Nornalup Park & Chandler

Park, Jong-Seok & Chandler, Donald S., 2017, Nornalup, a new genus of pselaphine beetle from southwestern Australia (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Pselaphinae, Faronitae), ZooKeys 695, pp. 111-121 : 112-114

Nornalup Park & Chandler gen. n.

Type species.

Nornalup afoveatus Park and Chandler, sp. n., herein designated.

Diagnosis.

Members of this genus are easily separated from other faronite genera by the following combination of characters: rostrum separated by distinct frontal sulcus (Fig. 3a); ventral surface of head swollen (Fig. 3b); eyes extremely large, longer than length of temples (Fig. 2 g–l); frontal sulcus deep and wide, open anteriorly (Fig. 3a); mesoventrite with lateral mesosternal fovea and promesocoxal fovea (Fig. 3d); metaventrite with or without median metasternal fovea (Fig. 3d: arrow); abdominal length of tergite and sternite VI approximately 1.5 times longer than V (Fig. 1); female sternite IX bearing two pairs of long setae (Fig. 4 a–c); species only known from Western Australia (Fig. 5).

Description.

Small body size, 1.1-2.5 mm (Fig. 1). Body yellowish to reddish-brown (Fig. 1). Head. Triangular with extremely large eyes, widest across eyes (Fig. 2 g–l). Gular area convex (Fig. 3b). Male antennomeres longer than those of female. Male and female antennomeres with tubercles on 4-11 and 8-11, respectively (Fig. 2 a–f). Frontal sulcus deep and wide, open anteriorly (Fig. 3a). Thorax. Prosternum as long as wide, widest at midpoint of prosternum (Fig. 3c). Prosternum with lateral procoxal and median procoxal fovea (Fig. 3c). Meso- and metathorax trapezoidal, longer than wide (Fig. 3d). Mesoventrite with lateral mesosternal, promesocoxal and lateral mesocoxal foveae (Fig. 3d). Metaventrite with lateral metasternal foveae (Fig. 3d). Abdomen. Length of tergite and sternite VI approximately 1.5 times longer than V (Fig. 1). Aedeagus. Median lobe longer than parameres (Fig. 4 d–i). Phallobase rounded (Fig. 4 d–i). Parameres symmetrical, as wide as median lobe, bearing setae at apex (Fig. 4 d–i).

Etymology.

Nornalup gen. n. is named for Nornalup , one of the national parks where one of the species was collected.

Distribution.

Australia.

Comments about secondary sexual characters.

Male specimens possess tubercles on antennomeres 4-11, but females have the tubercles on antennomeres 8-11 (Fig. 2 a–f). Males have slightly larger eyes (Fig. 2 g–l). Male abdominal sternite IX is usually fragile and is partially concealed by sternite VIII, rendering it simple and reduced in appearance. Females possess a more robust, rectangular abdominal sternite IX bearing two pairs of long setae (Fig. 4 a–c) that are usually visible in ventral view.

Comments about biotic region.

Nornalup gen. n. is found at the very southwestern corner of Australia, which is known as a global biodiversity hotspot (Hopper and Gioia 2004). This region has a higher average annual rainfall (300-1200 mm) than the surrounding more internal deserts of the mainland, and is mostly covered by Eucalytus forests (Hopper and Gioia 2004). Approximately 740 native vascular plants are known from this area, half of which are endemic (Hopper and Gioia 2004). All species are found in the karri ( E. diversicolor F.Muell.), tingle ( E. jacksonii Maiden), and jarrah ( E. marginata Donn ex Sm.) forests unique to this area, where the distributions of three species do not overlap (Fig. 5).

Comments about related taxa.

Based on thoracic foveal system, Nornalup gen. n. is closest to the genus Sagola Sharp. However, the frontal sulcus (Fig. 3a), abdominal length of tergite and sternite VI (Fig. 1), and form of the male aedeagus are not shared with any species of Sagola or other faronite genera. To understand the specific relationship with other faronites, phylogenetic analysis based on morphology and molecular data is needed.

Key to species of the genus Nornalup gen. n.