Agyrtodes nebulosus (Broun)

Seago, Ainsley E., 2009, Revision Of Agyrtodes Portevin (Coleoptera: Leiodidae), The Coleopterists Bulletin (mo 7) 63, pp. 1-73 : 47-51

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-FFC9-C07F-92D0-872CEECF9622
treatment provided by	Carolina
scientific name	Agyrtodes nebulosus (Broun)
status

Treatment

Agyrtodes nebulosus (Broun) View in CoL

(Figs. 15, 52, 72, 92, 103)

Mesocolon nebulosus Broun 1880:155 View in CoL . Holotype: male, ‘‘ Tairua’ ’ [ New Zealand, NI] (BMNH).

Agyrtodes nebulosus (Broun) View in CoL . Jeannel (1936: 108) [transferred to Agyrtodes View in CoL ]; Szymczakowski (1966: 27, 1973: 96).

Mesocolon varius Broun 1886: 946 View in CoL . Lectotype here designated: male, labeled ‘‘1703 T. Broun Collection / A. E. Brookes Collection / Entomology Division D. S. I. R. New Zealand / LECTOTYPE Mesocolon varius View in CoL , des. A. Seago 2009’’ ( NZAC) . Paralectotypes: one female, labeled ‘‘1703 T. Broun Collection / A. E. Brookes Collection / Entomology Division D. S. I. R. New Zealand / PARALECTOTYPE Mesocolon varius View in CoL , des. A. Seago 2009’’ ( NZAC) ; holotype and paratype of A. varius Jeannel View in CoL (below).

Agyrtodes varius (Broun) View in CoL . Newton (1998: 166) [transferred to Agyrtodes View in CoL ; junior subjective synonym of A. nebulosus (Broun) View in CoL ].

Agyrtodes varius Jeannel 1936: 108 View in CoL . Holotype: male, labeled ‘‘Ex. Broun coll. Howick, Auckland, North Island, NZ / Agyrtodes varius View in CoL Broun’’ (stated in description to be at BMNH, but located by the author in MNHN). Paratype: male, ex Broun collection, labeled ‘‘Papakura’’ [ NZ, near Auckland] (stated in description to be at BMNH; could not be located by the author). Szymczakowski (1966: 579); Newton (1998: 166) [junior secondary homonym of A. varius (Broun) View in CoL , junior subjective synonym of A. nebulosus (Broun) View in CoL ].

Taxonomic Note. Mesocolon nebulosus Broun View in CoL was transferred to Agyrtodes View in CoL by

Jeannel (1936). In the same publication, Jeannel described Agyrtodes varius from two

syntypes of M. varius Broun , erroneously believing this species had not been previously described. Because he was not aware that M. varius Broun was a published name, Jeannel did not transfer that species to Agyrtodes . Newton (1998), in synonymizing both species with A. nebulosus (Broun) , referred to A. varius Jeannel and A. varius (Broun) , thereby implicitly transferring M. varius Broun to Agyrtodes and transforming A. varius Jeannel into a junior secondary homonym of A. varius (Broun) . If Newton’s (1998) synonymy of these two species with A. nebulosus (Broun) were determined to be in error, it would be necessary to recognize A. varius Jeannel as a junior subjective synonym of M. varius Broun because both are based on conspecific syntypes. However, based on Broun and Jeannel’s descriptions and the author’s examination of all available material in NZAC, BMNH, and MNHN, Newton’s (1998) synonymy is affirmed to be correct.

In order to fix the in order to fix the status of one specimen as the sole namebearing type of M. varius Broun , and for the express purpose of nomenclatural stability, a lectotype for this species is designated (above) from the well-preserved syntype material from Broun’s collection in NZAC. This renders the remaining syntypes of M. varius Broun (5 A. varius (Broun) and A. varius Jeannel ) paralectotypes of M. varius Broun.

Notes on Type Material. Additional syntype (s) of M. varius Broun , upon which A. varius Jeannel is based, were reported to be in BMNH by Newton (1998) but could not be located by the author. In his description of Mesocolon varius, Broun did not specify how many individuals were examined, nor did he designate a type; all M. varius from the Broun collection are therefore potential syntypes and treated as such herein.

Distribution. New Zealand: North Island, Coromandel Peninsula to Auckland ( Fig. 103 View Fig ). Material examined listed in Appendix 1.

Diagnosis. This species can be recognized by its dark brown, shining pronotum, medium brown elytra with irregularly arranged patches of light golden setae, and the small tooth and long spur on the male meso- and metafemora respectively. It very closely resembles A. lescheni , new species, (South Island), which also possesses spiniferous male metafemora. The two species can bemost readily distinguished by the coloration of the head and pronotum (dark brown in A. nebulosus , medium to light brown in A. lescheni ), the height of the male mesofemoral tooth (very short, little more than a point in A. nebulosus ; attenuate, in the form of a distinct spine in most specimens of A. lescheni ), and the form of the anterior apophysis of the male genital capsule (long and broadly truncate in A. nebulosus , barely produced and slender in A. lescheni ). The unusual modification of the first mesotarsomere of male A. nebulosus (basal constriction, apical spine row) also distinguishes it from A. lescheni which has simple male mesotarsi.

Redescription. TBL 5 2.4 mm, EW 5 1.4 mm, PNW 5 1.2 mm, HW 5 0.6 mm (TBL variation: 2.3 mm – 2.6 mm).

Body (Fig. 15) elongate, narrowly ovoid, convex. Dorsum with loose vestiture of long, semirecumbent golden hairs, elytral vestiture dark gold with indistinct pale spots indicated by lighter-colored setae. Head and pronotum dark brown, shining; elytra medium brown (lighter in older specimens).

Head with integument shining, shallowly and finely punctate. Eyes small, globose, protruding. Epistomal suture present, with small stem. Clypeus large, transverse, roughly pentagonal in shape; labrum extremely short, narrow, with distal margin smoothly excavate. Mandibles normal. Maxillae with galea slender, elongate, pointed, with very weakly sclerotized apical brush of slender hairs; broad, well-sclerotized lacinia bearing spore-brush of minute, curved spines apically and double row of short, very stout spines on internal face. Maxillary palps sparsely setose, terminal segment elongate, lanceolate, strongly attenuate apically; penultimate segment equally wide, less than half as long as last segment. Lacinia with four long, thick digitiform sensillae on membranous anterior margin; labial palps with long, slender apical segments each bearing cluster of minute digitiform sensillae at base, penultimate segment short, transverse. Antennae ( Fig. 52 View Figs ) extremely slender, all segments at least twice as long as wide. Segments 1–3 light brown, 4–11 medium to dark brown. Segment 1 faintly arched, scarcely expanded at apex; segment 2 shorter than 1, straight. Articulation of segments 1 and 2 closely fitted, smooth. Segments 3–6 uniformly thin, cylindrical, of approximately equal length and width. Segment 7 as wide as 6 at base, weakly expanded at apex, narrowly triangular. Segment 8 slender, cylindrical,,2.2 3 as long as wide. Segment 9 more than twice as long as wide, roughly triangular; segment 10 shorter than 9, tapering. Segment 11 ovoid, lightly flattened, approximately as long as segment 7.

Pronotum dark brown, broad, convex, with small deep punctures and sparse golden vestiture. Hind angles blunt, square.

Elytra narrow, strongly convex at disc, abruptly tapering in apical quarter; apices sharply pointed. Transverse strigae cleanly parallel, closely spaced and deeply impressed, no trace of longitudinal strial impressions. Setiferous strigal punctures shallowly impressed. Integument matte, brown, with light spots marked by dense patches of light golden setae in the shapes of round spots and short transverse bars, the most conspicuous being two light golden spots flanking the median suture at its highest point. Scutellum medium brown, sparsely pubescent.

Prosternum short; hypomeron convex and pale brown; procoxal cavities large, trochanters broadly exposed. Mesosternum dark brown, with elevated median longitudinal carina highest anterior to mesocoxal separation, effaced anteriorly. Mesepimera bluntly rectangular, tapering towards mesocoxal articulation. Metasternum flattened laterally, with bulging, setose, median convexity anterior to metacoxal bases; microsculpture of metasternum with fine strigulae formed by stretched sculpticells and large, shallow punctures laterally, bearing minute setae. metepisternum broadly square anteriorly, smoothly tapering posteriorly, outer margin weakly convex.

Abdominal sterna III–VI, normal, male sternum VII broadly, shallowly notched at distal margin, elevated to posteriomedian point. Female sternum VII with hind margin medially produced to sharp point, not elevated.

Legs of normal dimensions, First three segments of male protarsi very broadly expanded, cordate; first segment wider than tibial apex. Fourth segment very small, short, partly obscured by expanded third segment. All segments 1–4 bearing thick ventral pad of tenent setae. Male mesotarsi of normal width, but first mesotarsomere elongate, slightly flared and rounded at apex, weakly bent inward and bearing a longitudinal row of short, robust spines on ventral surface; subsequent segments normal. Claws and female tarsi simple.

Male genital segment ( Fig. 72 View Figs ) broad at base, parallel-sided; pleurites sharply pointed apically. Sternum X present as a minute, longitudinal oar-shaped sclerotized region fused internally to the ventromedian junction of the pleurites. Anterior apophysis rectangular, broad, sharply truncate anteriorly. Aedeagus ( Fig. 92 View Figs ) with median lobe elongate, blade-shaped, tapering smoothly from base, abruptly attenuate just anterior to apex; penis slightly longer than paramere apices. Parameres slender basally, abruptly flared and twisted distally, apices sharply pointed and weakly hooked. Endophallus with small patch of minute spines distally, two long, hook-shaped sclerites basally. Female terminalia with coxites.3 3 as long as styli and bearing three long curving setae; stylus short, weakly tapered apically, bearing terminal seta more than twice its length.

Natural History. Collected by malaise traps, pyrethrum spraying fungus-covered logs, in berlese from forest litter near decaying logs, by hand from rotting mushrooms and on the crustose polypore Irpex brevis . In Broun (1893), the male holotype of M. varius is reported to have been ‘‘found near Howick, among dead leaves &c.’’