Saprinodes falcifer Lewis, 1891

Lackner, Tomas & Leschen, Richard A. B., 2017, A monograph of the Australopacific Saprininae (Coleoptera, Histeridae), ZooKeys 689, pp. 1-263 : 63-68

Saprinodes falcifer Lewis, 1891 Figs 279, 280-288, 289-291, 292-300, 759

Saprinodes falcifer Lewis, 1981: 396.

Type locality.

Australia: Queensland: Rockhampton.

Type material examined.

Saprinodes falcifer Lewis, 1891: lectotype, designated by Dégallier in 1993, ♂, with genitalia glued to the same mounting card as the specimen, labelled: “Rockhampton/Queensland” (hand-written); followed by: " Saprinodes / falcifer /Type Lewis" (hand-written); followed by: "G. Lewis Coll./B.M. 1926-369." (printed); followed by: “Type” (round label with red margins, printed); and a consecutive red label: " Saprinodes / falcifer /LECTOTYPE" (hand-written); followed by a yellow label: “10-120” (pencil-written, added by the senior author) (BMNH).

Additional material examined.

AUSTRALIA. Queensland: 11 specs., 25°27'S, 150°08'E, Taroom District, Nathan Gorge, Riverine Forest, 12.ix.-13.xi.1996, P. Lawless leg., pitfall (QM; 2 exs. in coll. TLAN). New South Wales: 2 ♂♂, Bogan River, F.H. Taylor leg. (ANIC); 7 ♂♂ & 3 ♀♀, ditto, but J. Armstrong (all exs. ANIC; 1 ♂ in coll. TLAN); 2 ♂♂ and 7 specs., ditto, but J. Armstrong leg. (MAMU).

Biology.

Unknown.

Distribution.

Endemic to Australia: New South Wales and Queensland (Fig. 759).

Remarks.

In this sexually dimorphic species the male has a large depression on the metaventrite and the first abdominal ventrite has coarser and larger punctures than that of the female. Females are also substantially larger than males. The minute setae associated with dorsal punctures observed by Dégallier (1993: 48) were not observed in our specimens.

Re-description.

Body length: PEL: 2.50-3.75 mm; APW: 0.85-1.05 mm; PPW: 1.80-2.55 mm; EL: 1.55-2.20 mm; EW: 2.10-3.00 mm.

Body (Fig. 279) ovoid, flattened dorso-ventrally, cuticle light brown to castaneous, with slight metallic tinge; ventral side darker than dorsal; legs and body appendages similarly colored.

Antennal scape (Fig. 280) slightly thickened, punctuate dorsally, with few short setae; antennal club (Fig. 281) rather large, oval, dorsally without any visible structures, ventrally with two visible oval sensory areas, entirely covered in dense short sensilla, intermingled with sparse longer erect sensilla; sensory structures of antennal club (Fig. 291) in form of two ventral sensory areas, apical sensory area larger than basal, with pear-shaped vesicle situated beneath it.

Mandibles (Fig. 289) with rounded outer margin, acutely pointed, sub-apical tooth on inner margin of left mandible moderately large, rounded; labrum (Fig. 290) faintly convex dorsally, sparsely punctuate, anterior margin slightly emarginate; labral fold not particularly developed; setae of lateral fringe moderately long; labrum without pits or setae; terminal labial palpomere elongated, its width about half its length; palpal organ present on both labial and maxillary palpi; mentum (Fig. 282) sub-trapezoid, anterior angles produced, anterior margin with deep median excavation, surface around it with several short setae, lateral margins with a single row of much shorter sparse ramose setae, disc on apical half with few scattered setae, basal half asetose; cardo of maxilla with few short setae on lateral margin; stipes triangular, with two short setae; lacinia without lacinial hook (=uncus); terminal maxillary palpomere elongated, its width about half its length, about twice as long as penultimate palpomere.

Clypeus (Fig. 280) large, rectangular, flattened, rounded laterally, with sparse fine punctures, separated by several times their diameter; supra-orbital striae well developed, carinate; frontal stria (Fig. 280) prolonged onto clypeus; frontal disc (Fig. 280) anteriorly somewhat depressed, punctuate, punctures separated by about their diameter, becoming coarser and denser near frontal stria, disappearing medially; eyes convex, well visible from above.

Pronotal sides (Fig. 279) on posterior half feebly convergent anteriorly, on anterior half strongly convergent, apical angles produced, marginal pronotal stria complete, carinate, behind head medially with tiny angulate projection; disc antero-laterally with deep, rugulose-lacunose oval punctation, medially punctures becoming much sparser and finer, separated by several times their diameter, forming vague impunctate areas (in some specimens these can be better delimited forming ‘mirrors’), interspaces between punctures on entire pronotal disc with sparse microscopic punctation; pronotal hypomeron glabrous; scutellum very small.

Elytral epipleura punctuate; marginal epipleural stria thin; marginal elytral stria well impressed, thin, continuous along elytral apex as apical elytral stria, connected with sutural elytral stria; humeral elytral stria erased under elytral punctation; inner subhumeral stria present medially, almost unrecognizable beneath elytral punctation; dorsal elytral striae almost unrecognizable from dorsal view, from oblique view striae 1-4 faintly recognizable, first the longest, originating near elytral base running to 3/4 of elytral length apically, striae 2-4 abbreviated basally and apically; sutural elytral stria complete, deeply impressed, surface between it and elytral margin with scattered microscopic punctation. Entire elytral disc very coarsely and densely punctate, punctation rugulose-lacunose, punctures separated by less than half of their diameter, on apical third punctures disappear, forming deep elongate wrinkles; basally between fourth dorsal and sutural striae a small round ‘mirror’ (= polished area) present, its surface with scattered microscopic punctation.

Propygidium transverse, about five times as broad as long, partially covered by elytra, its punctation much finer and sparser than those of the elytra, punctures on apical half separated by about their diameter, on basal half propygidium almost impunctate, interspaces between punctures with fine alutaceous microsculpture; punctation of pygidium (Fig. 283) much coarser and denser, resembling that of elytra; pygidium carinate laterally.

Anterior margin of median portion of prosternum (Fig. 284) straight; marginal prosternal stria almost complete, interrupted laterally; prosternal process deeply concave on anterior half, laterally with sparse large oval punctures, interspaces imbricate; dorsally prosternal process with sparse shallow punctures; carinal prosternal striae (Fig. 284) carinate, slightly divergent anteriorly and united in front under a rounded loop; lateral prosternal striae carinate, widely convergent and ‘open’ anteriorly, near their origin a curious tiny projection present, unseen in any other members of the subfamily (Fig. 284). Lateral costa of antennal groove not reaching prosternal process.

Anterior margin of mesoventrite (Fig. 285) deeply emarginate medially; discal marginal mesoventral stria anteriorly well impressed, absent laterally; disc with antero-lateral depressions, with sparse large round punctures separated by several times their diameter, each puncture with a microscopic seta, interspaces between punctures with scattered microscopic punctation; meso-metaventral suture indistinct, meso-metaventral sutural stria absent; intercoxal disc of metaventrite in males medially with large depression; metaventrite of females with only slight median longitudinal depression. Disc of metaventrite in both sexes almost smooth, punctation appears only along lateral and posterior margins. Lateral metaventral stria (Fig. 286) well impressed, almost straight, not reaching metacoxa; lateral disc of metaventrite (Fig. 286) depressed, with round shallow large punctures; metepisternum evenly punctate with similar punctation, punctures on fused metepimeron much sparser than those of metepisternum; lateral metepisternal stria (Fig. 286) present, deeply impressed, complete.

Intercoxal disc of first abdominal ventrite in males with large depression, in females not depressed, completely striate laterally; surface of disc in males with scattered oblong punctation, punctures becoming sparser and finer medially, in females punctation much sparser and finer.

Protibia (Fig. 287) slender, only very slightly dilated apically, terminating in massive protibial spur; setae of outer row very short, sparsely spaced; setae of median row even shorter than those of outer row, even; protarsal groove deep, designed to accommodate entire protarsus in repose; anterior protibial stria complete, costate; outer part of posterior surface of protibia (Fig. 288) with a row of sparsely spaced minuscule denticles; median part of posterior surface with a single row of regular minuscule setae; posterior protibial stria complete, very thin, with scattered minuscule setae; inner margin with single row of sparse microscopic setae.

Mesotibia slender, outer margin with a single row of around five denticles growing in size apically; setae of outer row sparse, minuscule; setae of median row similar to those of outer row, between the two rows an additional complete stria present; posterior mesotibial stria shortened apically; anterior surface of mesotibia convex, with dense row of well-sclerotized short setae; anterior mesotibial stria complete; mesotibial spur inconspicuous; claws of apical tarsomere about half its length; metatibia basically similar to mesotibia, but denticles of outer margin much sparser than those of mesotibia.

Male genitalia. Eighth sternite (Figs 292-293) separated longitudinally; vela with sparse short setae; eighth tergite and eighth sternite not fused laterally (Fig. 294). Ninth tergite (Figs 295-296) longitudinally fused medially; spiculum gastrale (Figs 297-298) gradually dilated on apical half, basal end slender, not dilated. Aedeagus (Figs 299-300) slender, slightly widening apically, slightly constricted before apex; basal piece of aedeagus very short, ratio of its length: length of parameres 1: 10; parameres of aedeagus fused almost along their entire length, with small circular aperture for median duct; aedeagus only slightly curved from lateral view, apex of aedeagus flattened dorso-ventrally.