Mecynotarsus albellus Pascoe, 1866

Kejval, Zbyněk, 2013, Taxonomic revision of the Australian Notoxinae (Coleoptera: Anthicidae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae (suppl.) 53, pp. 1-98 : 14-17

Mecynotarsus albellus Pascoe, 1866

( Figs 7–9 , 124 , 142 )

Mecynotarsus albellus Pascoe, 1866 : xvi.

Mecynotarsus albellus: PIC (1911) :13 (catalogue); LEA (1922): 473, 510 (catalogue, remarks on characters); UHMANN (2000): 146 (record); UHMANN (2007): 23 (redescription, records).

Type locality. Western Australia, Fremantle.

Type material. SYNTYPE ( Fig. 124 ): ‘ Mecynotarsus albellus Type? Pasc [h] // Fremantle [h; green, rounded label] // Type [p; round label, red margin]’ ( BMNH).

Additional material. AUSTRALIA: NEW SOUTH WALES: 3♂♂ 2♀♀, Sydney [no date and collector; E.W.Fergusson Collection] ( ANIC) ; 1♂ 3♀♀, Jerry’s Plains, Upper Hunter River , 32°03′03′′S, 150°56′22′′E, riparian open pasture, pit trap, 23.xi.–9.xii.2004, J. Gollan leg. ( AMSA) ; 1 ♂ 3 ♀♀, Cliffords Quarry at Aberdeen, Upper Hunter River , 32°08′08′′S, 150°55′36′′E, riparian open pasture, pit trap, 23.xi.–9.xii.2004, J. Gollan leg. ( AMSA) ; 2 ♀♀, Metulla at Bureen, Upper Hunter River , 32°02′06′′S, 150°44′09′′E, young riparian revegetation, pit trap, 23.xi.–9.xii.2004, J. Gollan leg. ( AMSA) ; 1 ♀, Elmswood at Gundy, Pages River , 31°05′01′′S, 151°00′45′′E, young riparian vegetation, pit trap, 23.xi.–9.xii.2004, J. Gollan leg. ( AMSA) ; 1 ♀, Kinchega National Park , pitfall trap, i.1986, K. Henle leg. ( ANIC) ; 1 ♂ 3 ♀♀, Kinchega NP, 32°30′S 142°20′E, i.1987, K. Henle leg. ( ANIC) ; 1 spec., Sydney [no date, E. W. Fergusson Collection] ( ANIC) ; 1 ♂ 4 ♀♀, Menindee Lake , 32°21′S 142°20′E, beach sand/debris, 21.xii.1970, Britton, Misko & Pullen leg. ( ANIC) ; 4 ♂♂ 2 ♀♀, Round Hill, near Lake Cargillego , at light, 11.–12.i.1981, Hangay & Vojnits leg. ( HNHM) ; 2 ♂♂, Sand Hills env., 112 km S of Broken Hill, 7.x.1966, J. B. Williams leg. ( QMBA) . SOUTH AUSTRALIA: 3 ♂♂ 5 ♀♀, Adelaide [no date and collector, ‘amabilis’ identification label by Lea] ( SAMA) ; 2 ♀♀, Adelaide [no date], A. H. Elston leg. ( AMSA) ; 1 ♂, Adelaide , at light, xi.1956, C. Watts leg. [‘amabilis’ identification label by Lea] ( SAMA) ; 2 ♂♂ 2 ♀♀, Adelaide , at beach, xii.1958, C. Watts leg. ( SAMA) ; 1 ♂, Murray River [no date], A. H. Elston leg. ( AMSA) ; 1 ♂, Eyre Peninsula, Hambidge National Park , 33°30′S 135°54′E, at light, 16.xii.1970, Britton, Misko & Pullen leg. ( ANIC) ; 4 ♂♂ 2 ♀♀, Gluepot Reserve, 8.5 km W–WNW of Gluepot Homestead , 33°44′49′S 140°01′56′E, open old growth mallee with mixed shrub understorey, pitfall trap, 25.–28.xi.2000 ( SAMA) ; 7 ♂♂ 22 ♀♀, Marion Bay, Yorke Peninsula , 5.xi.1981, E. Matthews leg. ( SAMA) ; 12 ♂♂ 10 ♀♀, Eyre Peninsula, Lake Gilles National Park , at light, 13.xi.1975, J. A. Herridge leg. ( SAMA) ; 1 ♂ 1 ♀, Hambidge Mallee , 60 km S of Kimba, 19.xii.1972, Spieth leg. ( ZSMC) ; 1♂, Ngarkat Conservation Park , 35°54′28′′S, 140°44′59′′E, pitfall trap, 20.xi.–7.xii.2004, J. S. White leg. ( SAMA) ; 1♂, Ngarkat CP, Pinnaroo–Bordertown Road , 35°41′16′′S, 140°47′58′′E, pitfall trap, 30.iii.2001, D. Hirst & A. McArthur leg. ( SAMA) ; 2 ♂♂ 2 ♀♀, 13 km E of Marion Bay, Yorke Peninsula , 4–7.xi.1981, E. Matthews, H. & A. Howden leg. ( SAMA) ; 1 ♂, Devon Downs [no date, SAMA expedition] ( SAMA) ; 1 ♂, Redcliff Homestead , 33°42′37′′S, 139°32′43′′E, x.1992, C. H. Watts leg. ( SAMA) . VICTORIA: 7 ♂♂ 9 ♀♀, Robinvale , 34°35′S 132°46′E, at night, 25.x.–3.xi.1988, T. Weir, J. Lawrence & M. Hansen leg. ( ANIC) ; 21 ♂♂ 7 ♀♀, 7.3 km SW of Wemen , 34°50′S 142°34′E, at night mallee, 25.x.–3.xi.1988, T. Weir, J. Lawrence & M. Hansen leg. ( ANIC) ; 1♂, Wyperfeld National Park, Frew’s Plain , 35°37′S 142°01′E, at night, 15.–17.xi.1973, S. Misko leg. ( ANIC) ; 9 ♂♂ 1 ♀, Wyperfeld National Park, Lowan Track , 35°35′S 142°05′E, light trap, 16.xi.1973, S. Misko leg. ( ANIC) ; 3 ♂♂ 12 ♀♀, Lake Hattah , 34°44′S 142°21′E, 28.vii.1967, G. W.Anderson leg. ( ANIC) ; 3♂♂ 4♀♀, same data, except 9.–15.iii.1969 ( ANIC) ; 1♂ 4 ♀♀, same data, except 9.xii.1969 ( ANIC) ; 2 ♂♂ 3 ♀♀, same data, except 30.x.1964 ( ANIC) ; 3 ♂♂ 6 ♀♀, Lake Hattah National Park , 25.x.1967, Britton & Misko leg. ( ANIC) ; 1 ♂ 1 ♀, Kulkyne Forest, near Hattah Lakes , at light, 11.x.1966, G. W.Andersson leg. ( ANIC) ; 2 ♂♂, Lake Burrambeet [no date and collector] ( BMNH) . WESTERN AUSTRALIA: 1 ♂, ‘ Fremantle // F. Bates 81·19 // albellus det. v. Krekich’ ( BMNH) ; 1 ♂, ‘ Fremantle 91–49. // 1773 // albellus det. v. Krekich’ ( BMNH) ; 1 ♂ 1 ♀, Fremantle , J. J. Walker leg. [no date] ( BMNH) ; 2 ♀♀, Swan River [no date], J. Clark leg. ( AMSA) ; 3 ♀♀, Cottesloe Beach , 23.vii.1908, G. E. Bryant [leg.] ( BMNH) ; 1 ♂ 2 ♀♀, Cottesloe [no date], H. M. Giles leg. ( AMSA) ; 2 ♂♂ 1 ♀, Desperation Bay , N of Leeman, 16.vii.1983, H. & A. Howden leg. ( ANIC) ; 1 ♀, Delisser Sandhills , 31°43′S 128°53′E, 24.ix.1981, A. A. Calder leg. ( ANIC) .

Redescription (male, Fremantle, ZKDC). Body length 2.1 mm. Body, legs, and antennae dark reddish.

Antero-lateral margins of frons simple. Gular rugules minute and scattered. Clypeal granules indistinct. Setation of head rather evenly short and appressed, dense, finer on vertex, somewhat coarser to scaly laterally near eyes and ventrally. Antennae moderately long; antennomeres III–V about 1.6 times, X 1.1 times as long as wide; setation mostly rather short and fine, inconspicuous, distinctly coarser on basal 1–2 antennomeres.

Pronotum 1.5 times as long as wide, its lateral margins unevenly shaped, moderately convex anteriorly, somewhat angled at widest point and then straight to slightly concave while narrowing towards base in dorsal view; posterior collar narrow but distinct, somewhat concealed by scaly setation. Pronotal horn robust, rather short, moderately wide, its posterior angles obsolete in dorsal view ( Fig. 142 ); horn margins armed with 5 rounded lobules on each side; horn crest distinct, clearly raised, long and rather wide, with coarse, separate rugules on margins; submarginal rugules minute, widely spaced laterally; about 15 median rugules unevenly scattered and well-spaced. Setation whitish, largely appressed and scaly, including most of dorsal surface of pronotal horn; erect tactile setae absent; scales on pronotal disc of two sizes, smaller and narrower or larger and wider, truncate to obtusely rounded apically; antebasal paired setae short but distinct (somewhat thickened) laterally and absent medially.

Elytra 1.6 times as long as wide; omoplates and postbasal impression absent. Setation scaly, whitish, evenly developed / ordered; scales distinctly elongate, rounded to subtruncate apically, very densely spaced but distinct; erect tactile setae absent.

Male characters. Sternum VII slightly produced and rounded medially. Tergum VIII and aedeagus as in Figs 7–9 ; parameres unevenly narrowing and strongly curved in apical half, with small subapical denticle on lateral margin.

Variation. Body length (♂ ♀) 2.5–3.4 mm. Body scales typically whitish (Western Australia), the specimens from eastern localities with more or less distinct / extensive brownish markings on elytra, similarly as in Fig. 209 .

Differential diagnosis. Mecynotarsus albellus is nearly identical to and difficult to distinguish from M. ziczac , having a very similar form of the aedeagus. Its horn crest is mostly somewhat wider and the median rugules more numerous (forming three uneven rows) than in the latter species, however this rather slight difference is usefull at most for tentative sorting. The only reliable character to separate these two species seems to be the presence or absence of small subapical angulation / denticle on outer margin of the parameres (cf. Fig. 8 versus 117).

Distribution. Australia: New South Wales, South Australia, Victoria, Western Australia ( PASCOE 1866, CHAMPION 1895, UHMANN 2007).

The records from Tasmania, Northern Territory (Alice Springs) and Queensland (Hughenden) by UHMANN (2000, 2007) were re-identified as M. leai Pic, 1942 , M. bidens sp. nov., M. granulatus sp. nov. and M. obesus sp. nov.; the respective specimens are listed under these species).

Figures

Figs 7–14. 7–9 – Mecynotarsus albellus Pascoe, 1866: 7 – tergum VIII, 8 – aedeagus in dorsal view, 9 – tegmen in lateral view. 10–12 – M. amabilis Lea, 1895: 10 – sternum VII, 11 – tergum VIII, 12 – aedeagus in dorsal view. 13–14 – M. apicipennis Lea, 1895: 13 – tergum VIII, 14 – aedeagus in dorsal view. Scale (0.5 mm): A – Fig. 13; B – Figs 7, 10, 14; C – Fig. 11; D – Figs 8, 9, 12.

Figs 119–125. 119–124 – labels of type specimens:119 – Leptoprion angulatus Krekich-Strassoldo, 1914 (holotype, NCB); 120 – Mecynotarsus concolor King, 1869 (syntype, AMSA); 121 – M. kingii MacLeay, 1872 (lectotype, AMSA); 122 – M. amabilis Lea, 1922 (type series, SAMA); 123 – Notoxus decemdentatus Pic, 1899 (syntypes, MNHN), 124 – M. albellus Pascoe, 1866 (syntype, BMNH). 125 – M. maculatus Lea, 1922, card with type specimens, lectotype marked by ‘TY’ (SAMA).

Figs 141–149. Pronotal horn in dorsal view: 141 – Leptoprion angulatus Krekich-Strassoldo, 1914, 142 – Mecynotarsus albellus Pascoe, 1866 (Wemen), 143 – M. amabilis Lea, 1895 (Shoalhaven River), 144 – M. apicipennis Lea, 1922 (syntype), 145 – M. auripilosus sp. nov., 146 – M. bidens sp. nov., 147 – M. bullatus sp. nov., 148 – the same (paratype, Daintree), 149 – M. excavatus sp. nov.

Figs 202–209. Habitus: 202 – Mecynotarsus magelae sp. nov. (Charnley River), 203 – M. mastersii MacLeay, 1872 (Cedar Creek National Park), 204 – M. obesus sp. nov., 205 – M. parvulus sp. nov., 206 – M. pilbarensis sp. nov. (paratype, Millstream Homestead), 207 – M. regalis sp. nov., 208 – M. weiri sp. nov., 209 – M. ziczac King, 1869 (Newcastle Grain Terminal).