Mecynotarsus centralis, Kejval & Cz, 2013

Kejval, Zbyněk, 2013, Taxonomic revision of the Australian Notoxinae (Coleoptera: Anthicidae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae (suppl.) 53, pp. 1-98 : 32-33

Mecynotarsus centralis sp. nov.

( Figs 38, 39 )

Type locality. Australia, Northern Territory, Alice Springs.

Type material. HOLOTYPE: ♂, ‘Alice Springs NT 7/68 C.Watts [p] // SAMA Database No. 25-029057 [p]’ ( SAMA).

Description (holotype, male). Body length 2.0 mm. Body, legs and antennae reddish.

Antero-lateral margins of frons simple or at most very slightly raised. Gular rugules of different sizes, anteriorly larger, ordered and fused as in Fig. 139 . Clypeal granules minute but rather distinct. Setation of head generally rather hairy, mostly short and appressed on vertex, with some long erect setae postero-medially, slightly coarser and more raised ventro-laterally. Antennae rather long; antennomeres III–V about 1.7 times, X nearly as long as wide; setation hairy, longer and coarser basally, especially antennomere I with numerous bristly setae.

Pronotum globose, 1.5 times as long as wide, its lateral margins rather strongly, evenly convex in dorsal view, posterior collar very narrow but distinct. Pronotal horn rather robust and wide, triangular, its posterior angles distinct in dorsal view; horn margins armed with 3 and 4 lobules (two posterior lobules appears to be fused), apical lobule simple, widely rounded; horn crest distinct, rather short, coarse rugules on its margins fused with median rugules, several minute granules scattered posteriorly; submarginal rugules distinct, rather unevenly spaced. Setation silvery, scaly, appressed to subdecumbent, nearly indistinct on pronotal horn dorsally; scales on pronotal disc rather uniformly linear, densely spaced, rounded to subtruncate apically; antebasal paired setae absent medially and inconspicuous laterally, owing to presence of numerous additional tactile setae (especially antero-laterally).

Elytra 1.9 times as long as wide; omoplates and postbasal impression absent. Setation silvery, coarsely hairy to scaly, appressed, uniform; scales linear and bluntly pointed apically, quite distinctly spaced (surface clearly visible); erect tactile setae present, rather short and sparsely scattered, especially in basal half.

Male characters. Sternum VII slightly produced, rounded medially. Tergum VIII and aedeagus as in Figs 38, 39 .

Differential diagnosis. Mecynotarsus centralis sp. nov. can be recognized by the combination of the following external characters: pronotal horn rather wide, subtriangular; horn crest short, compact, distinctly raised and situated rather posteriorly, with few coarse rugules on margins and medially (partly fused); pronotum globose, evenly rounded laterally; elytra somewhat glossy, rather sparsely setose; appressed elytral scales coarsely hairy and bluntly pointed apically. It can be easily distinguished from all species by male characters, especially by the peculiar, more sclerotized and rounded apex of the median lobe and the evenly rounded tergum VIII.

Etymology. The species name is a Latin adjective, centralis , -is, -e (= central); named in reference to the location of the type locality.

Distribution. Australia: Northern Territory.

Figures

Figs 33–39. 33–34 – Mecynotarsus bullatus sp. nov.: 33 – tergum VIII and apex of spiculum, 34 – aedeagus in dorsal view. 35–37 – M. canthariphilus sp. nov.: 35 – sternum VII, 36 – tergum VIII, 37 – aedeagus in dorsal view. 38–39 – M. centralis sp. nov.: 38 – tergum VIII, 39 – aedeagus in dorsal view. Scale (0.5 mm): A – Figs 33, 34, 38; B – Figs 35; C – Figs 36, 39; D – Fig. 37.

Figs 133–140. 133 – Mecynotarsus setulosus sp. nov., head in lateral view (paratype, Fowlers Gap), 134 – M. excavatus sp. nov., apex of elytra in female (paratype, Aoue-Enga), 135 – M. grandior sp. nov., apex of elytron in male (paratype, Kimberley Research Station), 136 – M. obesus sp. nov., metatibia with tarsus (paratype, Hull River), 137 – M. excavatus sp. nov., male protibia (paratype, Aoue-Enga). 138–140 – head in ventral view: 138 – M. auripilosus sp. nov. (paratype, Kambah Pool), 139 – M. bullatus sp. nov. (paratype, Regans Ford), 140 – M. ziczac King, 1869 (Swain Reefs).