Barryfilius vernus ( Britton, 1978 ) Allsopp, 2022

Allsopp, Peter G., 2022, Australian Melolonthini (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae): reclassification of eight species to Antitrogus Burmeister, 1855 and Barryfilius new genus, Zootaxa 5213 (5), pp. 513-545 : 528-530

Barryfilius vernus ( Britton, 1978) , new combination

( Figs. 18 , 24 , 25 )

Lepidiota verna Britton, 1978: 66 , figs. 201–202 (aedeagus), fig. 282D (head and pronotum).

Type series. Holotype male in ANIC: Paluma (Mt Spec), 6.i.1969 J.G. Brooks [18.98°S, 146.22°E] (examined).

Paratypes: 3 mi. [5 km] SSW of Millaa Millaa [17.56°S, 145.60°E], 22.viii.1967, R.J. Elder ( ANIC) ; 10♂, Malaan [17.61°S, 145.59°E], 30.viii.1965, 14.ix.1965, 21.ix.1965, 28.ix.1965, 10.x.1965, 18.x.1965, 19.x.1965, 4.xi.1965, 13.ix.1966, 11.x.1966, 18.x.1966, R.J. Elder ( QDAF) ; 9♂, Malaan , 8 mi. [12.9 km] E of Ravenshoe, 23.vii.1968, 6.viii.1968, 13.viii1968, 17.ix.1968, 1.x.1968, 15.x.1968, R.J. Elder ( ANIC) ; 1♂, Paluma Dam [18.96°S, 146.15°E], 24.xii.1963, G. Monteith ( UQIC) ; 1♂, Birthday Ck Falls , 6.7 m [10.7 km] NW Paluma [18.98°S, 146.16°E], 11.xii.1972, J.G. Brooks ( ANIC) ; 1♂, Mt Spec Nat. Pk. via Paluma [18.98°S, 146.22°E], 7.xi.1969, T. Weir ( UQIC) ; 1♂, Mt Spec , 9.i.1968, J.G. Brooks ( ANIC) ; 6♂, Paluma (Mt Spec), 6.i.1969, 7.i.1969, J.G. Brooks ( ANIC) ; 1♂, Star Valley Lookout 2.3 m [3.7 km] W. Paluma [19.01°S, 146.18°E], 12.xii.1972, J.G. Brooks ( ANIC) .

Other material examined. AUSTRALIA: Queensland: 1♂, Massey Creek BS3 [17.37°S, 145.34°E], 3.x- 2.xi.1995, L. Umback ( ANIC) ; 3♂, Millaa Millaa [17.51°S, 145.61°E], 7.ix.1965, R.J. Elder ( QDAF) ; 1♂, 1♂, 3 mi. [5 km] SSW of Millaa Millaa , 17.ix.1968, R.J. Elder ( ANIC) ; 1♀, South Johnstone , 20.xi.1966, G. Wilson ( ANIC, bred out) ; 1♂, Mt Haig GS1 [17.96°S, 145.36°E], 31.vii-31.viii.1995, L. Umback ( ANIC) ; 2♂, Mt Spec S3 [18.55°S, 146.09°E], 6.ii.-9.iii.1995, M. Cermak ( ANIC) ; 1♂, Mt Spec S2 [18.55°S, 146.10°E], 10.i-6.ii.1995, M. Cermak ( ANIC) ; 9♂, Paluma [19.00°S 146.12°E], xi-xii.1978, 22.x.1979, xii1980 - i.1981, D.W. Frith ( ANIC) ; 1♂, Paluma , 17-18.xii.1988, H. & A. Howden ( CMN) ; 2♂, Paluma , 12.xii.1972, J.G. Brooks ( ANIC) ; 13♂, Mt. Spec S1 [19.00°S, 146.11°E], 6.xii.1994 - 10.i.1995, M. Cermak ( ANIC) .

Remarks. One of the paratypes in UQIC has Britton’s 1969 paratype label but with the unpublished name ‘ Lepidiota palumae’—he evidently decided later to change the name. Of the paratypes collected by Brooks at Paluma, Britton (1978) listed only the date 6.i.1969; the one collected a day later is labelled as a paratype.

Britton (1978) gave no etymology for the specific name. There are two possibilities: a noun, verna (slave born in the house), that should retain its nominative form and not be changed, and that would make sense if the beetle inhabits people’s houses; or, an adjective that relates to the season Spring. Given that some specimens were collected in October, the second seems more likely, so I have assumed the adjectival form with the appropriate change in ending.

Diagnosis. Male. Body 20–22 mm long; very dark red-brown ( Fig. 18 ). Terminal palpomere of maxillary palp large, 1.1 mm long, elongate-elliptical (length:width 3.3:1), with large, flat, longitudinally strigose, elliptical depression on dorsal side. Clypeus with anterior face moderately deep, width 5x length; upper surface transverse, width 3.1–3.2x length, anterior margin slightly indented in middle, with broadly rounded angles; upper surface strongly concave, coarsely and densely punctured, each of the broad, flat-bottomed punctures with flattened, white seta about as long as radius of the puncture. Frons irregularly and coarsely punctured anteriorly of a slight ridge, each puncture with a short, white seta as long as the radius of the puncture; posterior quarter with only a few punctures and setae; without setae above each eye. Antennae with 10 antennomeres, antennomere 3 elongate-cylindrical, antennomere 4 discoidal, antennomere 5 discoidal but with slight swelling on inner edge, antennomeres 6–7 with a very short lamella, antennomeres 8–10 lamellate, 2.7–2.8 mm long. Pronotum transverse, greatest width 1.6x length; anterior margin narrow, continuous and raised, punctate except in middle; lateral edges with rounded, obtuse angle slightly behind middle, straight before angle and slightly concave after; posterior margin with narrow, raised margin but absent in middle and near posterior angles; anterior angles square, posterior angles slightly obtuse; surface uniformly punctured (approximately 18 mm-2), each puncture with minute, slightly elongate, white seta about as long as diameter of the puncture, punctures and setae denser along lateral margins behind angle, surface smooth and shiny between punctures. Scutellum with line of dense, setose punctures close to lateral edge, disc sparsely punctured with setae as on pronotum, margins slightly raised and defined by a groove. Elytra sparsely but fairly uniformly punctured (approximately 10 mm-2) except on sutural interval, each puncture with sort, ovoid, white seta (0.06 mm long), as long as those on pronotum. Propygidium with few punctures with short setae across posterior and lateral margins. Pygidium irregularly punctured, approximately 25 mm- 2 in middle, with setae similar to elytra, about 2.5–3.0x long as wide, surface between punctures microreticulate, long, yellow setae on posterior-lateral margins. Ventral surface of thorax densely clothed with long, fine, yellow setae; anterior half of pronotal hypomeron with elongate, white setae near lateral margins, remainder of anterior half with longer, yellow-white setae. Teeth on outer edge of protibia medium-short and rounded. Ventrites sparsely clothed with short, setae similar to elytra; first visible ventrite with longer, yellow setae anteriorly and laterally; penultimate ventrite with a few, scattered, long, yellow setae on posterior half; terminal ventrite without lateral lobes, with long setae along posterior margin. Aedeagus virtually symmetrical, in lateral view each paramere constricted at about half length then widening to apex ( Fig. 24 ).

Female. Unknown.

Distribution ( Fig. 25 ). Occurs from the southern part of the Atherton tableland south to Paluma. The female bred out by George Wilson and labelled ‘South Johnstone’ most likely originated from the uplands of the East Palmerston or Nerada area (about 17.58°S, 145.85°E) and not the lowland village of South Johnstone where Wilson had his office.

Natural history. Adult males have been collected at light and in oil-bath and flight-intercept traps mainly during November-January, but with a set of records from Maalan for January and August–October ( Britton 1978).

Figures

FIGURE 25. Known distribution of Barryfilius species in northeastern Queensland. Putative distribution of B. centralis (Britton, 1978) in the Northern Territory, and likely collection site in northeastern Queensland indicated at Mount Elliot or Mount Abbott.

FIGURES 14–18. Adult males of Barryfilius species, dorsal views. 14, Barryfilius contiguus (Britton, 1978); 15, B. laevis (Arrow, 1932); 16, B. lewisae (Britton, 1978); 17, B. quinarius (Britton, 1978); 18, B. vernus (Britton, 1978). Photographs by Greg Daniels.

FIGURES 19–24. Aedeagi of Barryfilius species. 19, Barryfilius centralis (Britton, 1978); 20, B. contiguus (Britton, 1978); 21, B. laevis (Arrow, 1932); 22, B. lewisae (Britton, 1978); 23, B. quinarius (Britton, 1978); 24, B. vernus (Britton, 1978). Figures reproduced from Britton (1978) (CSIRO, used with permission).