Pediomorphus ruficollis Sloane, 1900

Will, Kipling, 2019, Taxonomic Review of the Australian Genus Pediomorphus Chaudoir, 1878 (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Abacetini), The Coleopterists Bulletin 73 (3), pp. 629-645 : 633

Pediomorphus ruficollis Sloane, 1900

( Figs. 4 , 20 , 24 )

Type Material. Syntypes, possibly six in SAMA ( Moore et al. 1987), not examined. The two other possible syntypes noted by Moore et al. (1987) in ANIC appear to be two specimens glued to a single card, tagged as holotype by P. J. Darlington. These are in fact P. planiusculus and labelled “E.P.” in what appears to be Sloane’ s hand. Given that they are not P. ruficollis , do not match the description for that species, and do not appear to be from the type locality, these are not considered to be part of the syntype series.

Type Locality. Urana District , New South Wales ( Sloane 1900).

Material Examined. NEW SOUTH WALES: 2 specimens - 10 miles west of Mulwala , 28.xi.1970, BP Moore, EMEC705228 , [ ANIC] . SOUTH AUSTRALIA: 27°20’ S 140°10’ E, Lake George, 13.x.1972, Raffey and Mitchell, [ ANIC]. VICTORIA: St. Albans , 12.xi.1959, BP Moore, [ ANIC] . QUEENSLAND: 2 specimens - Roma [ ANIC] .

Distribution Range. Scattered records from southeastern South Australia to southern, central Queensland ( Fig. 20 ).

Notes. Size ranges among the specimens examined are sbl = 4.7–5.9 mm, elytral width = 1.7–1.9 mm, and ocular ratio = 1.4–1.5. In September 2010, I collected during the day, at night searching with headlamp, and ran UV lights at Colombo Creek, NSW (35°04’26” S 146°16’38” E) in the vicinity of the area where Sloane (1900) described both P. planiusculus and P. ruficollis as being common. While other carabids were abundant, no Pediomorphus were found. No other series beyond those from the event reported by Sloane are known and no specimens where found in collections from the last nearly 50 years.

Figures

Figs. 3–6. Pediomorphus species, dorsal habitus. 3) P. macleayi; 4) P. ruficollis; 5) P. variabilis; 6) P. maximus, holotype. Scale bars = 1 mm.

Fig. 20. Localities of Pediomorphus species based on material examined and type localities.

Figs. 21–32. Pediomorphus species, aedeagi, left lateral view (A) and ventral view of tip (B). 21) P. planiusculus; 22) P. elongatus; 23) P. macleayi; 24) P. ruficollis; 25) P. variabilis; 26) P. crenulatus; 27) P. minor; 28) P. semilaevis; 29) P. punctatus; 30) P. robustus; 31) P. storeyi; 32) P. obtusus.