum, London, was not examined during the present study.

Additional material examined: SA: 1♀: lindensis, Blackb. \ Quorn, S.A. Blackb's Coll. \ C 192 [circular label] \ Quorn [red, on specimen card itself] ( SAMA; the specimen was received as a syntype of H. lindensis , as one of 7 specimens originally mounted on 4 cards on the same pin. Since Quorn is not mentioned in the original description the specimens are not eligible as syntypes of H. lindensis . The other six specimens are actually Austrocyphon robustus Zwick ). 5♂: Mt. Lofty Rgs, S.H.Curnow; 1♂: Adelaide, J.G.O.Tepper; 1♂, 1♀: Orroroo [32.44S 138.36E] S. Australia; 2♀: Orroroo S. Australia \ [illegible] seem to be unusually longe [sic!] lindensis Bl. ; 1♂, 5♀: Parachilna Flinders Range Hale; 1♂: Pt. Lincoln, S.A. Lea; 10♀: Adelaide C.Watts 28-9-58; 1♀: 6k S.Willunga S.A. 9.12.96 C.Watts; 1♂, 1♀: SW Willow Springs Stn 27/4/12 CHS.Watts under bark nr creek \ Watts det. lindensis (all SAMA). ♀ torso: Mt. Lofty Rgs. A.H.Elston \ A.H.Elston collection Cyphon \ 1757 Id. by A.M.Lea \ K249511; 1♂: Quorn S. Australia A.H.Elston \ A.H.Elston collection \ Cyphon 1171 fenestratus Blckb. \ K249506; 1♂: Quorn S. Australia A.H.Elston \ A.H.Elston collection \ Cyphon fenestratus Bl. Id. by A.M.Lea \ K249508 (all AMS). 1♂: 31.47S, 138.21E Nooltana Creek 13km NW by N of Hawker, S.A. 16. Sept. 1978 M.S.Upton; 1♂: 31.45S 138.21E Nooltana Ck 13km NW by N of Hawker, SA, 16 Sep. 1978 DCF.Rentz; 2♂, 2♀: Angorichina Hostel 7km E of Parachilna 23.Oct.1978 E.B.Britton (all ANIC). 2♂, 2♀: Mt Remarkable S. Austr. Oct. 1925 F.E.Wilson \ F.E.Wilson Coll. (MV). ─ VIC: 1♂: Lilydale distr. Victoria J.E.Dixon \ Cyphon lindensis Blackb. Id. by J.Armstrong; 1♂, 1♀: Lilydale dist. Victoria J.E.Dixon \ Cyphon lindensis Blackb. Id. by HJCarter; 1♀: Western District Victoria Nat. Mus. Victoria C.French's Coll. 6.1.0 8 Cyphon lindensis Blackb. Id. By HJCarter (all MV). ─ ACT: 1♀: 35.16S 149.06E, Black Mtn ACT 600m Dec. 1986 Weir, Lawrence, Dressler \ flight interception—window trap; 1♀: 36.16S 149.06E ACT Black Mtn light trap 4.Mar.1991 W.Dressler (all ANIC). ─ NSW: 1♂: 34.44S, 150.32E, Kangaroo Valley, NSW, N.Slope 22.1.71, S.Misko & K.Pullen; 1♀: Acacia Flat NSW J. Armstrong \ in copula; 1♂: Acacia Plateau N.S. Wales H.Davidson; 1♂: 1km W Barrengarry [34.72°S, 150.52E] 27.Sept.1986 C.Reid on Ac. melanoxylon flwr; 5♀: S.E. Border NSW-Qld H.Davidson (all ANIC). 1♂, 1♀: AUSTRALIA, N.S.W. Mt. Kaputar, Bullawa Creek 29.I.1985 G.Hangay; 1♀: AUSTRALIA, N.S.W., Bigga 24– 25.XI.2000 S 34°05' E 149°09' leg. A.Podlussány; 2♀: AUSTRALIA, N.S.W. Casilis, „Kuuloo Station“ 710m \ 31°50'S 150°08'E 24–25.X.2000 leg. A.Podlussány; 1♀: AUSTRALIA, NSW Dorrigo N.P., rain forest 770m, 3– 6.I.2006 \ leg. G.Hangay, I.Rozner, R. de Keyzer and A.Podlussány (all HNHM). 1♀: Australia, NSW O'Sullivan's Gap 22 September 1991 Vince Lorimer \ in leaf litter by creek \ VWHL-108 32°20'S, 152°15'E \ K249526; 1♂: Sydney N.S. Wales X.31 Dr. K.K.Spence \ K.K.Spence collection \ K249515 (all AMS). 1♂: 2.5km W Forest Reefs NSW 4 April 1993 C.Reid coll. on eucalypts ( ANIC). 3♂, 7♀: Cyphon N.S. Wales 8788 Forest Reefs N.S.W. Lea; 3♂, 9♀: Cyphon N.S. Wales 8788 Sydney Lea (all SAMA). 1♂: TI 10C 19.08.2013 Binni Creek Site C, 33.69937S, 148.77011E Lachlan wetlands, J.Miller (PZ). ─ NT: 2♂, 1♀: Stanley Chasm NT 9\10\68 C.Watts ( SAMA). ─ QLD: 1♀: 24 mi. SW. by W. of Kingaroy, Q., 26.44S 151.31E, 21.xi.1968, Britton & Misko; 1♂: same, but at light; 1♀: Australia, QLD, Eungella 27 November 1988 Richard Bejsak \ Attracted to black light (all ANIC). 1♀: Australia: QLD., 8.3.1997 Lamington N.P., O'Reilly's, seapage near Elabama Falls 28°17'S, 153°10'E, P.Zwick ( NHMW). S.E.Q., Boggomoss, via Taroom (all QMSB): 25°27'Sx 150°02'E: 1♀ No.8, 12 Nov 1996 G.B.Monteith at light 0 40 \ QM Reg.No. T37689; 1♂: 30, 12 Nov 96 – Jan.1997 Cook & Monteith Baited Flight Intercept 0 35 QM Reg.No. T37688; 25°31'Sx 150°03'E: 1♀, 13 Nov 96 — Jan 1997 Cook & Monteith Baited Flight Intercept 0 63 \ QM Reg.No. T37692; 25°26'Sx 150°08'E, No. 30: 1♂: 14 Nov. 1996 G.B.Monteith At Light 0 62 \ QM Reg.No. T37691; 1♂: 14 Nov. 1996 – Jan. 1997 Cook & Monteith Baited Flight Intercept 0 57 \ QM Reg.No. T37690.

Habitus. BL 2.3−3.6mm, BL/BW ~1.6. Body elongate oval. Surface punctures are very fine everywhere, finest on head. The pilosity is yellowish. Most specimens are yellowish brown, with a small brown spot at the highest point of the elytra, next to the suture, a little behind midlength ( Fig. 165 ). Sometimes, specimens are darker with brown head and pronotum and brown maculae on the elytra reaching obliquely forward to the elytral margin, and back along the side. All marks are diffusely delimited. Appendages yellowish to light brown, antenna distally infuscate.

Male ( Figs. 8−10 ). Segments 8 and 9, as described for the genus. On a transparent membrane between S9 and the penis stands a slender backward pointing spine-like hollow cone which points basad on the everted penis ( Figs. 8, 10 ). Pala large, front rounded. The penis narrows caudally, a continuous sclerite extends from the sides of the pala to the apices of the parameroids. A slight medial fold or crest suggests there is a delicate cover over the entire pala. The basally wide bulbous trigonium narrows caudally. Its apex is expanded in dorsoventral direction and carries on each side a row of strong teeth. In precisely dorsoventral view the two rows are separate, in oblique or in side view the apex resembles a rooster with a crest. The trigonium is much shorter than the rod-like parameroids. Their expanded apex is beset with sensillar pores, some colourless membrane attaches to the outside. The tegmen is a large ventrally split colourless sleeve surrounding the penis. On each side it supports one very large spine ( Figs. 8, 10 ), homology with parameres uncertain. At high magnifications the spine appears longitudinally twisted.

Female. Front ends of rods of S8 connected by a sclerotized ring (compare Fig. 15 , N. ypsilon , which is similar). T8 and ovipositor unmodified. Prehensor ( Fig. 14 ) composed of a loop-shaped narrow sclerite armed with some spinules and anterolaterally from it two bands of large tooth-like scales on one side of the oviduct, and on the opposite side an anteriorly bilobed sclerite which bears two elongate rough areas with irregular polygonal structure ( Fig. 14 a). Medially a sclerotized nipple projects into the lumen of the duct, standing vertical on its wall ( Fig. 14 b).

Notes. Klausnitzer (1981) realized that H. lindensis does not belong in genus Elodes but provisionally accepted the original combination. He mentioned faint elytral ribs which I have not seen. The species is externally indistinguishable from N. ypsilon n. sp. Blackburn, Lea, and other students did not study the genitalia and failed to distinguish the taxa whose ranges overlap.

N. lindensis inhabits an exceptionally wide range on the mainland but is not known from Tasmania. Larvae of N. lindensis live in “still water in dams or side pools of small creeks or in trapped leaf masses” (Watts 2014).

Nyholm (1969) documented how during copula of European Contacyphon spp. the prehensor (Latin: the grasper) is extruded into the male gonoduct and seizes the spermatophore. Among material from coll. Armstrong a pair taken in copula was glued on one card, but only the female remains. Its prehensor protrudes between the components of the ovipositor in a way similar to what Nyholm described. It may function in a similar way.

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 8 – 13. Nothocyphon lindensis - group, male genitalia. N. lindensis: 8, ventral view of cleared protracted genitalia; 9, the same, dorsal view; 10, oblique ventral view of the erect genitalia, trigonium deflexed. — N. ypsilon: 11, ventral view of tegmen, penis and S 9; 12, penis tip, ventral, enlarged; 13, dorsal view of cleared protracted genitalia; 8, 9, 11, 13 to the same scale, 10 not to scale. Abbreviations: hs, hollow spine; pa, pala; pd, parameroid; pe, paramere; te, tegmen; tr, trigonium.

FIGURES 14 – 16. Nothocyphon lindensis - group, females. N. lindensis, prehensor: 14 a, dorsoventral; 14 b, lateral. — N. ypsilon: 15, dorso-ventral view of the cleared abdomen; 16, prehensor. 14, 16 to similar size, 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.