Safrina moorei Reid & Beatson

Reid, C. A. M. & Beatson, M., 2016, Revision of the stag beetle genus Ryssonotus MacLeay (Coleoptera: Lucanidae), with descriptions of a new genus and three new species, Zootaxa 4150 (1), pp. 1-39 : 32-34

Safrina moorei Reid & Beatson , new species

( Figs 7 , 16 , 25 , 34 , 42 , 58 , 69 )

Material examined. Types: HOLOTYPE: Ƌ, New England National Park, 1300 m, [pitfall trap], 4.ii–9.iv.1993, M. Gray & G. Cassis ( AMS) ; PARATYPES (36): New South Wales: 2Ƌ, ♀, same data as holotype ( AMS) ; Ƌ, 2♀, New England National Park, 1300 m, [pitfall trap], in Nothofagus forest 21.ii.2003, R. de Keyzer ( AMS, RDK) ; 5Ƌ, ♀, New England National Park, 1300 m, [pitfall trap], 26–27.ii.2002, R. de Keyzer ( AMS, RDK) ; Ƌ, New England National Park, 1350 m, [pitfall trap], 4.ii–9.iv.1993, M. Gray & G. Cassis ( AMS) ; Ƌ, bordering New England National Park & Styx River State Forest , 1350 m, [pitfall trap], 4.ii–9.iv.1993, M. Gray & G. Cassis ( AMS) ; ♀, [New England National Park], 1130 m, [pitfall trap], 4.ii–9.iv.1993, M. Gray & G. Cassis ( AMS) ; 3Ƌ, ♀, [New England National Park], 1480 m, under logs, Nothofagus forest, 23–25.ii.2002, C. Reid ( AMS) ; 2♀, New England National Park, as larva, 10.i.1963 B.P. Moore ( AMS) ; Ƌ, New England National Park, 26.i.1997, R. De Keyzer ( AMS) ; ♀, New England National Park, 9–12.iv.1998, R. De Keyzer ( AMS) ; 4Ƌ, 2♀, Mount Hyland Nature Reserve , 11.ii.2004, R. de Keyzer & C. Reojewski ( AMS, RDK) ; 2Ƌ, 2♀, Mount Hyland Nature Reserve , 15.ii.2005 R. de Keyzer ( AMS, RDK) ; 2Ƌ, ♀, Mount Hyland Nature Reserve , 9.ii.2006 ( RDK) . Non-types : 1 mature larva, New England National Park, 20.i.2002, R. de Keyzer ( AMS) ;

Diagnosis. Male: length 15−22 mm. Head, pronotum, elytra, and venter black or almost so, elytra rarely slightly paler; most specimens with mandibles and lateral margins of head and pronotum reddish brown; legs reddish brown, femora usually darker, 1 specimen with entirely black legs; elytra strongly rounded at sides; head with short laterally projecting genal lobes, posterior margins prominent and angulate, anterior margins rounded; mandibles with 2 prominent basal dorsal teeth, and prominent but not strongly projecting pre-apical dorsal tooth; elytron smooth, without obvious ridges or striae.

Female: length 14−22 mm. Colour as male; with distinct tooth at base of outer mandibular carina; pronotal disc finely and sparsely punctured, punctures of basal third of median groove absent or separated by more than diameters, discal punctures not coalescent; lateral margins of pronotum irregularly crenulate, tubercles small, usually blunt; elytra shiny with dense, minute microsculpture, but explanate margins densely microscuptured and dull; first elytral interval convex, remainder of elytron smoothly convex; explanate margin of elytra about width of base of metatibia, with or without deep lateral channels.

Description. Male. Length 15−22 mm. Head, pronotum, elytra, and venter black or almost so, elytra rarely slightly paler; most specimens with mandibles and lateral margins of head and pronotum reddish brown; legs reddish brown, femora usually darker, 1 specimen with entirely black legs. Body elongate-ovate: pronotum broader than or equal to width of elytra, usually broadest close to base, rarely almost parallel-sided at middle half, sides of elytra rounded.

Head: with short laterally projecting genal lobes (longer than broad), posterior angle of genal lobe more prominent (often a narrow acute angled projection) than obtusely angled anterior curving to anterior margin of head; transverse, width about 3x length; dorsum strongly punctured with smooth but finely microreticulate interspaces; anteromedian prominence strongly elevated, bituberculate, tubercles adjacent; anterior margin medially shallowly concave; dorsally visible part of mandibles 1.3−1.6x longer than head, almost symmetrical; mandibles with prominent elongate dorsal tubercle, 1/3 from base of outer edge, with similar-sized tubercle distal to this (both often on slight elevation); mandibular preapical dorsal tubercle present, not strongly elevated (similar to other dorsal tubercles); ventral inner edge with 3−5 usually angulate teeth, usually larger at middle, often asymmetrically partly fused, before upturned apex; base of inner face of mandible with large slightly bilobed ventral tubercle and small dorsal tubercle; pregular swelling truncate not sharply convex nor arcuate, height ≤ longitudinal length, with 4−6 setose punctures on anterior face, 0−2 on posterior.

Thorax: pronotum contracted anteriorly from middle, or almost parallel-sided in middle half, posterolateral angles rounded, not projecting; lateral margins entirely shallowly and bluntly crenulate; pronotal disc finely and sparsely punctured, without or with small pair of foveolate depressions anterior to middle, sides more strongly and closely punctured in lateral depressions and posterolateral angles, but interspaces larger than puncture diameters; pronotal disc shiny, but minutely and evenly microreticulate; scutellum transversely half ovate, middle usually depressed, impunctate or with small punctures at middle; elytra rounded at sides, broadest 1/3−1/2 from base; elytron with interval 1 raised, otherwise surface smoothly convex, without ridges; elytra without striae, generally smooth and shiny, but minutely microreticulate, with sparse small punctures and sometimes faint irregular grooves; elytral sides explanate, width 1.0−1.5x width of base of metatibia, with or without transverse grooves or wrinkles but densely microsculptured and dull in contrast to disc; wing reduced, one fifth elytron width, straplike, not reaching middle third of elytral length; external margin of protibia with 2 large and 2−4 minor teeth; internal margin protibia with 2−3 prominent median teeth; metatibia with 1−2 small external teeth.

Abdomen: ventrite I dull, II-V relatively shiny, but all microreticulate; ventrite I strongly and closely punctured and rugulose, II −III closely and coarsely punctured at sides, almost impuctate medially, IV −V closely and coarsely punctured; I −IV with minute recumbent setae (easily overlooked) throughout punctured areas, V with longer erect setae; apex of ventrite V distinctly concave. Genitalia: apical half phallobase with scattered short setae, phallobase medially unsclerotised on both dorsal and ventral surfaces, dorsal surface convex; parameres conspicuously and moderately closely setose, apices blunt in lateral view; ventral sclerite of penis entire, apex with v-shaped notch; endophallus mostly uncoiled, small loop at apex.

Female. As male, except: length 14−22 mm; head more strongly and rugosely punctured, obscuring tubercles on anteromedian prominence; dorsally visible part of mandibles about as long as head; mandibles with small acute dorsal tubercle, 1/3 from base of outer edge, remainder of outer edge keeled, preapical dorsal tubercle absent; sides of pronotum more strongly punctured, lateral margins more conspicuously crenulate; elytral sculpture generally slightly coarser; protibia internal margin with or without 1 prominent tooth; apex ventrite V rounded; proctiger of ovipositor triangular with long apical spine.

Larva (based on 1 specimen, about 30 mm long when crudely straightened, from New England National Park): inner edge of left mandible shallowly concave between apex and middle of mola; apex of antennomere 3 truncate, inner margin shallowly concave; antennomere 4 length to width ratio about 3.2; mesocoxal stridulatory file evenly curved, with about 35 small granules; metatrochanteral stridulatory file with about 21 transverse tubercles, reaching apex of trochanter, which is angulate; metafemur angularly produced at apex; metatibiotarsus elongate, length to width ratio about 4.3; raster with long apical setae, narrowly glabrous median strip, and elongate posteriorly directed setae on either side of midline.

Etymology. Named after the late Barry Moore (died November 2015), a lucanid taxonomist and the collector of the first specimen discovered.

Distribution and natural history. Safrina moorei is only known from New England National Park and Mount Hyland Nature Reserve, northern New South Wales, two localities separated by 45 km on the eastern edge of the New England tablelands. These are temperate and cool-temperate rainforests at high elevations, 1130−1480 m. Adults and larvae have been collected from January to April and occur together under logs that are deeply embedded in soil.

Figures

FIGURE 69. South-eastern Australia, distributions of: · = S. jugularis (Westwood, 1863); 1 = S. moorei new species; = S. polita (Carter, 1921).

FIGURES 1 − 9. Habitus, male: 1, Ryssonotus nebulosus (Kirby, 1819); 2, Safrina dekeyzeri new species; 3, S. grandis (Lea, 1915); 4, S. jaedoni new species; 5, S. jugularis (Westwood, 1863); 6, S. laticeps (MacLeay, 1885); 7, S. moorei new species; 8, S. parallela (Deyrolle, 1881); 9, S. polita (Carter, 1921).

FIGURES 10 − 18. Habitus, female: 10, Ryssonotus nebulosus (Kirby, 1819); 11, Safrina dekeyzeri new species; 12, S. grandis (Lea, 1915); 13, S. jaedoni new species; 14, S. jugularis (Westwood, 1863); 15, S. laticeps (MacLeay, 1885); 16, S. moorei new species; 17, S. parallela (Deyrolle, 1881); 18, S. polita (Carter, 1921).

FIGURES 19 − 27. Head, dorsal, male: 19, Ryssonotus nebulosus (Kirby, 1819); 20, Safrina dekeyzeri new species; 21, S. grandis (Lea, 1915); 22, S. jaedoni new species; 23, S. laticeps (MacLeay, 1885); 24, S. jugularis (Westwood, 1863); 25, S. moorei new species; 26, S. parallela (Deyrolle, 1881); 27, S. polita (Carter, 1921).

FIGURES 28 − 36. Head, dorsal, female: 28, Ryssonotus nebulosus (Kirby, 1819); 29, Safrina dekeyzeri new species; 30, S. grandis (Lea, 1915); 31, S. jaedoni new species; 32, S. laticeps (MacLeay, 1885); 33, S. jugularis (Westwood, 1863); 34, S. moorei new species; 35, S. parallela (Deyrolle, 1881); 36, S. polita (Carter, 1921).

FIGURES 39 − 43. Lateral views of male head, Safrina species: 39, S. dekeyzeri new species; 40, S. grandis (Lea, 1915); 41, S. jaedoni new species; 42, S. moorei new species; 43, S. polita (Carter, 1921).

FIGURES 52 − 60. Aedeagus, dorsal, ventral and lateral: 52, Ryssonotus nebulosus (Kirby, 1819); 53, Safrina dekeyzeri new species; 54, S. grandis (Lea, 1915); 55, S. jaedoni new species; 56, S. jugularis (Westwood, 1863); 57, S. laticeps (Macleay, 1885); 58, S. moorei new species; 59, S. parallela (Deyrolle, 1881); 60, S. polita (Carter, 1921).