Austrocyphon leptophallus, Zwick, Peter, 2013

Zwick, Peter, 2013, Australian Marsh Beetles (Coleoptera: Scirtidae) 4. Two new genera, Austrocyphon and Tasmanocyphon, Zootaxa 3706 (1), pp. 1-74 : 54-56

Austrocyphon leptophallus , sp. n.

( Figs. 178–184 )

Type material. QLD: Holotype: ♂, Innisfail Queensland ( SAMA). Paratypes: 1♂, Mt. Lewis 800m, QLD 26.Dec.1986 H&A.Howden flight intercept.trap 2 ♂, Cardstone 14. & 25.xi.1966 J.G.Brooks; 1♂, 2 mls W. of Redcliffe, Qld., 23 May, 1966, Z. Liepa; 1♂, Boar Pocket Rd c. 8 km N. of Gillies Hwy QLD 21.ii.70 at light J.G.Brooks; 1♂, Australia Atherton QLD. 13.ii.1975 H. & A.Howden; 1♂, Peeramon [~ 17° 18.157' S, 145° 34.669' E], 1.x.1968 R.J. Elder; 1♂, Kuranda Range State Forest N.Qld. 20 April 1967, D.H.Colless (all ANIC). 1♂, Australia: N. QLD Millaa-Millaa Falls 13.iii–10.iv.1990 Storey & Halfpapp MDPI F.I.T.Site 34; 1♂, Australia: N. QLD Millaa-Millaa Falls 10.iv.–4.v.1990 Storey & Halfpapp Malaise trap; 1♂, Australia, N.Qld., Clacherty Rd,. Julatten 8.i.–2.ii.1987 Storey & Howden; 1♂, 11 km up Mt. Lewis Road via Julatten 11.xi.–25.xii.1987 Storey & Walford-Huggins; 1♂, Australia: N. QLD 6 km SE of Mareeba 3.vii.–19.vii.1990 S. deFaveri Malaise trap; 1♂, Australia, N.Qld., Cow Bay N.of Daintree River 6.ii–23.iii.1988 Storey & Cunningham; 1♂, Australia; n.Qld 7 km NE of Tolga 19–24.xii.1986 Storey & de Faveri / Malaise trap; 1♂, Australia: N.Qld, 15 km WNW of South Johnstone light trap 15.xi.1985 Fay & Halfpapp; 1♂, Australia: N.Qld, 15 km WNW of South Johnstone light trap 3.vii.1986 Fay & Halfpapp (all QDPC-M).

Additional material studied. 1♀, N.Qu. [red ink, on specimen card] / N. Queensland Blackb's Coll. ( SAMA).

Habitus. BL 2.4–2.7 mm, elongate oval, BL/BW 1.6. The holotype, Blackburn's specimen, is light brown, probably faded, the others are yellow with variable brown elytral pattern ( Fig. 184 ). Entire dorsal face covered with blond semi-erect hairs. Pronotal punctures unusually fine.

Male. Genitalia exceptionally long, at rest, the unpaired base of the parameres reaches forward beyond the front margin of S3.

T8 with with small flat plate, apodemes about three times longer. Rounded caudal margin with setal fringe, no microtrichia. S8 narrow, Y-shaped.

Apodemes of T9 long and thin, continued by even longer caudally narrowing tubular structures with fine sinuous tip. Near midlength, the two sides are connected by membranes supporting some faint sclerite ending in two short tips. S9 with unpaired basal apodeme as long as the rounded unsclerotized and hairless plate. S9 often wrapped around the paramere tips, difficult to separate.

Penis with narrow pala, abruptly widening at the base of the parameroids where structures reminiscent of an articulation with the trigonium are seen. The narrow sclerotized rim of the pala continues along the inner edge of the caudally fused parameroids surrounding the narrow foramen. Sides of the parameroids may be almost wrapped around the trigonium ( Fig. 181 ), or spread out flat ( Fig. 182 ). Trigonium a slender conical finger with some asperities and a claw-shaped centema.

Parameres a pair of very long slender rods arising from a narrow common base, apices blunt.

Female (presumed; Fig. 183 a). The faded specimen is 2.4 mm long. It is assigned to A. leptophallus because of its very fine pronotal punctures. There is a slender weak sclerite in the end section of the genital tract, its caudal end is not clearly visible. In front, it has several concentric folds, the caudal one is most distinct. The ovipositor is not characteristic.

Notes. The tubular structure of the lateral sclerites representing T9 suggests close relationships with A. papilio and A. noctua . The plate-like parameroids onto which the sclerite around the pala visibly continues remind one especially of the latter species. The vulvar sclerite of the presumed female resembles A. tribulator .

Etymology. The Greek stem of the species name describes the slenderness of the male genitalia. It is a noun in apposition.

Figures

FIGURES 178 – 184. Austrocyphon leptophallus sp. n., male. 178, T 8; 179, T 9; 180, S 9 with tegmen and parameres; 181, penis in folded condition; 182, the same, extended; 183, S 8. 183 a, the female vulvar sclerite; 184, variation of elytral pattern (not to scale). Genitalia (all to the same scale) and habitus (not to scale) in opposite orientation!