Aphanocephalus bimaculatus Grouvelle, 1912

(Figs 7A, B, 10A–C, 15A)

Aphanocephalus bimaculatus Grouvelle, 1912: 214 — John 1959: 35; John 1967a: 112.

Aphanocephalus bimaculatus Lea, 1921b: 240 . Junior homonym. New synonym.

Aphanocephalus perlucidus John, 1941: 192 — John 1959: 37; John 1967a: 113; John 1967b: 262. New synonym. Aphanocephalus austerus John, 1941: 194 — John 1959: 35; John 1967a: 112. Synonymized by John 1954: 304.

Material examined. Type material.

Lectotype and paralectotype (here designated). QUEENSLAND: "Type [red circle]/ P. Bowen., 75-22/1556 [handwritten]/ Aphanocephalus bimaculatus ty. Grouv [handwritten]" (NHM) (Fig. 5B). Two specimens mounted on a single card, the left one is here designated as the lectotype, the right one is treated as a paralectotype .

Types of A. bimaculatus Lea, Lectotype and paralectotype (here designated). QUEENSLAND: " bimaculatus Lea, TYPE Bowen / I.11800 Aphanocephalus bimaculatus Lea Queensland [black ink handwritten] TYPE [red ink handwritten]/ SAMA Database No. 25-036252" (SAMA) (Fig. 5C). Two specimens are mounted on a single card, the left one with “TY” handwritten beneath it, is here designated as the lectotype, the right one is a paralectotype.

Types of. A. austerus John, Lectotype (here designated). QUEENSLAND: "Rockhampton, Mus. Godeffroy. No. 13011 / Sporophagus austerus John det. H. John / Syntypus [red card]/ SDEI Coleoptera # 303904" (SDEI) (Fig. 6D). Paralectotype: "Rockhampton, Mus. Godeffroy. No. 13011 / Coll. Zoologisches Museum Hamburg. [black ink hand written]/ Sporophagus austerus John det. H. John / Syntypus [red card]/ Dtsch. Entomol. Institut Berlin / SDEI Coleoptera # 303905" (1, SDEI).

Other material. QUEENSLAND: "Bowen Queensland A. Simon/ co-type/ 2022/ Aphanocephalus bimaculatus Lea Queensland [black ink handwritten] Cotype [red ink handwritten]/SAMA 25-50370" (2, SAMA); SEQ 23°39'S 150°58'E Rundle Ra. NP, Site 1, 21 Mar 2000 G. Monteith, pyrethrum, trees, vine scrub, 15m. 9257 (9, QMB); MEQ 23°12'S 149°44'E Boomer Ra, Python Scrub, Site 5, 28-29 Sep 1999, 240m, Monteith, Cook, Burwell, Evans, vine scrub, 7777 (3, QMB; 2, MIZ); same data but 29 Sep 1999, GB Monteith, 240m, 7780 (1, QMB); same data but intercept, 16 Dec 1999 - 22 Mar 2000, Monteith, 240m, 9117 (6, QMB); same data but 240m, 22 Mar 2000, G. Monteith, trees, 9260 (6, QMB); MEQ 21°45'S 148°50'E Pine Mt, summit, 600m, 5-6 Oct 1999, GB Monteith, pyrethrum, hoop pine scrub 7809 (6, QMB; 2, MIZ); same data but 5-6 Oct 1999, vine scrub, Monteith, Burwell, Cook, Evans, 500- 630m. 7810 (4, QMB); same data but 620m, 24 Mar 2000, hoop pine scrub 9263 (3, QMB); MEQ 21°46'S 148°51'E Pine Mt, 3km S. 230m, 6 Oct 1999, GB Monteith, pyrethrum, vine scrub 7811 (8, QMB); same data but GB Monteith & DJ Cook 7812 (1, QMB); same data but 24 Mar 2000 9262 (4, QMB); same data but 240m, 1 Jun 2000 9279 (7, QMB); SEQ 25°20'S 151°55'E One Tree Hill, 5.5 km SE, 19 Mar 2000, G Monteith, pyrethium, trees, vine scrub, 120m 9250 (2, QMB); same data but 160m 9251 (1, QMB); SEQ 23°37'S 150°28'E Mt Gavlal, 3km SSW, 27 Sep 1999, 320 m, GB Monteith, vinescrub, pyrethium-trees 7772 (1, QMB); SEQ 23°55'S 151°11'E Mt. Beecher, 0.5km NW, 20 Mar 1999, G Monteith, pyrethium, trees, vine scrub, 20m. 9252 (1, QMB); QLD 22°21'S 149°21'E St Lawrence, 18.5km W, 25 Mar 2001, 240m, Monteith, pyreth.-trunks & logs, rainfor. 10070 (1, QMB); Crater Lakes Na. Park, Q. SW of Biggenden 11.VIII.74 H. Frauca (1m, 1f, ANIC); Paluma, N.Q. 10.i.68 J.G. Brooks (1, ANIC); Bundeberg, Q. c. 70km WSW, Hogback Rg., (24.51S, 152.21E) 23.xi.1972, H. Frauca (3, ANIC).

Type locality. Queensland, Bowen.

Distribution. Queensland (Fig. 16).

Diagnosis. Aphanocephalus bimaculatus is a very distinctive species among Australian species, and can be easily distinguished from other species by its apparently glabrous elytral surface (covered with very short, inconspicuous pubescence), rounded body outline with dark brown to black coloration, and a single rounded red-orange macula on each elytron.

Redescription. Length: 2.0– 2.15 mm, width: 1.59–1.63 mm. Body slightly elongate oval about 1.25–1.35 times as long as wide (Figs 1A, 7B), convex in lateral view (Fig. 7A). Pronotum and elytra appearing glabrous, covered with white, short, sparse setae (Fig. 1A). Head, pronotum and elytra black, sometimes dark brown; elytra with single sub-oval, sometimes slightly transverse reddish maculae on each elytron (Figs 5B, C, 7A); ventral side brown, mouthparts, basal antennomeres and tarsi yellowish brown.

Pronotum covered with single sized small punctae, with narrow, longitudinal area in front of scutellar shield without punctae (Fig. 1D). Lateral and anterior margins of pronotum bordered. Elytra covered with punctae of two sizes, uniformly intermixed. Pronotum and elytra narrowly explanate laterally, margins well visible throughout. Lateral sides of elytra regularly rounded, without pseudopores. Epipleuron with deep sub-marginal furrow (Fig. 2I).

Mentum with lateral carinae present (Fig. 2A). Labial palps separated by narrow carina. Prosternum without notosternal carina (Fig. 2C); prosternal process with lateral carinae absent. Metaventrite longer than ventrite 1. Ventrite 1 longer than ventrites 2–4 combined. Ventrite 1 almost entirely covered with large punctae, only middle area covered with smaller punctae; ventrites 2–5 covered with small punctae, with basal, transverse line of large punctae.

Male genitalia. Tegmen in inner view sub-parallel sided, with broadly rounded apex (Fig. 10C); in lateral view broad, slightly curved inward, apex broadly rounded with a few short setae. Penis long, slender, with apex subtriangular, pointed; gonopore shorter than penis, elongate, with sides sub-parallel, apex truncate (Fig. 10A).

Female genitalia. Coxites narrow, elongate. Sperm duct diverging apically from bursa copulatrix; spermatheca with vermiform basal part and bulbous apical part (Fig. 15A), apical part with diameter larger than diameter of basal part.

Remarks. Grouvelle described A. bimaculatus in 1912 from Port Bowen, Queensland (Fig. 5B), but did not designate a holotype. Two Grouvelle’s syntypes, mounted on a single card, are deposited in the Natural History Museum in London. The left specimen is here designated as the lectotype. Lea (1921b) ignored Grouvelle’s description and described the same species under the same name from the same locality (Fig. 5C), making Lea’s species both a homonym and a synonym. In the South Australian Museum collection (SAMA), two specimens labelled “TYPE” are mounted on a single card. The left specimen, with “TY” handwritten beneath it, is here designated as the lectotype. The cotype of A. bimaculatus Lea, form the Queensland Museum (QMB) (examined), is not A. bimaculatus but represents another species, A. potamophilus .

Subsequently, John (1941) also ignored both Grouvelle’s (1912) and Lea’s (1921b) publications and described another species under the name A. austerus from Rockhampton, around 500 km south of Bowen (Fig. 6D). Later, he (John 1954) recognized Grouvelle’s description and synonymized A. austerus John with A. bimaculatus Grouvelle. In the original publication, John (1941) did not designate a holotype but mentioned that the type series was deposited in museums in Hamburg, Berlin-Dahlem, and Budapest. The majority of the Hamburg collection was lost during WWII, and these materials are no longer present in the collection (D. Żyła, pers. comm.). Specimens that were originally deposited in the Deutsches Entomologisches Institute in Berlin-Dahlem are now housed in the Senckenberg Deutsches Entomologisches Institut in Müncheberg (SDEI), and two specimens of A. austerus John are deposited there. The first specimen (mounted to a card with dissected male genitalia) with the label data cited above is here designated as the lectotype.

In the same publication (John 1941), John also described another species under the name Aphanocephalus perlucidus, based on a single specimen from Brisbane. Although the holotype of that species is missing from the collection of the SDEI (K.Weissing, pers. comm.), John illustrated the male genitalia of the holotype in his subsequent publication (John 1967b). These genitalia agree in all details with the genitalia of A. bimaculatus Grouvelle, which makes A. perlucidus John a synonym as well. Lectotypes of A. bimaculatus Grouvelle, A. bimaculatus Lea, and A. austerus John are here designated to clarify the taxonomic status of the respective species.