Chileanthicus speciosus ( King, 1869 ) Kejval, 2009

Kejval, Zbyněk, 2009, Taxonomic revision of the genus Chileanthicus Werner (Coleoptera: Anthicidae) 2180, Zootaxa 2180 (1), pp. 1-82 : 72-74

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.2180.1.1
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5321664
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/3949251E-FFEA-772E-FF63-D9A9FAAAFB40
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Chileanthicus speciosus ( King, 1869 )
status	comb. nov.

Treatment

Chileanthicus speciosus ( King, 1869) comb. nov.

( Figs 197–203 View FIGURES 192–200 View FIGURES 201–208 , 231 View FIGURES 220–231 , 239 View FIGURES 232–241 )

Formicomus speciosus King, 1869: 7 .

Type locality. Australia, South Australia, Gawler .

Redescription (male). Head largely black dorsally, with rufous brown base, antero-lateral and ventral side; pronotum brown black dorsally, with rufous brown base, collar and ventral side; elytra brown black, with narrowly rufous brown lateral margins, base, and with two paler, vaguely outlined transverse bands ( Fig. 197 View FIGURES 192–200 ), interrupted on suture; legs rufous brown to dark brawn, distal porton of femora darkened; antennae and palpi dark rufous brown, terminal 2–3 antennomeres somewhat paler.

Head 1.3 times as long as wide, widely rounded posteriorly, basal margin slightly angulately produced medially in dorsal view; tempora subparallel; posterior temporal angles rounded but distinct. Eyes small, rather convex. Dorsal surface rather moderately glossy, distinctly punctured ( Fig. 197 View FIGURES 192–200 ); punctation double, coarse punctures somewhat unevenly spaced, sparser near base. Setation very short, fine, inconspicuous, erect setae absent. Antennae rather strong, moderately enlarged in terminal third; antennomere III nearly 1.9 times as long as wide, slightly shorter/narrower than IV; antennomere X 1.1 times, XI 1.8 times as long as wide.

Pronotum 1.25 times as long as wide, only slightly wider than head including eyes, somewhat unevenly rounded anteriorly in dorsal view; pronotal disc rather convex, with distinct median longitudinal impresion/ groove over entire length, dorso-lateral sides rather rounded, lateral outlines somewhat impressed and then nearly straightly narrowing towards base in dorsal view. Dorsal surface moderately glossy; punctation and setation similar to that of head.

Elytra 1.8 times as long as wide, conjointly rounded apically. Surface uneven, shallowly impressed at places of paler bands and silvery setation (especially anteriorly), moderately glossy, distinctly punctured ( Fig. 197 View FIGURES 192–200 ); basal punctation conspicuously double, coarse punctures deep, dot-like, sparser than those on head. Setation rather uniformly short, mostly decumbent and pale to brownish, with silvery setae forming conspicuous and distinctly swirled bands ( Figs 197 View FIGURES 192–200 , 239 View FIGURES 232–241 ); erect setae sparsely scattered, short and inconspicuous.

Metafemora bidentate ( Fig. 201 View FIGURES 201–208 ), larger subapical process facing inner side, smaller one facing outer side of tibia; mesotibiae with small pointed denticle on inner side apically; metatibiae distinctly widened and flattened distally. Setation rather uniformly short and fine, inconspicuous.

Sternum III shallowly impressed and with minute protuberance medially. Sternum VII with posterior margin unevenly shaped, somewhat triangular ( Fig. 202 View FIGURES 201–208 ), its surface flattened to shallowly impressed medially. Sternite VIII ( Fig. 198 View FIGURES 192–200 ); paired prongs strongly dilated distally, with long lateral process, apex of prongs widened and truncate in lateral view. Tergite VIII somewhat unevely rounded posteriorly ( Fig. 199 View FIGURES 192–200 ). Segment IX (spiculum) as in Fig. 203 View FIGURES 201–208 .

Aedeagus ( Fig. 200 View FIGURES 192–200 ); apical portion of tegmen twice as long as basal-piece, narrow, moderately sinuous in lateral view, apex triangular, with pointed lateral angles; median lobe of aedeagus membranous, simple apically.

Female. Externally differing from male by simple mesotibiae (lacking apical denticle), sternum III lacking median protuberance and sternum VII rather evenly rounded posteriorly.

Body length (♂ ♀). 3.9–4.9 mm.

Variation. The specimens from Western Australia are mostly somewhat paler coloured (elytra brown, paler bands less distinct), and differ moderately in the following characters: head less widely, rather unevenly rounded posteriorly, with nearly indistinct posterior temporal angles (Swan River); metatibiae nearly simple (Stirling Range Nat. Park); male tergite VIII angulate (subtruncate) apically; paired prongs of male sternite VIII of slightly different form, lateral process shorter and wider; apex of tegmen of aedeagus rather subtriangular, with less conspicuous, rounded lateral angles, its dorsal outline nearly evenly shaped in lateral view.

Type material. Holotype: ♂, [round orange label] // K 35020 View Materials [h] // Formicomus speciosus RLK Gawler [h] // HOLOTYPE [p; red label] ( AMSA) .

Additional material. 1 ♂, Western Australia ( SAMA) ; 1 ♂, Was, Mandurah, Lake Whylee , 10.viii.1959, J. Baldwin leg. ( SAMA) ; 1 ♀, Was, Swan River ( SAMA) ; 1 ♂, Was, Stirling Range National Park , 5 km E of Mt. Hassell, 34°22'S 118°08'E, 23.-24.ix.1981, I. D. Naumann & J. C. Cardale leg. ( ANIC) GoogleMaps ; 1 ♂, Was, Perth, Naval Base , 4.x.1963, R. P. McMillan leg. ( WAM) ; 1 ♀, Was, ca 19 km N of Perth, Lake Gnangara , x.1965, R. P. McMillan leg. ( WAM) ; 1 ♂, Was, Perth, Cannington , R. P. McMillan leg. ( WAM) ; 1 ♂, Was, ca 12 km S of Perth, Willetton , on ants trail, 4. ix.1991, R. Patterson leg. ( WAM) .

Differential diagnosis. C. speciosus is a very conspicuous species, which can be easily distinguished from all known species by the combination of the following external characters: bidentate metafemora ( Fig. 201 View FIGURES 201–208 ), pronotum with distinct median longitudinal impression/groove, surface of elytra uneven, impressed at places of elytral bands (especially in anterior one), silvery setose bands of elytra with setae conspicuously swirled ( Fig. 239 View FIGURES 232–241 ), and body punctation clearly double.

Distribution. Australia (South Australia, Western Australia).

Remarks. Lea (1922) recorded C. speciosus from Western Australia as being “taken from a nest of the twig-mound ant, Iridomyrmex conifer ”, based on the above-listed female specimen from Swan river (SAMA; mounted together with ant specimen). Another specimen from Cannington, Western Australia, originated from the McMillan inquiline collection (WAM), is mounted together with an ant specimen belonging to the genus Camponotus Mayr, 1861 ; tentatively identified by using the key by Shattuck & Barnet (2001).