Platycoelus brigalowphilus, 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 : 293

Platycoelus brigalowphilus sp. nov.

Figs. 1 C; 5A,B; 8.

Types. HOLOTYPE. Male. "Qld:27°50.2"Sx 150°06.7"E, Southwood NP, camp., 8–11Dec2005, 12468, G.Monteith, S.Wright, mv light, 255m, sandy soil"//"QM Reg. No. T193533". Deposited QM.

Type locality. Queensland, Southwood National Park. Vicinity of 27° 50.2"S 150° 06.7"E.

Description. Dorsal habitus ( Fig. 1 C). Size. Overall length (sbl) 16.2mm; greatest width over elytra 6.8mm. Color. Dorsal and ventral surfaces black; legs, mouthparts, and antennae black. Luster. Dorsally and ventrally moderately shiny. Iridescence. Elytra with obvious spectral iridescence; pronotum slightly iridescent; ventral surface of body without iridescence. Head. Dorsal microsculpture with microlines not visible at 50x magnification. Frons punctulate, more densely and coarsely near base of head. Clypeal-ocular sulci represented by broad, shallow poorly defined impressions. Ocular ratio 1.62; eyes large, rounded. Labrum very slightly emarginate with the medial four setae broadly distributed, width from the outermost medial seta to the lateral seta subequal, slightly wider than width between medial setae. Mentum long, deeply emarginate prominent lateral lobes, with one pair small, round, deep pits; median tooth prominent, bifid; one pair of setae positioned laterad of median tooth. Gula narrow, width at middle about as wide width of mentum emargination, anterior tentorial pits small, punctiform. Antennae, overall length long, antennomeres 10–11 extended beyond pronotal base, antennomeres 5–11 elongate. Thorax. Pronotum slightly transverse, sides evenly and shallowly rounded from apex to base. Marginal bead continuous from apex to base; basal margin bordered; anterior angles scarcely produced; hind angles nearly right angled and rounded; inner basal impression well impressed, broad, linear; outer impression shallow, round impressions. Seta at hind angle touches basal bead and one pore width from lateral bead. Microsculpture of disc not visible at 50x magnification, very shallowly and sparsely punctulate, much denser near hind angles. Elytral striae complete, sharply impressed. Elytral microsculpture hardly visible at 50x, formed as transverse mesh of microlines. Intervals with dense micropunctulae throughout. Profemur in males and females unmodified. Metacoxal sulcus straight, extended to lateral end of coxa. Prosternal process at apex rounded and not margined. Sterna with micropunctulae throughout. Abdomen. Abdominal ventrites smooth. Male genitalia. Aedeagus ( Fig. 5 A,B) abruptly curved ventrally in apical quarter.

Etymology. The specific epithet derived from the Brigalow ( Acacia harpophylla ) forest at the type locality, is a Latinized noun, nominative case. This habitat type has largely been cleared and habitat loss may be a contributing factor in the apparent rarity of this beetle.

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.