Lepanus guthrieae Gunter & Weir, 2019

Gunter, Nicole L. & Weir, Thomas A., 2019, Revision of Australian species of the dung beetle genus Lepanus (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae): key to species groups and description of 14 new species from the L. pygmaeus species group, Zootaxa 4564 (1), pp. 41-80 : 67-68

Lepanus guthrieae Gunter & Weir , new species

( Figs. 4A, 4F , 5E , 8E , 10E , 16 )

Type series. Holotype: ♂ “W.A.: 53km NNW of Tom Price, Site TCMBW12 , ethylene glycol pitfalls, 22°18'21"S, 117°28'47"E, 23 August 2005 - 24 May 2006, CALM PILBARA SURVEY” / “ANIC Database No. 25-053803” / “ Lepanus WA2 det. T.A.Weir 2008” / “ANIC Image” in WAM. Paratypes: Western Australia: 53 km NNW of Tom Price, Site TCMBW12 , 22°18'21"S, 117°28'47"E, 23.viii.2005 – 24.v.2006, CALM Pilbara Survey (25-065526 × 1 ♀ in ANIC) ; 17.5 km NE of Tom Price, Site TCMBE10 , 22°36'26"S, 117°56'08"E, 31.viii.2005 – 30.v.2006, CALM Pilbara Survey (25-053804 x 1 ♀ in ANIC) ; 4 km N of Barowanna Hill (Camp Curlewis), 21°23'41"S, 117°10'14"E, 8.v–11.x.2004, CALM Pilbara Survey (25-058206 × 2 ♂ in ANIC) ; 11 km SW of Coolawanyah , 21°52'35"S, 117°44'29"E, 25.xi.2003 – 6.v.2004, CALM Pilbara Survey (25-058207 × 1 ♂ in ANIC) ; 1.8 km SSE of Mulga Downs Outcamp , 22°20'05"S, 118°59'20"E, 21.xi.2003 – 24.v.2004, CALM Pilbara Survey (25-058208 × 1 ♂, × 2 ♀ in WAM) ; Northern Territory: Cape Crawford , 9.2 km NE, [16°38'00"S, 135°48'00"E ], 17–19.iv.2004, G.B. Monteith & D.J. Cook (T 111940 -T 111941 1 × ♂, 1 × ♀ in ANIC (also as 25-065473), T 111942 -T 111944 1 × ♂, 2 × ♀ in QM); Cape Crawford, 4.1 km NE, 16°39'10"S, 135°45'50"E, 17–19.iv.2004 (T 111936 -T 111939 3 × ♂, 1 × ♀ in QM) ; Barkly Highway, Kiama Creek , 19°59'37"S, 137°46'2"E, 16–21.iv.2004 (T 111931 in QM ♂) ; Queensland: 159 km S Normanton , [19°06'00"S, 141°04'00"E ], 11–13.iii.1976, R.I. Storey (25- 032634 × 1 ♀ in QDPC, CMNEN-00030249 in CMNC ♀); Toorak Research Station Trap 1, NHT Project, [20°58'39"S, 141°48'04"E], 10.ii.2002 (T 139023 in × 1 ♂ QM) ; Fletcher Creek Rest Area ,14895, [19°48'57"S, 146°03'14"E], 11–12.ii.2007, G.B. Monteith, dung pit fall (T 143965 in QM) ♂; Beames Brook 15 mi SW of Burketown [17°57’46”S, 139°30’20”E], 20.v.1972, G.B. & S.R. Monteith, mercury vapour lamp ( UQIC 71247 , also as ANIC 25-058521 × 1♀ in QM) .

Other material examined. Additional specimens from three localities of the CALM survey not included in the paratype series above were also examined. Western Australia: 4 km N of Barowanna Hill (Camp Curlewis), 21°23'41"S, 117°10'14"E, 8.v.2004 – 11.x.2004, CALM Pilbara Survey (25-058205 x 99 in ANIC) ; 6 km SW of Millstream , 21°38'33"S, 117°02'13"E, 24.xi.2003 – 7.v.2004, CALM Pilbara Survey (25-058211 x 34 in ANIC) ; 6.5 km SSW Coolawanyah , 21°51'53"S, 117°47'13"E, 25.xi.2003 – 6.v.2004, CALM Pilbara Survey (25-058209 x 1 in ANIC) (partial specimen) .

Description. Bicoloured; pronotum and elytra light brown, head black with brown edges. Antennal club grey.

Total length: 2.4–3.0 mm. Holotype measurements: Total length 2.8 mm, elytral width 1.7 mm.

Male: Head: U-shaped between clypeal teeth, which are upturned. Margin slightly angulate at clypeogenal suture. Genal angle weakly defined. Basal carina present but interrupted medially. Head reticulate between clypeal suture and anterior edge. Dorsal part of eyes narrow in size, separated by interocular space approximately 17–18 times eye width (35: 2); eye canthus not dividing eye. Head 1.25 × wider than long (43:34).

Prothorax: Hypomeral surface finely reticulate with light punctation. Hypomeral striae half length of hypomeron. Pronotum 1.6 × wider than long (74:46).

Elytra: Surface smooth, intervals with extremely fine setae extending backwards. Striae double with very fine punctate edges. All striae on disc equal width. Elytra 1.15 × wider than long (87:75).

Legs: Front edge of protibiae deeply angulate; apical digit elongate and sharp; 2 teeth on outer edge. Inner edge of metatibiae gently curved and with a slight flange. Metatarsi with 5th tarsomere longest. Tarsal claws intermediate and toothed.

Abdomen: Pygidium with a variably round to ovoid shaped depression, containing a pillar-shaped tubercle. Depression occupies approximately half size of disc and extends under the concave upper edge of pygidium. Abdominal surface is very finely reticulate right across. Segment 6 finely punctate and finely reticulate.

Pterothorax: Medial lobe of metaventrite finely punctate and broadly margined between mesocoxae. Lateral lobe of metaventrite punctate and finely reticulate. Meso-metaventral suture very slightly arched. Mesoventrite with slight notch anteriorly. Mesoventrite finely reticulate and punctate at least at sides. Mesepimeron and metanepisternum reticulate.

Female: As per the L. pygmaeus species group and pygidial depression slightly more ovoid.

Etymology. Named in honour of Nadine Guthrie, entomologist with the Western Australia Department of Environment and Conservation, who collected much of the material for the CALM Pilbara survey.

Distribution. A widespread species known from the Western Australian PIL bioregion, Northern Territory GFU bioregion, and Queensland GUP and EIU bioregions ( Fig. 16 ). Given the disjunct distribution and limited sampling in much of northern Australia, this species is likely to occur in numerous other IBRA regions such as those predicted by BIOCLIM. Our BIOCLIM model predicted L. guthrieae may also occur in Carnarvon ( CAR), Gascoyne (GAS), Little Sandy Desert (LSD), Great Sandy Desert (GSD), DAL, CEK, OVP, STU, GUC, CEA, ARC, Tanami (TAN), Davenport Murchison Ranges (DMR), Mitchell Grass Downs (MGD), MII, DEU, BBN, and CYP IBRA regions.

Comments. Lepanus guthrieae has previously been referred to as “ Lepanus WA2” under the informal nomenclature sensu Yeates et al. (2011). A specimen (COL 2465) from Cape Crawford, Northern Territory was sequenced in the study of Gunter et al. (2018) is designated as a paratype here (ANIC) and was recovered as sister to L. pungalina within a member of the monsoonal clade of Lepanus , which contains species in the L. pygmaeus species group. All specimens of L. guthrieae have been collected in pitfall traps in open forests.

A specimen from Beames Brook, 15 mi. SW Burketown (25-058521 in QM) listed as L. pygmaeus in Matthews (1974) revision is most similar to L. guthrieae , although this specimen is a teneral female it is easily differentiated from L. pygmaeus on the basis of the apical edge of the protibia being angulate (truncate in L. pygmaeus ) and the almost ovoid pygidial depression (distinct pear shape in L. pygmaeus ).

Figures

FIGURE 4. Some diagnostic characters of the Lepanus pygmaeus species group. A, Head of Lepanus guthrieae featuring medially interrupted basal margin (white arrow) and reticulations on clypeal area only (black arrow); B, head of Lepanus lentil featuring angulate and complete basal margin (white arrow); C, pterothorax of Lepanus andersonorum showing fine, short carina extending backwards from the meso-metaventral suture (white arrow); D, posterior aspect of metatibia of Lepanus pecki; E, anterior aspect of metatibia of Lepanus pecki; F, anterior aspect of metatibia of Lepanus guthrieae; G, female protibia of Lepanus pygmaeus; H, male protibia of Lepanus pygmaeus; I, female protibia of Lepanus pecki; J, male protibia of Lepanus pecki; K, male protibia of Lepanus crenidens; L, male protibia of Lepanus pungalina; M, inner laterodorsal aspect male protibia of Lepanus pungalina showing bent apical digit (black arrow).

FIGURE 5. Habitus of species within the Lepanus pygmaeus species group. A, Lepanus andersonorum; B, Lepanus crenidens; C, Lepanus feehani; D, Lepanus gubara; E, Lepanus guthrieae; F, Lepanus lentil. All specimens in comparative scale. Scale bar 1 mm.

FIGURE 8. Pygidial configuration of species within the Lepanus pygmaeus species group. A, Lepanus andersonorum; B, Lepanus crenidens; C, Lepanus feehani; D, Lepanus gubara; E, Lepanus guthrieae; F, Lepanus lentil; G, Lepanus lingziae; H, Lepanus mckenziei; I, Lepanus menendezae. All specimens in comparative scale. Scale bar 0.2 mm.

FIGURE 10. Left, dorsal, and right view of aedeagi of species within the Lepanus pygmaeus species group. A, Lepanus andersonorum; B, Lepanus crenidens; C, Lepanus feehani; D, Lepanus gubara; E, Lepanus guthrieae. Not in comparative scale, given size difference aedegi are roughly grouped in three size classes as per lower left schematic and scaled accordingly. Size class indicated by shaded silhouette and 0.2 mm scale bar.

FIGURE 16. Map of known records of Lepanus guthrieae including predicted distribution overlaid with predicted distribution boundary of L. pygmaeus (dashed line) taken from Fig. 13 map.