Austrocyphon harpago, Zwick, Peter, 2013

Zwick, Peter, 2013, Australian Marsh Beetles (Coleoptera: Scirtidae) 4. Two new genera, Austrocyphon and Tasmanocyphon, Zootaxa 3706 (1), pp. 1-74 : 25-26

Austrocyphon harpago , sp. n.

( Figs. 58–66 )

Type material. Holotype: ♂, Upper Allyn River NSW, 14.Feb.1968, D.H.Colless ( ANIC). Paratype: ♂, Mt Tamborine S.E.Qld. 2.xi.1980 K.J.Houston Berleseate (QDPC-B, O-166311).

Habitus. BL 2.4 mm, BL/BW 1.5. Regularly oval. Setae near obtuse front corner of pronotum next to eye prominent. Head dark brown, pronotum rufous brown with diffusely darker centre. Elytra brown, shoulders and a narrow rhomboid macula across both elytra near midlength rufous brown. Legs and antennae yellowish, antennae slender ( Fig. 58 ).

Male. T8 semicircular, apodemes straight, long, no visible antecosta. Caudal margin with regular pecten plus a series of long setae in front of it, disc with some smaller setae and very small fine microtrichia. S8 is a V-shaped sclerite with some pores near caudal ends but no setae.

Strong apodemes of T9 connected by a short sclerite bridge; plate divided into two harpoon-like sclerites with rough surface. At high magnification minute microtrichia at the bottom of elongate excavations are seen. Mediobasally each sclerite forms a forward-directed tip connected to some fold (details are in both specimens obscured by remains of gut contents). S9 a slender caudally widened and pilose relatively well-sclerotized plate anteriorly with pale midline.

Penis parallel-sided, basal part little longer than caudal part whose low flange ends abruptly anteriorly. Trigonium finger-shaped, centema a sclerotized pointed cone. The poorly delimited foramen surrounds the trigonium closely.

Tegmen a narrow sclerite loop supporting slender rod-like parameres ending in an outwardly directed hooklet.

Female. Not known.

Note. The medial sclerites of T9 between the barb-like hooks are unique, their homology is unclear.

Etymology. The name describes the structure of T9, Latin harpago , a recurved hook.

Figures

FIGURES 58 – 66. Austrocyphon harpago sp. n., male. 58, antenna; 59, elytra; 60, T 8 & S 8; 61, detail of pecten on caudal margin of T 8; 62, T 9; 63, surface structure of lobe of T 9; 64, penis, with enlarged tip; 65, S 9; 66, tegmen and parameres. 58, 59, 61 not to scale. 60, 62, and 64 – 66 to the same scale.