Agyrtodes variabilis Seago, 2009

Seago, Ainsley E., 2009, Revision Of Agyrtodes Portevin (Coleoptera: Leiodidae), The Coleopterists Bulletin (mo 7) 63, pp. 1-73 : 43-45

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.1649/0010-065x-63.sp7.1
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:B58B2216-0CFA-41C6-8141-7024E65ECF85
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4912303
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/039887BA-FFCD-C061-92EA-83A3EED69690
treatment provided by	Carolina
scientific name	Agyrtodes variabilis Seago
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Agyrtodes variabilis Seago View in CoL , new species

(Figs. 13, 30a, 50, 70, 90, 100)

Holotype: male, labeled ‘‘ AUSTRALIA: n. Qld , Tully Falls S. F. 1,000 m, 9. 5 km SSW Ravenshoe, 5. XI-7. XII. 1987, Storey & Dickinson / MDPI Intercept Trap, Site No. 29A’’ (ex QDPI; deposited in QMBA).

Paratypes: listed in Appendix 1 (40 specimens).

Distribution. Australia: Northeast Queensland, Atherton tablelands ( Fig. 100 View Fig ).

Diagnosis. The coloration of this species is highly variable, ranging from entirely dark brown to light reddish brown with dark fasciae. The similarly sized A. monteithi , new species, has three distinct transverse elytral stripes marked by dark pubescence and an enlarged, bright yellow apical antennal segment, whereas A. variabilis has no more than two complete elytral fasciae and antennae that are uniformly brown. Agyrtodes koebelei also has two transverse dark brown fasciae on the elytra, but has a markedly smaller body size and long antennae with terminal segment light brown; A. variabilis has a uniformly brown antennal club and a very wide eighth antennal segment, scarcely narrower than segments 7 and 9.

Description. TBL 5 1.9 mm, EW 5 1.1 mm, PNW 5 1.0 mm, HW 5 0.5 mm. (TBL variation: 1.8–2.0 mm)

Small body size, body shape narrow-sided and strongly convex (Fig. 13). Color pattern of variable appearance depending on melanization of integument and angle of lighting; most individuals appear dark reddish-brown in dorsal view, with paired round paler red spots flanking elytral suture immediately posterior to scutellum and paired sloping pale red fasciae at elytral midpoint; pronotum uniformly dark reddish-brown, ferrugineous. Dorsal vestiture dark gold on pronotum, gold on pale regions of elytra, darker brown on dark regions. In heavily melanized individuals, fasciae at elytral midpoint appear only as paired, sloping ‘‘stripes’’ of gold setae against dark brown integument.

Head short, broad, eyes produced, narrowly emarginate behind; integument matte with very fine strigulose microsculpture, punctures imperceptible. Epistomal suture absent, clypeus short and trapezoidal, tapering anteriad; labrum extremely short, transverse, scarcely excavate. Mandibles very large, outer edges strongly curved. Maxillae ( Fig. 30a View Figs ) with greatly enlarged, apically pointed hyaline galea bearing a large, loose cluster of long setae externally and a dense brush of minute setae on internal face; lacinia small, narrow, tapering distally, crowned with small apical ‘‘brush’’ comprising 3–4 short rows of minute, curving spines. Maxillary palpi with terminal segment long, acuminate, weakly produced at apex; penultimate segment very faintly wider than base of terminal segment, less than half as long. Labium with anterior margin of ligula short, hyaline, bearing only two small subapical setae. Labial palps with terminal segments elongate, slender, tapering apically, curved inward, with sparse array of short digitiform setae and many minute setae at base; penltimate palpomere wider and less than half as long as terminal segment, bearing two extremely long, curving, stiff setae, extending past apex of palp; first palpomere with single long seta on interior face.

Antennae ( Fig. 50 View Figs ) robust, segments 1–5 light yellowish-brown, segments 6–11 medium to dark brown, 11 pale brown in distal half. Segments 1 and 2 weakly enlarged, cylindrical, elongate (3 3 as long as wide). Segment 3 slender, 4 and 5 of equal size and shape, just over twice as long as wide; segment 6 cylindrical, stouter than 3, width subequal to base of 7. Segment 7 broadly cylindrical, robust, more than twice as long as wide, apex as wide as base. Segment 8 subquadrate, shorter than any other segment, scarcely narrowed: width subequal to basal width of 7 and 9. Segment 9 nearly as long as 7, slightly wider; 10 rectangular, less than 1.5 3 as long as wide; 11 elongate, oval, weakly produced distally, with bluntly pointed apex.

Pronotum transverse, weakly convex, reddish-brown; integument matte with shallow punctures at setal insertions and fine, confused strigulose microsculpture. Pronotal vestiture dark brown, semirecumbent. Lateral margins of pronotum very weakly curved anteriorly, straight posteriorly; hind angles sharply pointed, acutely produced posteriad. Narrow region of posterior pronotal margin transparent.

Elytra convex at base, weakly convex in posterior half; posterior margins rounded, bluntly pointed at apices. Elytral integument shining, transverse strigae deeply impressed, disc without longitudinal strial impressions. Elytral vestiture light gold on scutellum, paired subscutellar pale spots and discal transverse fasciae, dark brown on darker reddish-brown regions of elytron. Scutellum large in relation to body size, pale reddish-brown.

Prosternum pale orange; hypomeron weakly concave posterior to coxal insertions, strongly concave immediately anterior to hind margin of pronotum. Coxal cavities large, globular. Mesosternum reddish-brown, darker than prosternum, with pronounced median carina smoothly curved in lateral view. Mesepimera broad, subrectangular, bluntly pointed at mesocoxal articulations. Metasternum with pronounced median bulge with long setae, flatter and sparsely setose toward lateral margins, integument finely textured with shallow isodiametric sculpticells. Metepisternum narrow, elongately oval, rounded anteriorly and posteriorly.

Abdominal sterna 3–6 normal, male sternum VII broadly, shallowly emarginate and elevated medially, sternum VIII extremely narrow and transverse, shallowly emarginate medially.

Legs short, robust, protibial apices armed with short, broad, curving spines. Male protarsi with first three segments broadly expanded, cordate, bearing tenent setae; first segment as wide as tibial apex, subquadrate, longer than segment 2; segment 4 short, globular, segment 5 short, narrowly ovoid, shorter than segments 2–4 combined. Male mesotarsi with first three segments expanded, each with thick ventral pad of tenent setae; first segment ovate, approximately 2/3 3 width of tibial apex, segments 2 and 3 weakly expanded.

Male genital segment ( Fig. 70 View Figs ) subquadrate, bluntly pointed at apex, pleurites truncate and densely setose apically, tergite sparsely setose, with minute thumbnail-shaped heavily sclerotized region at apex. Anterior apophysis produced, broad, weakly expanded and truncate at apex. Pleurites very weakly fused ventrally. Aedeagus ( Fig. 90 View Figs ) with median lobe short, stout, gradually tapering to a blunt triangular point at apex. Basal piece short, broad, barely longer than penis. Parameres slender, cylindrical, scarcely extending past apex of median lobe; interor faces of paramere apices with only sparse, minute setae. In repose, parameres lie parallel and adjacent to each other, dorsal to the penis; during eversion, the parameres splay outward. Endophallus with two small patches of short hyaline spines or asperities, as well as 3–4 large, heavily sclerotized, curving, asymmetrical sclerites.

Female genitalia with coxites broad at base, tapering distally,.4 3 length of stylus. Styli extremely minute, weakly attenuate and rounded apically, broad at base, bearing terminal seta approximately 3/4 3 length of coxite.

Natural History. The majority of specimens examined were collected in malaise traps and flight intercept traps in March–June, some were collected by pyrethrum knockdown and litter sifting; the pinned material examined for this study was also more than 75% female, perhaps suggesting a difference in activity levels between males and females.

Etymology. The specific epithet is based on the Latin variabilis (variable), referring to the variation between light and dark coloration in this species.