Platycoelus chongheeae, Will, Kipling, 2015

Will, Kipling, 2015, A taxonomic review, new species and a key to species of Platycoelus Blanchard, 1843 (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Pterostichini), Zootaxa 4034 (2), pp. 291-308 : 294-295

Platycoelus chongheeae sp. nov.

Figs. 1 E; 5E,F; 8; 10.

Types. HOLOTYPE. Male. " 12°42'48.7"S / 143°17'13.7"E, AUSTRALIA:Queensland, Iron Range National Park, Rainforest Camp at East Claudie R., headlamp search, 12m. 13.xii.2010, K.Will, AUS2010.xii.13.5". EMEC207235. Deposited QM.

Paratypes. Same date as holotype: Males, EMEC207234, EMEC207236, EMEC207240 (EMEC); females, EMEC207233, EMEC207237, EMEC207238, EMEC207239, EMEC207221 (EMEC). Same data as holotype on 12.xii.2010: Males, EMEC207215, EMEC207216, EMEC207217, EMEC207219, EMEC207223, EMEC207224, EMEC207226, EMEC207229 (EMEC). Females, EMEC207213, EMEC207214, EMEC207218 (QM); EMEC207220, EMEC207222 (ANIC), EMEC207225, EMEC207227, EMEC207228, EMEC207230, EMEC207231, EMEC207232 (EMEC). Same data as holotype on 9.xii.2010: Female, EMEC207221 (EMEC). Iron Range, 103m, 12° 40' 35" S / 143° 20' 13" E, 11.XI.2010, L. Hovorka. EMEC344347 (MBC). 12.44° S / 143.14° E, 3km ENE of Mt. Tozer, 28 VI–4 VII 1986, T.Weir and A. Calder EMEC344348 (ANIC).

Type locality. Queensland, Iron Range National Park, vicinity of 12°42'50"S / 143°17'14"E.

Description. Dorsal habitus ( Fig. 1 E). Size. Overall length (sbl) 9.6–13.5mm; greatest width over elytra 3.5– 4.2mm. Color. Dorsal and ventral surfaces black. Legs, mouthparts, and antennae slightly paler piceous to rufopiceous. Luster. Dorsally and ventrally very shiny. Iridescence. Elytra and ventral surface of body with strong spectral iridescence. Head. Dorsal microsculpture with microlines very shallow, scarcely visible at 50x magnification; sculpticells isodiametric. Frons smooth, impunctate. Clypeal-ocular sulci represented by a punctiform impression near clypeus. Ocular ratio 1.30–1.70; eyes large size, rounded. Labrum slightly emarginate with the medial four setae narrowly distributed, width from outermost medial seta to lateral seta subequal to width across all four medial setae. Mentum short, shallowly emarginate, lateral lobes little produced, with one pair very large, round, very deep pits; median tooth short, very broad, shallowly emarginate; one pair of setae below median tooth. Gula moderately wide, width at middle about one half the width of mentum, anterior tentorial pits very large. Antennae, overall length long, antennomeres 10–11 extended to beyond base, antennomeres 5–11 elongate. Thorax. Pronotum slightly transverse, broadly and distinctly reflexed near hind angles, sides evenly rounded from apex to base or slightly sinuate from about one fifth of the pronotum length forward of base. Sinuation of lateral margins variable, but not markedly sinuate. Marginal bead continuous from apex to about one fifth pronotal length from base or nearly extended to base; basal margin not bordered; anterior angles scarcely produced; hind angles obtuse and rounded; inner basal impression absent or a shallow linear impression; outer impression absent. Seta at hind angle set about 4x pore widths forward of hind angles. Microsculpture of disc not visible at 50x magnification. Elytral striae complete or striae 5–7 shallow or not impressed in basal 2/3 and/or all striae shallow or scarcely impressed in apical half of disc; all striae well impressed and impunctate near apex and distinctly crenulate in basal third to half. Elytral microsculpture hardly visible at 50x, formed as transverse mesh of microlines. Profemur in males with deep, broad transverse sulcus ( Fig. 10 ). Female profemur unmodified. Metacoxal sulcus straight, extended to lateral end of coxa. Prosternal process at apex rounded and not margined. Sterna smooth throughout. Abdomen. Abdominal ventrites smooth, glabrous. Male genitalia. Aedeagus ( Fig. 5 E,F) abruptly curved ventrally in apical quarter.

Etymology. The specific epithet is a Latinized noun in the genitive case from the name Chong Hee Will, my wife, whose generous support enabled the collection of the bulk of the type material, DNA quality material, and specimens of many other Australian carabids in addition to this new species.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Dorsal habitus of A, Platycoelus archboldi; B, P. bioroi; C, P. brigalowphilus sp. nov.; D, P. caledonicus; E, P. chongheeae sp. nov.; F, P. depressus.

FIGURE 5. Male genitalia. A, left lateral, and B, ventral view median lobe tip of Platycoelus brigalowphilus sp. nov.; same view C – D, P. caledonicus; E – F, P. chongheeae sp. nov.; G – H, P. depressus; I – J P. hermes sp. nov.; K – L P. interstitialis.

FIGURE 10. Anterior view of right pro leg of male Platycoelus chongheeae sp. nov. Arrow indicates the femoral notch.