Pseudholophylla lepidoptera ( Blackburn, 1912 )

Hutchinson, Paul M. & Allsopp, Peter G., 2021, Australian Melolonthini (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae): a sixth species of Pseudholophylla Blackburn, 1911, and notes on the other known species, Zootaxa 5082 (1), pp. 30-40 : 36-37

Pseudholophylla lepidoptera ( Blackburn, 1912)

( Figs. 11 , 15–17 )

Paralepidiota lepidoptera Blackburn, 1912: 51 .

Pseudholophylla lepidoptera: Britton 1978: 34 , Figs. 94–96, 274D; Allsopp 2020b: 478 .

Type series. Lectotype ♂, designated by Britton (1978). QUEENSLAND. Cairns , in NHML [examined].

Additional material examined. QUEENSLAND. 1♀, LAURA [15.56°S, 144.45°E] [handwritten] | Paralepidiota lepidoptera Bl. [handwritten] Id. By A.M. Lea [typeset]; in QM .

Diagnosis of males. Body 23 mm long. Colour reddish brown. Antennomere 4 angulate, without a lamella. Maxillary palp with apical palpomere broad, with an elliptical concavity on the upper surface. Pronotum with greatest width 1.6x mid length; anterior margin narrow and raised, posterior margins not defined in the middle. Parameres ( Fig. 11 ) with a transverse apical process, dorsal margin sinuate concavely and ventral margin concave arcuate, apically one-quarter of paramere pointed in ventral view and with pre-apical, transverse, sclerotised process near its base, apex perpendicular to longitudinal axis of parameres.

Description of female ( Figs. 15–16 ). Body 27 mm long. Colour reddish brown. Labrum transverse, anterior margin concave in middle, with transverse row of white, elongate-pointed setae and scattered smaller pale yellow setae. Maxillary palp with a deep elongate depression on the upper surface. Antennae with antennomere 4 cylindrical; antennomere 5 angulate, apex pointed; antennomeres 6–10 rounded-lamellate, each lamella about as long as length of antennomere 1. Clypeus with anterior face with short, pale yellow setae; dorsal surface depressed behind strong anterior-lateral margins, anterior angles rounded, surface glabrous and shagreen in centre, with white, elongate-pointed setae laterally. Clypeofrontal suture marked, concave in centre. Frons with wide band of white, elliptical setae across middle, almost bare above eyes and along anterior margin, posterior margin bare across middle, with small, white, rounded setae towards posterior-lateral margin of eyes. Pronotum with greatest width (at base) 2x mid length, anterior and posterior margins well defined but not grooved, lateral margin erose, surface with scattered, white, elongate-pointed setae on disc, setae denser laterally and along posterior margin. Elytra with rows of white, elongate-pointed setae, thin, pale yellow setae along outer margins. Propygidium and pygidium with white, elongate setae smaller and denser than those on elytra, pygidium with long, pale yellow setae towards lateral-posterior margins. Ventral thorax with elongate-pointed, white setae, larger than those on dorsal surface, amongst dense, long, yellow setae. Ventrites with dense, very elongate, white setae on anterior segments, becoming sparser and more rounded on posterior segments, very sparse on the final segment. Legs with scattered, elongate-pointed, white setae amongst long, yellow setae; protarsal claw with large, pointed tooth close to base; metatarsal claw with smaller tooth one third along claw.

Remarks. Female antennae are consistent ( Allsopp 1990) with other Australian old-Gondwanan Melolonthini ( Allsopp 1995) where both genders do not feed as adults, and the females fly little (if at all) and attract males with pheromones ( Allsopp 1993). This contrasts with more recent Oriental arrivals, such as Lepidiota species , where male and female antennal clubs are similar, and mating appears to take place at feeding sites.

Distribution ( Fig. 17 ). The stated type locality is unlikely to be correct; “Cairns” was often used in the late 1800s as a general locality for material collected in northern Queensland. Laura was linked to Cooktown by rail in 1891, providing easy access to collectors. It has a Köppen-Geiger climate of Aw (savanna).

Figures

FIGURE 17. Known distributions of Pseudholophylla species across northern Australia. Upper map shows distribution relative to topography; lower map shows Köppen-Geiger classifications for comparison with climates. Pseudholophylla furfuracea (Burmeister, 1855) is recorded only from “Australia”.

FIGURES 8–13. Pseudholophylla aedeagi. Each set with lateral view left, dorsal view top right, ventral view bottom right. 8, Pseudholophylla castaneipennis (Macleay, 1888); 9, P. cavifrons (Lea, 1919); 10, P. furfuracea (Burmeister, 1855); 11, P. lepidoptera (Blackburn, 1912); 12, P. soror Britton, 1978; 13, P. hurai Hutchinson & Allsopp, new species, holotype male. Figs. 8–12 reproduced from Britton (1978) (CSIRO, used with permission).

FIGURES 15–16. Pseudholophylla lepidoptera (Blackburn), female. 13, Dorsal view; 14, antenna and maxillary palp. Photographs from the Queensland Museum as QMDIU_03317 and QMDIU_03318, respectively.