Austrocyphon tribulator, Zwick, Peter, 2013

Zwick, Peter, 2013, Australian Marsh Beetles (Coleoptera: Scirtidae) 4. Two new genera, Austrocyphon and Tasmanocyphon, Zootaxa 3706 (1), pp. 1-74 : 49-52

Austrocyphon tribulator , sp. n.

( Figs. 157–166 )

Type material. Holotype: ♂, 16.02S 145.27E QLD Emmagen Ck by road 8 km N Cape Trib. 11.Nov.1992 C.Reid beating trees/bushes. Paratypes (males only, females have no type status): QLD: 3♂, same data as holotype; 2 ♂, Moses Ck 4 km NbyE of Mt Finnigan QLD 15 Oct. 1980 D.H.Colless (plus 2 damaged non-type ♂); 1♂, 1♀, 16.03 S to 16.05 S 145.28 E Cape Tribulation area QLD 21–28 Mar.1984 A.Calder & T.Weir / collected at light; 1♂, 17.30S 145.37E QLD Millaa Millaa Falls, 18.Nov.1994 C.Reid coll. Rainforest; 2♂, Biggenden, Q., 23.31S 152.03E Mt. Walsh Nat.Pk., Rockpool Gorge, 22.viii.72 H. Frauca; 1♂, W. slope of Bluff Range via Biggenden, Q. 18.x.75 H. Frauca; 2♂, 22 km W of Paluma (19.06S 146.34E) 672m at light J.G.Brooks [no date]; 1♂, Brandy Creek QLD 18km E Proserpine 100m 21 June–19 Aug. 1982 S. & J.Peck SBP43 / Flight intercept trap rainforest; 1♂, (2♀), Cardstone 2.ii.1966 K.Hyde; 3♂, Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef 29.ix.67 H. Heatwole; 1♂, Foote Memorial Sactuary Buderim QLD. 1 Sept.1980 W.Aven; 1♂, 28.37S, 153.23E, Minyon Falls 6km N of Rosebank, NSW, 19.Nov.1976, I.F.B.Common & E.D.Edwards (all ANIC). 1♂, Brisbane Q. 21. Nov. 62 E.A.Bernays at light ( QMSB, UQIC Reg. #88686, T169594). 6♂, 1♀, Qld. Fishery Falls CHS.Watts 19/10/12 / at light / 761 ( SAMA).

Additional material studied (females presumed): QLD: 1♂, Tolga N.Qld. 3.iii.1986 J.D.Brown light trap; 1♂, 7.iii.1986 (both QDPC-C). Tolga N.Qld. J.D.Brown light trap: 15–28. ii.1985, 2 ♂; 23–30. x.1985, 5 ♂; 31.x.– 6. xi.1985, 3 ♂; 6–13. xi.1985, 1 ♂; 13.xii.1985, 5♂; 10.i.1986, 1♀; 25.ii.1986, 1♂; 31.x.1986, 1♂; 3.xi.1986, 1♀; 7.xi.1986, 1♂. N.Qld 7 km NE of Tolga Storey & de Faveri: light trap, 10.xii.1986, 1♂; March 1987, 1 ♂; MDPI intercept trap 28,. 2.ii.–20.ii.1987, 1♂; 9.iii.–9.iv.1987, 1♂. 2♂, Australia: N.Qld, 15 km WNW of South Johnstone light trap 1.xi.1985 Fay & Halfpapp. 2♂, Australia: N.Qld, Davies Ck 22 km WSW of Mareeba Malaise T. 2.x.– 6.xi.1984 Storey & Halfpapp; 1♂, 2.xii.1984 – 7.i.1985. 1♂, Australia: N.Qld. 22 km WSW of Mareeba, 7.i.– 12.ii.1985 Storey & Titmarsh malaise trap. 1♂, Australia: N.Qld. 11km up Mt. Lewis Road via Julatten 900m 10.x.–11.xi.1987 Storey & Walford-Huggins / MDPI INtercept trap Site 1. 1 ♂, Cow Bay N.of Daintree, N.Qld 18– 25.i.1985 Storey & Cunningham (all QDPC-M). 1♀, C. QLD: 20°06'Sx 147°45'E, Mt Abbott, campsite, 11.Apr.1997, G.Monteith, Pyrethrum, trees, 800m; 1♀, NE.Q. 16°35'Sx 145°16'E, Upper Leichhardt Creek, 16 Nov 1997, 840m, G.Monteith 1627 Pyrethrum on Bunya Pines; 1♀, N.Qld. Roaring Meg Ck 6km W of Cape Tribulation 5 Oct 1987, 710m, Monteith, Yeates & Thompson, Pyrethrum knockdown, RF; 1♀, N.E. QLD: 19.16S, 147.03E, Mt Cleveland summit, 23 Mar 1991, Monteith, Pyrethr. Open Forest 550m. — NSW: 1♀, Williams R., Salisbury NSW 29.v.63 G.Monteith (all QMSB).—Aberrant males with narrow blades of T9: QLD: 2♂, 11.45S 142.35E QLD Heathlands 26.Jan–29Feb.1992 P. Feehney Malaise #2 dump open forest; 1♂, 12.44S 143.148E QLD 3km ENE Mt. Tozer 28June–4July 1986 D.H.Colless Malaise trap; 1♂, Coonardoo', Fletcher, S.Q., 9 mi S of Stanthorpe 28.48S 151.51E 20.xi.1968, at light, Britton, Misko, Sutton (all ANIC).

Habitus. BL 1.9–2.2 mm, BL/BW 1.6. Light brown, head a little darker than rest, a bit rufous. Appendages yellowish. Antenna with 3rd segment only half as long and thick as segment 2 ( Fig. 162 ).

Male. T8 weakly sclerotized, wide, caudal margin regularly arched, bare. Apodemes strong, visibly continuing onto the plate. Antecosta between apodemes angled or curved backward. S8 difficult to recognize, colourless and hairless, U-shaped.

Apodemes of T9 converge and meet, plate completely divided into two lanceolate blades covered with very fine crests each ending in a minute caudal point which gives the blade contour a finely serrate appearance. Blades almost as long as apodemes. S9 an oval plate with narrow, handle-like basal portion. Apex shallowly emarginate, finely pilose.

Tegmen in the form of a narrow long U, the narrow parameres caudally a little widened, apex resembling a fish-hook.

Penis with wide parallel pala slightly longer than distal section. Trigonium with distinct centema, no apical spicules.

Variation. Several male genital structures vary, variants occur in different combinations. Particular morphotypes or geographical trends were not recognized. The very soft T8 often has the sides folded under the plate which then appears narrow. The blades of T9 vary in width. Fig. 159 shows the standard, Fig. 163 an extremely narrow specimen. The notch in S9 is variably distinct. The frame around the trigonium is often folded up leading to a flanged condition in which case the apical part of penis appears narrower than in Fig. 161 .

The specimen from Coonardoo, S of Stanthorpe ( Figs. 163–165 ) is very exceptional, particularly in regard to the unusually stout trigonium ending in a narrow pilose tip (not shown).

Female (presumed). Females taken together with males and resembling them have an elongate faintly visible vulvar sclerite with some longitudinal apical folds and several angular transverse folds in front ( Fig. 166 ).

Notes. Other Austrocyphon species with similar genitalia and completely bare T8 are not known. However, A. tribulator was sometimes taken together with Cyphon mobula Zwick which is rather similar in habitus but has stouter antennae with a relatively larger 3rd segment, and, in both sexes, differs strikingly in genitalia.

Austrocyphon tribulator is the most abundantly collected species among the warm temperate to tropical taxa. Based on definitely identified males, its range along the eastern shore of Australia extends from near Cooktown in the north into northern New South Wales. Occurrence on Lizard Island many kilometers off-shore is a surprise. The females described are certainly A. tribulator . Nevertheless, records based on only females are doubtful, simply because females of many other species remain unknown, and some may be similar.

Etymology. The name is an arbitrarily formed noun referring to one of the localities, Cape Tribulation, but also to the tribulation caused by the variation in genital structures.

Figures

FIGURES 157 – 166. Austrocyphon tribulator sp. n. Normal male: 157, T 8; 158, S 9; 159, T 9; 160, tegmen and parameres; 161, penis; 162, antenna. Aberrant male: 163, T 8 and S 8; 164, T 9; 165, S 9. Female: 166, bursal sclerite inside ovipositor. Figs. 157 – 161 and 163 – 165 to the same scale, 162 not to scale.