Tomogenius ripicola (Marseul, 1870)

Lackner, Tomas & Leschen, Richard A. B., 2017, A monograph of the Australopacific Saprininae (Coleoptera, Histeridae), ZooKeys 689, pp. 1-263 : 204-212

Tomogenius ripicola (Marseul, 1870) Figs 732, 733-741, 742-750, 767

Saprinus ripicola Marseul, 1870: 118.

Type locality.

Australia: Murray River.

Type material examined.

Saprinus ripicola Marseul, 1870: Lectotype (designated by Y. Gomy in 2004), ♂, side-mounted with extracted and dismembered genitalia glued onto the same mounting card as the specimen, both antennal clubs missing, both protarsi and right mesotarsus missing, both metatibiae broken off, glued to the same mounting card as the specimen, with the following labels: " Gnathoncus / ripicola M / Murray Riv. ♂ / illegible" (round pink label, written); followed by: "Murray / Riv." (pencil-written); followed by: "MUSEUM PARIS / COLL. / DE MARSEUL 1890" (pink label, printed); followed by: "TOMOGENIUS / G. Dahlgren det / RIPICOLA MARS." (printed-written); followed by: “♂” (written); followed by: " Tomogenius / ripicola / Mars. / Y. GOMY DET 2004" (written-printed); followed by: "Y. Gomy des. / LECTOTYPE" (red label, printed) (MNHN). Paralectotype, ♂, designated by Y. Gomy in 2004, side-mounted with genitalia extracted, dismembered and glued to the same mounting card as the specimen, right antennal funicle missing, right protibia, left protarus, both mesotarsi and right metatarsus missing, with the following labels: “♂” (written); followed by: " Gnathoncus ? / illegible / ♂ / Murray riv. / Cast. 69" (round, pink label, written); followed by: "TOMOGENIUS / RIPICOLA / TYPE" (pencil-written); followed by: "MUSEUM PARIS / COLL. / DE MARSEUL 1890" (pink label, printed); followed by: "TOMOGENIUS / G. Dahlgren det / RIPICOLA MARS." (printed-written); followed by: “TYPE” (red-printed label); followed by: "Y. Gomy des. / PARALECTOTYPE" (red label, printed) (MNHN).

Additional material examined.

AUSTRALIA. Queensland: 4 ♀♀ & 6 ♂♂ Flogged Horse Cave, 20 km N of Rockhampton, 14.xi.1986, R.B. Halliday (ex bat guano) (ANIC); 8 ♀♀ & 10 ♂♂ & 1 spec., Mt. Etna, Johannsens Mine, 15.v.1986, E. Holm (ex ghost-bat guano) (ANIC); 1 ♂, Isla Gorge National Park, 5 km NE, 25°10'S, 150°01'E, 270 m, 3.-5.iv.1998, G. Monteith (O/F dung trap) (QM); 1 spec., Wyreema, no date, O.W. Tiegs (QM); 1 ♂, Boggom, 12/2 (Nathan G) via Taroom, 25°27'S, 150°08'E, 13.xi.1996-i.1997, Cook & Monteith (FIT trap, baited) (QM); 1 ♂, One Tree Hill, 5.5 km SE, 25°20'S, 151°55'E, 120 m, 26.ix.-14.xii.1999, D. & I. Cook (vine scrub intercept) (QM). New South Wales: 1 spec., New South Wales, without further data (BMNH); 3 specs., Forest Keep, Tammworth, Lea leg. (BMNH); 1 ♀, Salt Hole Creek, 38 km NE of Broken Hill, 27.ix.1975, Z. Liepa (ANIC); 1 ♀, Wahroonga, no date, H.J. Carter (ANIC); 1 ♂, 20 km W Kempsey, 14.i.1987, Yessabah Cave, E. Holm (bat guano) (ANIC); 1 ♂, Lithgow, 8 km SW, 33°31'S, 150°05'E, 17.xi.1991, Tom Gush (on dead kangaroo) (ANIC); 1 ♂, Lake George, 10.-12.i.1969, W.J.M. Vestjens (ANIC); 1 ♂, Acacia Plateau, H. Davidson (ANIC); 1 spec., Tamwroth, Lea (SAMA). Western Australia: 1 ♀ & 1 ♂, Weelawadji Cave, 29.45S 115.10E, 14-24 km N of Stockyard Gully, 17 km W of Eneabba, 8.x.1972, J. Lowry (ANIC); 3 specs., Mt. Barker; 1 ♂, Liefden-Lyndhurst, 2.iv.1960, P. Aitken (SAMA); 1 spec., Pelsart Island, Houtman’s Abrs., Lea (SAMA); 1 spec., New Norcia, x.1953, Demarz leg. (MNHN, coll. Thérond). South Australia: 1 ♂, Port Lincoln, Blackburn, 1884 (BMNH); 1 spec., S. Australia, without further data (BMNH); 1 spec., Adelaide (? - illegible), without further data (BMNH); 1 ♂, Flinders Island, 33.43S 134.31E, 27.vii.-2.viii.1987, J.E. Feehan (ANIC); 1 spec., Ardrossan, J.G.O. Tepper (SAMA); 1 spec., Ferries-McDonald National Park, 12.v.1977, E.G. Matthews (SAMA); 2 specs., Mt. Lofty, J.G.O. Tepper (SAMA); 4 specs., ditto, but S.H. Curnow (SAMA); 2 specs., Lucindale, Feuerheerdt (SAMA). Australian Capital Territory: 1 ♂, Gungahlin, 20.ix.1964, W.J.M.Vestjens; 1 ♀, ditto, but 13.ii.1966 (both exs. ANIC). Victoria: 1 ♀ & 1 spec., Victoria, M.F.L., no further data (BMNH); 2 specs., Birchip, J.C. Goudie (SAMA); 1 spec., Tawonga, 2 km W, 30°40'S, 147°08'E, 13.x.1990, Tom Gush (on dead sheep) (ANIC). Unknown localities. 1 spec., Galeon? (illegible), Pascoe Coll., no further data (BMNH); 2 ♂♂ & 2 specs., M.F.L vii.[19]35, Evansford. V., no further data (BMNH).

Biology.

Found on bat guano in caves as well as on carrion.

Distribution.

Australia: New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, Australian Capital Territory, Western Australia and South Australia (Fig. 767).

Remarks.

It is unclear why Gomy designated a lectotype from a specimen that did not bear the “Type” label; perhaps because the specific epithet on the “Type” -labelled specimen did not read " ripicola " nor anything resembling it.

Re-description.

Body length PEL: 2.60-2.90 mm; APW: 1.00-1.15 mm; PPW: 1.85-2.10 mm; EW: 2.25-2.40 mm; EL: 1.65-1.90 mm. Body (Fig. 732) ovoid, moderately convex from above, underside slightly flattened, pronotum narrower than elytra, elytra widest at humeri; cuticle of elytra pitch-black with faint blueish hue, pronotum lighter, dark brown with faint bronze hue; legs, mouthparts and antennae castaneous.

Antennal scape (Fig. 733) not particularly thickened, with few microscopic setae; club (Fig. 734) rather large, oval, dorsally with two horizontal slit-like pits, ventrally (Fig. 735) with two vertical slit-like pits, entirely covered in dense short sensilla, intermingled with sparse longer erect sensilla; sensory structures of antennal club apart from sensory slit-like pits present dorsally and ventrally not examined.

Mandibles (Fig. 732) punctate, with rounded outer margin, acutely pointed, sub-apical tooth on inner margin of left mandible obtuse; labrum even, convex, punctate, approximately twice as wide as long, labral pits each with single long labral seta; terminal labial palpomere elongated, its width about one-fourth its length, pointed apically; mentum sub-trapezoid, anterior angles slightly produced, anterior margin with a shallow emargination medially, surface around it with two long setae from each side, lateral margins with a single one row of much shorter sparse ramose setae, disc with few scattered setae; terminal maxillary palpomere narrowing on apical third, apex pointed, slender, its width about one-fourth its length; rest of the mouthparts not examined.

Clypeus (Fig. 732) even, rounded laterally, punctate; frontal and supraorbital striae absent, occipital stria present, fine; frontal disc (Fig. 732) punctate, punctures deep, round and most dense medially, separated by their own to several times their diameter; eyes convex, well visible from above.

Pronotal sides (Fig. 731) convergent anteriorly, apical angles obtuse, marginal pronotal stria complete, thin, slightly carinate, somewhat weakened behind head; disc entirely punctate, medially punctures separated by several times their diameter, fine, becoming coarser and denser laterally, especially near apical angles where they are deep, ellipsoid and separated by less than their own diameter; pronotal hypomeron glabrous; occasionally small ante-scutellar fovea present; scutellum very small.

Elytral epipleura punctate; marginal epipleural stria double, one stria weakly impressed, while the second one deeply impressed and in punctures, both striae complete; marginal elytral stria, deeply impressed and in punctures, continuous along elytral apex as weakened apical elytral stria not attaining the apical end of sutural elytral one; humeral elytral stria deeply impressed on basal third, surface around it with minute strioles; outer (?) subhumeral stria present as a short median fragment; elytral disc with four dorsal elytral striae 1-4, all striae in fine punctures, stria 1 and 2 surpassing elytral half apically, striae 3 and 4 shorter, reaching approximately elytral half apically; basal ends of all striae curved; between fourth dorsal elytral and sutural striae a characteristic hooked appendix present, basally occasionally connected to basal fragment of sutural elytral stria; sutural elytral stria apart from this basal fragment interrupted on basal third, continued apical two-thirds (roughly), becoming weaker apically. Entire elytral disc punctate, but punctures on basal elytral third (roughly) very fine and sparse, separated several times their diameter, on apical two-thirds (roughly) punctures larger and denser, separated approximately by their diameter, becoming almost confluent apically; punctures near extreme elytral apex with minuscule striolae among them.

Propygidium (Fig. 736) transverse, about four times as broad as long, completely exposed, with very dense but small punctures separated by less than their diameter; pygidium (Fig. 736) with sparser round punctures, separated by about twice their diameter, becoming sparser and finer towards apex.

Anterior margin of median portion of prosternum (Fig. 737) rounded; marginal prosternal stria absent; prosternal process broad, flattened, dorso-laterally with punctures, apex of prosternal keel considerably elevated with respect to the rest of the surface; carinal prosternal striae (Fig. 737) sub-parallel, terminating near large and deep apical foveae separated by apex of prosternal prosternal process; lateral prosternal striae carinate, slightly convergent anteriorly, attaining apices of carinal prosternal striae.

Discal marginal mesoventral stria (Fig. 738) well impressed, somewhat carinate, slightly inwardly arcuate medially; disc flattened, with approximately 40-50 round deep punctures separated by about less than their diameter; meso-metaventral suture distinct, straight; meso-metaventral sutural stria absent.

Intercoxal disc of metaventrite in male medially with shallow depression, in female slightly convex; disc of metaventrite medially with very fine scattered punctures, laterally and basally (especially in the area behind metacoxa) punctures becoming coarser and denser. Lateral metaventral stria well impressed, carinate, straight, shortened apically; lateral disc of metaventrite (Fig. 739) flattened, with round shallow large punctures; metepisternum + fused metepimeron (Fig. 739) evenly covered with much coarser, deeper and denser punctation; lateral metepisternal stria present, deeply impressed and almost complete.

Intercoxal disc of first abdominal ventrite flattened, completely striate laterally; surface of disc with scattered oblong punctation, punctures becoming sparser and finer medially.

Protibia (Fig. 740) flattened and dilated, outer margin without visible teeth, with approximately nine short denticles growing out directly from outer protibial margin and becoming progressively smaller in proximal direction; setae of outer row short, moderately dense, regular; setae of median row similarly dense and regular, but shorter than those of outer row; protarsal groove shallow; anterior protibial stria complete, costate; two thin, short tarsal denticles present apically; protibial spur short and thin, straight, growing out from apical protibial margin from near tarsal insertion; apical margin of protibia posteriorly with two-three tiny apical denticles; outer part of posterior surface of protibia (Fig. 741) glabrous, with a row of short setae; median part of posterior surface with an additional row of minuscule setae; posterior protibial stria complete, with scattered minuscule setae turning into a row of tightly-spaced short setae near apical margin; inner margin with double row of dense short setae.

Mesotibia slender, outer margin with a single row of dense thin denticles growing in size apically; setae of outer row sparse, fine, regular and short, growing somewhat longer apically; setae of median row irregular, much shorter than those of outer row; posterior mesotibial stria complete; anterior surface of mesotibia with a dense row of well sclerotized short denticles, with another similar row of much shorter and finer setae situated below it; anterior mesotibial stria complete, terminating in several tiny inner anterior denticles; mesotibial spur stout, short; apical margin with two tiny denticles; mesotarsus shorter than mesotibia; claws of apical tarsomere about half its length; metatibia more slender and longer than mesotibia, three-four short denticles present on outer margin and three longer denticles present near metatibial apex; anterior face of metatibia with a single row of dense short and regular denticles; claws of apical tarsomere in both meso- and metatibia bent, shorter than half its length.

Male genitalia. Eighth sternite (Figs 742-743) fused on its entire length, but its sclerotization widely separated medially; with large velum bearing laterally a dense tuft of long setae (best observable from lateral view, Fig. 744), apex of 8th sternite with a dense row of shorter hooked setae; rest of velum with several dense rows of setae becoming progressively shorter apically; eighth tergite apically slightly inwardly arcuate, covered with numerous pseudo-pores; eighth tergite and eighth sternite fused laterally (Fig. 744). Ninth tergite (Figs 745-746) longitudinally divided medially, with pores and pseudopores; tenth tergite rather small, inwardly arcuate basally, apically slightly inwardly arcuate; spiculum gastrale (Figs 747-748) gradually dilated from middle towards its apical end that is strongly sclerotized, with two short ‘horns’; basal end slightly dilated, spoon-like, outwardly arcuate. Aedeagus (Figs 749-750) slender, parallel-sided, parameres not fused on their apical third, apex of aedeagus blunt; basal piece of aedeagus short, ratio of its length: length of parameres 1: 3; aedeagus curved from lateral view (Fig. 750).