Agyrtodes koebelei (Blackburn)

Seago, Ainsley E., 2009, Revision Of Agyrtodes Portevin (Coleoptera: Leiodidae), The Coleopterists Bulletin (mo 7) 63, pp. 1-73 : 40-42

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.1649/0010-065x-63.sp7.1
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:B58B2216-0CFA-41C6-8141-7024E65ECF85
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/039887BA-FFC0-C067-92FC-87B6EE679606
treatment provided by	Carolina
scientific name	Agyrtodes koebelei (Blackburn)
status

Treatment

Agyrtodes koebelei (Blackburn) View in CoL

(Figs. 12, 49, 69, 89, 100)

Cholevomorpha koebelei Blackburn 1903: 95 View in CoL . Lectotype: Labeled ‘‘(on card) T (female) 7245 N. Qu. / Type H. T. Australia. Blackburn Coll. B. M. 1910- 236/ Cholevomorpha koebelei, Blackb. View in CoL ’’ ( BMNH). Paralectotypes: 1 female ,

labeled ‘‘J. 8414 Cholevomorpha koebelei View in CoL Queensland Co-Type/ N. Qu /

Blackburn’s Coll./ Cholevomorpha koebelei co-type;’’ 2 females on same

pin, labeled ‘‘N. Qu/ Cholevomorpha koebelei co-type.’’ (SAM).

Agyrtodes koebelei (Blackburn) View in CoL . Jeannel (1936: 107) [transferred to Agyrtodes View in CoL ].

Agyrtodes View in CoL koebeli (Blackburn). Zwick (1979: 5) [misspelling of koebelei View in CoL ].

Notes on Type Material. Although Blackburn’s original description mentions characteristics of both males and females, no type specimen or series is explicitly designated therein, nor does Blackburn specify how many individuals were examined. Jeannel (1936:107) published under the assumption that the single (female) specimen in BMNH was the holotype. Under article 74.6 of the ICZN (1999), Jeannel (1936) is deemed to have designated this specimen as the lectotype. The remaining syntypes ( SAM specimens labeled ‘‘co-type’’) are therefore paralectotypes.

Distribution. Australia: northeast Queensland near Cairns; Atherton Tableland ( Fig. 100 View Fig ). Material examined listed in Appendix 1.

Diagnosis. Agyrtodes koebelei can be distinguished from the similarly sized and sympatric A. variabilis , new species, by the following characters: Color of terminal antennal segment (yellow in A. koebelei , brown in A. variabilis ) and elytral coloration (light brown with two broad, nebulous dark fascia in A. koebelei , dark brown with four small reddish-brown spots in A. variabilis ).

Redescription. TBL 5 1.8 mm, EW 5 1.3 mm, PNW 5 1.1 mm, HW 5 0.5 mm (TBL variation: 1.6 mm – 1.9 mm)

Body size very small, broadly oval, rounded posteriorly (Fig. 12). Dorsum light reddish-brown with dense vestiture of short, semi-erect stiff golden setae. Elytra with two indistinctly delimited, transverse fuscous fasciae clothed with slightly darker gold setae.

Head broad, short, eyes large and produced, strongly emarginate behind, epistomal suture absent. Clypeus narrow, tapering anteriorly; labrum thin, transverse, extremely short and deeply emarginate. Mandibles narrow and triangular, dorsally setose, with well-developed prostheca and protrusive, heavily sclerotized mola. Maxilla (as in Fig. 30b View Figs ) with greatly enlarged, hyaline galea bearing large, loose brush of long spatulate setae, tapering apically to a sharp point with several stout, pointed terminal setae; lacinia greatly reduced, slender and short, weakly sclerotized, with small, loose, membranous apical brush of minute spines. Maxillary palpi stout, terminal segment broader than penultimate segment basally, tapering distally, abruptly produced into small papillate process at apex; penultimate segment approximately twice as long as wide. Labium with membranous ligula, lacking visible sensillae or spines. Labial palpi with terminal segment broad and rounded basally, abruptly tapering and curving inward, evenly armed with short, slender digitiform sensillae, apex with 1–2 short, curved setae or sensillae; penultimate segment very short, reduced to ringlike sclerite. Antennae ( Fig. 49 View Figs ) extremely long in proportion to body, segments robust and cylindrical; antennae pale brown at base, gradually darkening through segment 10, segment 11 yellow. Antennal segments 1 and 2 slender, elongate, cylindrical, less than 1.5 3 as wide as segment 3. Segments 3–6 subequal in size, cylindrical, all more than twice as long as wide, subtly increasing in width and decreasing in length from 3 to 6. Segment 7 only slightly wider than 6 and 8, approximately twice as long as wide, straight-sided and gradually expanded apically. Segment 8 rectangular, longer than wide, very faintly wider distally. Segment 9 rectangular, weakly expanded distally, shorter and broader than 7; 10 subequal in width, slightly shorter than 9. Segment 11 bright yellow, longer than all other club segments, round at base, smoothly tapering to apical point, weakly attenuate.

Pronotum broad, convex, with anterior margin shallowly trilobed. Integument dully shining, with fine strigulose microsculpture; vestiture of short, stiff semirecumbent setae set into barely perceptible shallow punctures. Hind angles acutely produced posterolaterad, narrowly pointed distally.

Elytra broad, rounded, convex, slowly tapering in distal half, very bluntly rounded at apex. Integument matte, with microsculpture of extremely fine strigulae; transverse strigae shallow, not as deeply impressed as setiferous punctures. Elytral disc without traces of longitudinal strial impressions.

Hypomeron and epipleura paler reddish-brown than dorsum; hypomeron strongly convex posterior to coxal insertions, weakly convex anteriorly. Mesosternum with low carina, smoothly sinuate in lateral view, highest at mesocoxal separation. Mesepimera very small, narrow and elongately oval, arranged transversely rather than sloping posteriad as in other Agyrtodes . Metasternum bulging medially, weakly convex laterally, with sparse, small, shallow setiferous punctures and fine isodiametric microsculpture. Metepisterna elongate, rectangular, squarely truncate at both ends, weakly tapered posteriorly.

Abdomen with sterna III–VI normal, male sternum VII broadly, shallowly notched, sternum VIII weakly emarginate distally but with sharp, narrow median notch.

Legs short and stout, all tibiae shorter than respecive femora; femora pale reddish-gold, tibiae and tarsi darker red. Male protarsi broadly expanded, first segment wider than tibial apex, second segment longer than first and slightly narrower; segments 1–4 cordate, all bearing tenent setae ventrally. Male mesotarsi with first three segments expanded and bearing tenent setae; first two segments broadly ovate, first segment,3/4 3 width of tibial apex. Claws and female tarsi simple.

Male genital segment ( Fig. 69 View Figs ) broad, short, subtriangular, nearly completely cleft ventrally. Pleurites with bluntly pointed, densely setose apices; anterior apophysis very short, weakly sclerotized. Aedeagus ( Fig. 99 View Fig ) with median lobe stout, widest basally, strongly curving ventrad, gently acuminate with bluntly pointed apex; basal piece broad, longer than penis. Parameres flattened, broadest at base, barely extending past apex of median lobe. tapering distally to rounded apex bearing small cluster of minute setae on interior face and single minute terminal seta. Endophallus armed with two very long, unequal, acuminate sclerites, 4–5 medium-sized scale-shaped sclerites, 6–7 smaller, narrower, pointed teeth, small patch of short hyaline spines distally. Female genitalia with coxites broad at base, tapering distally, approximately 4 3 as long as stylus. Styli short, slender, weakly attenuate, broadest at base, bearing terminal setae approximately 3/4 as long as coxite.

Natural History. Collected in flight-intercept and malaise traps, and in berlesate.

Notes. Although A. koebelei was reported to be ‘‘rare’’ by Zwick (1979) and Sczymczakowski (1966), it appears to be fairly abundant in northern Queensland (although not as abundant as A. variabilis ). The perceived rarity of this species was likely due to the aforementioned authors’ focus on the southeastern Australian fauna. Blackburn included male characters in his original description but only a single female (the holotype) exists in BNHM; it was on the basis of that female specimen that Jeannel transferred Blackburn’s Cholevomorpha koebelei to Agyrtodes . The one male specimen deposited in SAM (not a type, but labeled in the same handwriting as the ‘‘co-types’’ in SAM) is missing the terminal protarsomeres, making it impossible to determine whether Blackburn’s type specimens possessed the pseudotriungulate protarsal claws that distinguish Cholevomorpha ; however, the remainder of the body (as well as those of the female ‘‘cotypes’’) conforms to the description given here.