Mecynotarsus grandior, Kejval & Cz, 2013

Kejval, Zbyněk, 2013, Taxonomic revision of the Australian Notoxinae (Coleoptera: Anthicidae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae (suppl.) 53, pp. 1-98 : 42-45

Mecynotarsus grandior sp. nov.

( Figs 53, 54 , 135 , 151 , 195 )

Type locality. Australia, Western Australia, 13 km ESE of Wittenoom, 22°18′S 119°52′E.

Type material. HOLOTYPE: ♂, ‘(22.18S 119.52E) 13 km. ESE. of Wittenoom, W.A. 11.xi.70. E. B. Britton [p] // AUST. NAT. INS. COLL. [p; green label]’ ( ANIC). PARATYPES: 2 ♂♂ 5 ♀♀, same data as holotype ( ANIC) ; 6 ♀♀, ‘ Kimberley Research Station, Kununurra, nr. Wyndham , W.A. (15.28S 128.06E) 27.xi.1956 [p] // AUST. NAT. INS. COLL.[p]’ ( ANIC, 1 spec. ZKDC) ; 2♂♂, ‘ Kimberley Res.Stn. , Light Trap W.A. October 1961. K. T.Richards [p] // ANIC Specimen [p; green label]’ ( ANIC) ; 1 ♂, ‘ 20.19S 119.15E WA North of Pilbara, De Grey River 25 April 1992 P. Gullan, P. Cranston [p] // AUST. NAT. INS. COLL. [p; green label]’ ( ANIC) ; 1 ♀, ‘ 3 km. NWbyW. of Millstream HS., 21.34S 117.03E WA, 22 Apr. 1971 Upton & Mitchell [p] // AUST. NAT. INS. COLL. [p; green label]’ ( ANIC) ; 2 ♀♀, ‘ 1 km N of Millstream , W.A. (21.35S 117.04E) 9-10.iv.1971, M. S. Upton [p] // ANIC Specimen [p; green label]’ ( ANIC) ; 1 ♀, ‘ Australien, WA, 52 Fortescue River, 137 km sw Roeburne 5.– 6.12.1984 M. + B. Baehr [p] // Mecynotarsus lateroalbus Lea det. G. Uhmann 1992 [p+h]’ ( ZSMC) ; 1 ♂, ‘ 24.20S 132.53E NT Finke River at Running Water 15 March 1995 T. Weir, at light [p] // ANIC Specimen [p; green label]’ ( ANIC) ; 1 ♂ 1 ♀, ‘ 18.37S 137.59E GPS Border Waterhole, Musselbrook Ck 15 km W by S Musselbrook Mining Camp ( QLD)NT 14 May 1995 T. Weir [p] // at light [p] // AUST. NAT. INS. COLL. [p; green label]’ ( ANIC, ZKDC) ; 1 ♀, ‘ Qld. Greenvale 70 km SW at light. 12-21 Apr 1995 A. J. Watts [p] // SAMA Database No. 25-028982 [p]’ ( SAMA) ; 1 ♀, same data, except: ‘22-30 Nov. 95’ and ‘SAMA Database No. 25-029030’ ( SAMA) ; 1 ♀, same data, except: ‘ 17-24 Jan 1997 ’ and ‘SAMA Database No. 25-029050’ ( SAMA) ; 2 ♂♂ 1 ♀, ‘W. Normanby R., N. Qld., 40 ml. W. of Cooktown 2.i.1964. G. Monteith’ ( QMBA) ; 1 ♂, ‘ AUSTRALIA:N. Queensland 1917/1918 [p] // Mecynotarsus concolor King det. G. Uhmann 1994’ ( ZSMC) .

Description (holotype, male). Body length 2.8 mm. Head and pronotum largely reddish brown, pronotal disc distinctly darkened, elytra dark brown, with very vague markings; legs and antennae reddish brown.

Antero-lateral margins of frons simple. Gular rugules of different sizes, anteriorly larger, ordered and fused as in Fig. 139 . Clypeal granules minute. Setation of head mostly rather coarsely hairy and appressed, especially around eyes and ventro-laterally, distinctly finer only posteriorly on vertex, and with some raised setae near base. Antennae rather long; antennomeres III–V twice, X nearly 1.7 times as long as wide; setation mostly fine, distinctly coarser to scaly on basal 3–4 antennomeres.

Pronotum moderately globose, 1.7 times as long as wide, its lateral margins somewhat unevenly, moderately convex in dorsal view; posterior collar narrow. Pronotal horn robust, moderately wide, its posterior angles slightly indicated in dorsal view ( Fig. 151 ); horn margins armed with 3 rather widely spaced lobules on each side, apical lobule simple, widely rounded; horn crest very conspicuous, situated rather posteriorly and forming semioval rim (interrupted anteriorly); submarginal rugules numerous, mostly coarse, distinctly spaced; single large, median longitudinal rugule and several minute granules scattered posteriorly. Setation whitish to greyish or pale brownish, scaly, distinctly finer, sparser and inconspicuous on pronotal horn dorsally; scales on pronotal disc of two sizes, shorter and appressed or longer and subdecumbent, both elongate, truncate apically and distinctly spaced (surface visible); antebasal paired setae absent medially, difficult to recognize laterally owing to presence of numerous additional tactile setae.

Elytra 1.7 times as long as wide; omoplates and postbasal impression absent. Setation whitish to greyish and brownish, mixed medially and also forming vague markings ( Fig. 195 ), scaly, appressed and evenly ordered; scales linear, rounded to subtruncate apically, dense but distinctly spaced (surface visible); erect tactile setae present, rather short and sparsely scattered, more numerous near base.

Male characters. Elytra subapically with a pair of long, moderately oblique, narrow, asetose strips ( Fig. 135 ). Sternum VII moderately produced and rounded apically. Tergum VIII and aedeagus as in Figs 53, 54 .

Variation. Body length (♂ ♀) 2.7–3.7 mm. Pronotal horn with 3–4 lobules on each side; apical lobule narrowly to widely rounded, its apex rarely somewhat impressed to bilobed; crest rim more or less widely interrupted anteriorly to nearly complete, rarely narrowly connected anteriorly with median rugule, its margins sometimes uneven (five fused coarse rugules). Markings of elytra may be both vague and rather distinct, with two paired, distinctly paler spots.

Differential diagnosis. Mecynotarsus grandior sp. nov. shares the divergent, evenly arcuate, apically obliquely truncate parameres of the aedeagus with M. bullatus sp. nov., but differs clearly in the following external characters: body colouration generally darker, scales somewhat finer, denser, and always opaque; pronotum narrower, at most globose (not transverse) and less bulging dorsally before base; pronotal horn more elongate and narrower, horn crest less raised, crest rim semioval and usually distinctly interrupted anteriorly (cf. Figs 151 versus 147, 148); antennae longer, basal antennomeres with shorter and finer setation.

Etymology. The species name is a Latin adjective, grandior (= larger, more powerful); named in reference to the larger body size and the conspicuous appearance.

Distribution. Australia: Northern Territory, Queensland, Western Australia.

Figures

Figs 53–59. 53–54 – Mecynotarsus grandior sp. nov.: 53 – tergum VIII, 54 – aedeagus in dorsal view. 55–57 – M. granulatus sp. nov.: 55 – tergum VIII, 56 – tegmen in dorsal view, 57 – median lobe in dorsal view. 58–59 – M. hirtipennis sp. nov.: 58 – tergum VIII, 59 – aedeagus in dorsal view. Scale (0.5 mm): A – Fig. 58; B – Fig. 53; C – Figs 55–57; D – Figs 54, 59.

Figs 133–140. 133 – Mecynotarsus setulosus sp. nov., head in lateral view (paratype, Fowlers Gap), 134 – M. excavatus sp. nov., apex of elytra in female (paratype, Aoue-Enga), 135 – M. grandior sp. nov., apex of elytron in male (paratype, Kimberley Research Station), 136 – M. obesus sp. nov., metatibia with tarsus (paratype, Hull River), 137 – M. excavatus sp. nov., male protibia (paratype, Aoue-Enga). 138–140 – head in ventral view: 138 – M. auripilosus sp. nov. (paratype, Kambah Pool), 139 – M. bullatus sp. nov. (paratype, Regans Ford), 140 – M. ziczac King, 1869 (Swain Reefs).

Figs 150–158. Pronotal horn in dorsal view: 150 – Mecynotarsus festivus sp. nov., 151 – M. grandior sp. nov., 152 – M. granulatus sp. nov., 153 – M. hortensis Lea, 1922 (syntype, SAMA), 154 – M. kingii MacLeay, 1872, 155 – M. leai Pic, 1942 (Richmond), 156 – M. magelae sp. nov., 157 – the same (paratype, Carson Escarpment), 158 – the same (paratype, Charnley River).

Figs 194–201. Habitus: 194 – Mecynotarsus festivus sp. nov., 195 – M. grandior sp. nov., 196 – M. granulatus sp. nov., 197 – M. hortensis Lea, 1922 (Fowlers Gap), 198 – M. kingii MacLeay, 1872, 199 – M. kreusleri King, 1869 (Mount Tozer), 200 – M. leai Pic, 1942 (Richmond), 201 – M. magelae sp. nov.