Lepanus carbinensis Gunter & Weir, 2021

Gunter, Nicole L. & Weir, Thomas A., 2021, Revision of Australian species of the dung beetle genus Lepanus (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae): review of the L. ustulatus, L. storeyi, and L. nitidus species groups and description of eight new species, Zootaxa 4923 (1), pp. 1-66 : 61-65

Lepanus carbinensis Gunter & Weir , new species

( Figs. 13F, O, Q ; 14A ; 15A ; 16A ; 17 A–B)

Type series. Holotype: ♂ “ Mt. Lewis , QLD 20 km SW Mossman, 1000m, 26.June–1.Aug.1982, S. & J. Peck, SBP52” / “ flight intercept trap rainforest” / “ ANIC Database No 25-065564” / “ Lepanus NQ 9 lewis, Det T.A.Weir 2019”, in ANIC [16°35’00”S, 145°17’00”E] , Paratypes (46 ♂, 43 ♀, 3 undetermined): Queensland: Mossman Bluff Site 8, 16°27’36”S, 145°17’12”E, 20.xii.1989 – 15.i.1990 (T55452–T55459 4 specimens ♂, 4 specimens ♀ in QM) ; Mossman Bluff Site 8, 16°27’36”S, 145°17’12”E, 17–31.xii.1988 (T55468–T55469, 2 specimens ♂ in QM) ; Mossman Bluff Track, 5–10 km W Mossman, Site 8, 16°27’36”S, 145°17’12”E, 1–17.i.1989 (T55470–T55472 2 specimens ♂, 1 specimen ♀ in QM) ; Mossman Bluff camp, 16°27’52”S, 145°17’12”E, 20–24.xii.1989 (T55466 1 specimen ♀ in QM) ; Mossman Bluff Site 1, 16°28’19”S, 145°19’37”E, 20.xii.1989 – 15.i.1990 (T55448–T55451 3 specimens ♂, 1 specimen ♀ in QM) ; Mount Lewis Road, 22 km from Highway, ANZSES Site 3, 16°32’48”S, 145°16’53”E, 18.xii.1989 – 13.i.1990 (T55378–T55379 1 specimen ♂, 1 specimen ♀ in QM) ; Mount Lewis Road , 16°34’12”S, 145°16’08”E, 920 m, 27–28.i.2012, G.B. Monteith (25-053848 1 specimen ♂, also as COL3199, 25-053925 1 specimen ♀ also as COL3200 specimens in ANIC) ; 11 km up Mount Lewis Road [16°35’00”S, 145°17’00”E], 26.xii.1986 – 8.i.1987, H. Howden & R.I. Storey (25-058299 4 specimens ♂, 1 specimen ♀ in ANIC) ; 11 km up Mount Lewis Road [16°35’00”S, 145°17’00”E], 8.i–2.ii.1987, H. Howden & R.I. Storey (CMNEN- 00030345 1 specimen ♂ in CMNC) ; Mount Lewis [16°35’00”S, 145°17’00”E], 960 m, 30.x.1976, R.W. Taylor, & T.A. Weir (25-058303 1 specimen ♂ in ANIC) ; 13 km up Mount Lewis Road via Julatten [16°35’00”S, 145°17’00”E], 29.iv–2.v.1976, R.I. Storey (25-058320 2 specimens ♂, 3 specimens ♀ in ANIC) ; Mount Lewis, 20 km SW Mossman [16°35’00”S, 145°17’00”E], 1000 m, 26.vi–1.viii.1982, S. Peck & J. Peck (25-058296 1 specimen ♂, 1 specimen ♀ in ANIC) ; Mount Lewis Road via Julatten [16°35’00”S, 145°17’00”E], 1000 m, 11.xi–25.xii.1987, A. Walford–Huggins (25-058300 1 specimen ♀ in ANIC) ; Mount Lewis , 8 km NW of Julatten [16°35’00”S, 145°17’00”E], 8.i–2.ii.1987, R.I. Storey & H. Howden (25-058301 12 ♂, 7 specimens ♀ in ANIC) ; Mount Lewis , 20 km N Mount Molloy [16°35’00”S, 145°17’00”E], 800 m, 26.xii.1986, H. Howden & A. Howden (25-058304 1 specimen ♀ in ANIC, CMNEN-00030346–00030350 3 specimens ♂, 2 specimens ♀ in CMNC) ; Mount Lewis , 20 km N Mount Molloy [16°35’00”S, 145°17’00”E], 800 m, 16.xii.1986, H. Howden & A. Howden (25-058305 1 specimen ♀ in ANIC, CMNEN-00030338–00030344 2 specimens ♂, 5 specimens ♀ in CMNC) ; Mount Lewis gate, 16°35’28”S, 145°16’26”E, 980 m, 18–19.xii.2010, H. Escalona (25-057626 3 specimens ♂ ♀ also as COL3202 specimens in ANIC) ; Mount Lewis Road, 16 km from Highway, ANZSES Site 2, 16°35’44”S, 145°16’44”E, 18.xii.1989 – 13.i.1990 (T55380–T55382 1 specimen ♂, 3 specimens ♀ in QM) ; Mount Spurgeon [16°26’00”S, 145°12’00”E], 1200 m, 19–22.xi.1997, C. Reid (25-058328 1 specimen ♂ in ANIC) ; Mount Perseverance [16°32’00”S, 145°20’00”E], 500 m, 4.iv.1997, K. Abbott (25-058326 1 specimen ♀ in ANIC) ; Mount Lewis Road [16°34’00”S, 145°17’00”E], 750 m, 4.iv.1997, K. Abbott (25-058327 4 specimens ♀ in ANIC) ; Mount Lewis Road, 22 km from Highway , 16°32’48”S, 145°16’53”E, 29.xi.1997 – 9.ii.1998, 1000 m, Monteith & Cook (T57495 1 specimen ♂ in QM) ; Mount Lewis Road, 22 km from Highway , 16°32’48”S, 145°16’53”E, 29.xi.1997 – 9.ii. 1998, 100 m, Monteith & Cook (T57496 1 specimen ♂ in QM) ; Mount Lewis , 20 km N Mount Molloy [16°35’00”S, 145°17’00”E], 800 m, 20.xii.1986, H. Howden & A. Howden (CMNEN-00030332–00030337 3 specimens ♂, 3 specimens ♀ in ANIC) ; Mount Lewis Road , 16°35’42”S 145°17”02”E, 1020 m, 21.iv.2014. A. Riedel (25-065554 1 specimen ♀ also as COL3201 specimens in ANIC) .

Description. Holotype light brown with indistinct orange markings on humeral and apical areas of the elytra. Other specimens vary from a lighter brown to dark brown with orange areas more-or-less pronounced than in holotype. Antennal clubs with apical antennomere (3rd) white and basal two antennomeres (1 st, 2 nd) grey.

Total length: 4.0– 4.4 mm. Holotype measurements: total length 4.4 mm, elytral width 2.9 mm. Note the holotype is a little expanded so measurements are close approximation.

Male. Head: Width to length ratio 36: 26. Basal carina only narrowly interrupted medially. U-shaped between clypeal teeth. Surface without setae and finely punctate. Clypeal area more-or-less finely reticulate. Dorsal part of eyes moderate, separated by an interocular space approximately 9 times eye width (26: 3).

Prothorax: Pronotum smooth, nitid, with fairly uniform fine punctation, the anterior punctures not much finer than the posterior punctures. Hypomeral surface very finely reticulate and impunctate. Hypomeral stria absent. Pronotum width to length ratio 58: 35.

Elytra: Smooth and nitid. Intervals very finely punctate and with extremely fine setae. Apical area usually very finely reticulate, with stria 1 and usually stria 2 slightly impressed, appearing as a double line. Ratio of length of the elytra along suture to maximum elytral width 72: 75.

Legs: as per L. nitidus species group. Ridge on ventral side of protibia not joined to the second tooth by a fine carina.

Abdomen: Pygidium more-or-less wholly reticulate, leaving only very narrow lateral and apical areas with fine punctures, each bearing a seta.

Pterothorax: Lateral lobe of metaventrite finely punctate, setose and more-or-less finely reticulate. Medial lobe of metaventrite finely punctate (punctures about the same size as those on lateral lobe) and more-or-less finely reticulate between metacoxae, and with a median longitudinal depression extending from metacoxae to mesocoxae.

Male genitalia: Aedeagus with apex of with left paramere entire, somewhat pointed. Apically deflexed part of right paramere angulate.

Female. as per L. nitidus species group. Usually with a small metaventral depression and medial line between metacoxae, much smaller than in males.

Etymology. Named after the Carbine Tableland Zone of the Queensland Wet Tropics to which it is confined.

Distribution. Known from rainforest of the Wet Tropics (WET) IBRA bioregion, confined to Zone 4, Carbine Tableland, which includes Mount Lewis, Mossman Bluff, Mount Spurgeon, and Mount Perseverance ( Fig. 17A ). Most specimens have been collected at high elevations (750–1250 m). Predicted species distribution as in Fig. 17B . This species is likely to represent a short-range endemic.

Comments. Lepanus carbinensis was initially thought to have been part of Lepanus NQ 9 (= L. vangerweni ). For this study, sequences were generated from two specimens from Mount Lewis Road that form part of the paratype series (25-053925 as COL3200 and 25-065554 as COL3201). Molecular analyses support the close relationship to L. vangerweni but COI sequences differ by 4.9–5.1% (40–41 base pairs), congruent with inter–specific variation. Morphological differences also support the separation of the two species.

Most have been collected in flight intercept traps, while a few have been berlesed from litter or taken in pitfall traps baited with human dung, kangaroo dung or mushrooms.

Figures

FIGURE 13. Some diagnostic characters of the Lepanus nitidus species group. A, Dorsal view of male protibia of Lepanus nitidus; B, dorsal view of female protibia of Lepanus nitidus; C, dorsal view of male protibia of Lepanus kulki; D, dorsal view of male protibia of Lepanus dichrous; E, dorsal view of male protibia of Lepanus vangerweni; F, dorsal view of male protibia of Lepanus carbinensis; G, ventral view of male protibia of Lepanus nitidus, grey arrow points to diagnostic carina; H, ventral view of male protibia of Lepanus dichrous showing lack of carina; I, ventral view of metaventrite of Lepanus nitidus, showing tubercle (grey arrow); J, ventral view of metaventrite of Lepanus dichrous, showing tubercle (grey arrow); K, ventrolateral view of metaventrite of Lepanus vangerweni, showing medial longitudinal depression; L, apical view of elytra of Lepanus dichrous, showing stria 1 appearing superficial towards the apex (grey arrow); M, lateral lobe of metaventrite of Lepanus nitidus, grey arrow points to apically widened inner border; N, lateral lobe of metaventrite of Lepanus kulki; O, apical view of elytra of Lepanus carbinensis, showing stria 1 visibly impressed towards the apex (grey arrow); P, metaventrite of Lepanus vangerweni showing punctures on medial lobe much smaller than those on lateral lobe; Q, metaventrite of Lepanus carbinensis showing punctures on medial lobe same size as those on lateral lobe.

FIGURE 14. Dorsal habitus of species within the Lepanus nitidus species group. A, Lepanus carbinensis; B, Lepanus dichrous; C, Lepanus kulki; D, Lepanus nitidus; E, Lepanus vangerweni. All specimens in comparative scale. Scale bar 1 mm.

FIGURE 15. Pygidial configuration of species within the Lepanus nitidus species group. A, Lepanus carbinensis; B, Lepanus dichrous; C, Lepanus kulki; D, Lepanus nitidus; E, Lepanus vangerweni. All specimens in comparative scale. Scale bar 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 16. Left, dorsal and right view of aedeagi of species within the Lepanus nitidus species group. A, Lepanus carbinensis; B, Lepanus dichrous; C, Lepanus kulki; D, Lepanus nitidus; E, Lepanus vangerweni. All specimens in comparative scale. Scale bar 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 17. A, Map of known records of Lepanus carbinensis, Lepanus dichrous, and Lepanus vangerweni with the zones of insect endemism of the Wet Tropics sensu Yeates & Montieth (2008) numbered and indicated by dashed lines. Zone numbers are as follows: 2 Thornton Peak; 3 Windsor Tableland; 4 Carbine Tableland; 5 Hann Tableland; 6 Black Mountain; 7 Lamb Range; 8 Walsh/Hugh Nelson Range; 9 Atherton Tableland; 10 Bellenden Ker; 11 Malbon Thompson Range; 12 Walter Hill Range; B, predicted distribution of Lepanus carbinensis; C, predicted distribution of Lepanus dichrous; D, predicted distribution of Lepanus vangerweni.