Austrocyphon fenestratus ( Blackburn, 1893 ) Blackburn, 1893

Zwick, Peter, 2013, Australian Marsh Beetles (Coleoptera: Scirtidae) 4. Two new genera, Austrocyphon and Tasmanocyphon, Zootaxa 3706 (1), pp. 1-74 : 26-27

Austrocyphon fenestratus ( Blackburn, 1893) , comb. nov.

(Figs. 67–71)

Helodes (Cyphon) fenestratus Blackburn 1893: 300 .

Type material. Holotype ♂ and 1♂ without type status, both originally together on the same card (now separate): T [Type; black ink], 4318 Bl. Mt. [red ink], labelled: Type [print on round label with red margin] / Blackburn coll. 1919–236 / Helodes fenestratus, Blckb. [in J. Armstrong's hand]. Genitalia preparations of both specimens on the specimen pins ( NHML).

Additional material studied. NSW: 2 ♂, Kosciusko 5700–6000, 8807 Cyphon Mt. Kosciusko ; 1♂, Blue Mts. Blackburn; 1♂, Wentworth Fs; 12♂, NSW 5k N Smiggin Holes 9/2/02, CHS.Watts (all SAMA). 1♂, Kosciusko Nat.Pk Smiggins Bog NSW 1600m 1983–1986 pitfall traps Ken Green No.39; 1♂, same data except No.64; 2♂, Kosciusko Nat.Pk Batts Creek NSW 1700m 1983–1986 sweep sample Ken Green No.35; 1♂, Jarvis Bay 2 Sept. 1984 J.James; 1♂, Kosciusko Nat. Park, NSW, Sawpit Creek - Perisher Rd. 31.xii.73, 1200m, S.&E.Britton; 2♂, Narrabeen Plateau NSW 20.August, 1950 J.Balderson under bark; 1♂, Mt. Irwinc [? difficult reading] N.S.W. J.Armstrong / Cyphon fenestratus Blackb. Id .. by J.Armstrong (all ANIC). 1♂, K.K.Spence Collection / French's Forest [? difficult reading; “a suburb of Sydney which seems to have been a favourite collecting spot in the early days” C.H.S. Watts, personal communication].— VIC: 8♂, 2 probable ♀, Mt Buffalo Lake Catani 9/1/06, CHS.Watts ( SAMA).

Habitus. BL 2.2–2.9 mm, BL/BW ~1.8. The holotype has the arched pale fascia mentioned in Blackburn's description. Other specimens have more or less distinct pale spots near the elytral suture but most are uniformly light brown to almost black.

Male. T8 with two round pale basolateral areas. Apodemes of T9 converge a little towards the deeply divided and narrow caudal portion. The cleft in T9 is almost circular near the transverse basal sclerite but narrows caudad. Lateral lobes of T9 convergent, each ending in a sclerotized tip which in side view is a curved erect little horn. S9 soft, caudally rounded and with a few setae, base not observed.

Penis very wide, pala about as long as wide. At the transverse penis bridge the contour widens abruptly, a narrow sclerite band without flange surrounds the trigonium in an exceptionally wide caudally truncate arch. Trigonium stout, stepwise restricted to a narrow apex with claw-shaped centema and a few fine spicules.

Tegmen with sclerotized keeled tongue-shaped capulus from which arise two strongly curved parameres ending in sharp points.

FIGURES 67–71. Austrocyphon fenestratus (Blackburn) , male. 67, T8; 68, T9; 69, Penis; 70, parameres and S9; 71, S8. All to the same scale.

Female. The probable females from Lake Catani are not distinctive.

Note. Blackburn (1893, p. 300) called this "a very distinct species" because of a "fulvous arched fascia crossing the elytra immediately in front of the middle and not nearly reaching the lateral margins...". The specimen in NHML which I regard as the holotype is the only one with such mark among the presumed syntypes, see below. Blackburn also said: "I hesitate to refer to this species an example (also from N.S. Wales) in which the fulvous mark is wanting ..." He mentions possible differences in puncturation concluding “... it may be a variety. The examination of more specimens would be necessary to determine it.” This specimen has no syntype status (Article 72.4.1 of ICZN).

To me Blackburn's wording suggests that at the time of publication he regarded as H. fenestratus only the two specimens now in NHML. However, there are more possible syntypes. According to Blackburn's register (in NHML) number 4318 signifies " Helodes fenestratus Blackb. Bl. Mts. 11/91" (M. Barclay, personal communication). The same number and an additional label stating the locality but no date are found on two uniformly brown specimens mounted together on a single card in SAMA: “Blue Mts Blackburn / Helodes fenestratus Blackb. co-type [handwritten] / 4318 Bl Mts [red ink] and H [black ink, crossed out]”. Of still another presumed syntype in SAMA only the labels remain; half of the card on which it had been mounted was subsequently cut away. The specimens in question are females with exposed ovipositor tips, I cannot identify them. Cyphon fenestratus was a puzzle to subsequent students. For example, A.M. Lea and J. Armstrong erroneously labelled several different species as C. fenestratus (for example, A. pictus , A. doctus , A. lobatus , sp. n., A. acaciae , sp. n.), as well as a specimen collected by Charles Darwin at King George's Sound in Western Australia. The latter is actually a new species in another genus (in preparation).