Onicotis auritus ( Murray, 1864 ), 2022

Kirejtshuk, Alexander G. & Kovalev, Alexey V., 2022, Monograph on the Cillaeinae (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae) from the Australian Region with comments on the taxonomy of the subfamily, Zootaxa 5103 (1), pp. 1-133 : 113-115

46. Onicotis auritus ( Murray, 1864)

Figs 34 , A-I

Brachypeplus (Onicotis) auritus Murray, 1864: 289 ; NSW, “Sydney district”, “in nidis apum” (in the nests of bees);

Onicotis auritus: Kirejtshuk 2008: 121 .

Notes. This species taxon was described as the single member of the subgenus Onicotis of the genus Brachypeplus by Murray (1864), which was later erected by Kirejtshuk (2008) to the generic rank. As the genus includes only one species, the description of the latter in accordance with the principle “ descriptio generico-specifica” is shortened till only the characters which are not indicated in the generic description.

Specimens examined. Type specimens: lectotype of of Brachypeplus (Onicotis) auritus here designated (BMNH)—“Nlle Holl.” [Nouvelle Hollande = Australia], “[18]68.106”, “ auritus ”; 1 paralectotype of Brachypeplus (Onicotis) auritus (BMNH) —“Nlle Holl.” [Nouvelle Hollande =Australia], “[18]68.106”, “ auritus ” 2 paralectotypes of Brachypeplus (Onicotis) auritus (ZMB) —“ Brachypeplus auritus Murr. *, Nov. Holl., Murray”, “40945”. Other specimens: Australia, QLD: 4 exx (? paralectotypes) (2 adults and 2 larvae) (NHML)—“ Queensland, Australia”, “Sharp Coll., 1905–313”, “from Mr Smith”, “ Brachypeplus auritus Murray , Queensland ”; 5 exx (NHML)—circle with “ Queensland ”, “found in numbers in the nest of Trigona carbonaria ”, circle with “63/80”, (det. Jelínek, 1972); NSW: 2 exx (ANIC)—“Sydney”, “on permant loan from Macleay Mus.”; 2 exx (NHML)—green ellipse with “Sydney”, “ Onicotis auritus Mr. ”, “Pascoe Coll. 93-60” (det. Jelínek, 1972); 1 ex (NHML)—“in nest of smaller honey bee”, “ Brachypeplus auritus Murr., NSW ”, “G.C. Champion Coll., B.M. 1927-409”; 1 ex (QMB)—”Native bee nest, Froggatt, 2/2/1894 ”; 2 exx (ZIN, ZMC)—“Sydney”, “coll. Jensen-Haarup”; 2 exx (SAM)—“in nest of native bee”, “NSWales, J 8579”; 4 (SAM, ZIN)—“inquiline”, “5852, Brachypeplus auritus Murr. , NSWales”; 1 ex (SAM)—“Griffith Collection, Id. A.M. Lea”, “1715 NSW 7748”; 2 exx (CMS)—“Lane Cove.”;?: 1 ex (TMB)— “Australia” (det. O. Sjöberg).

Notes on type series. Murray (1864: 289) wrote that he “received a single specimen of this species from Mr. Sharp MacLeay” and later received from Mr. Frederick Smith “a number, both of the larva and perfect insect, alive, in the nest of a wild bee sent from Australia, and which were devouring the substance of the nest.” It can be supposed with some degree of certainty that the specimens from NHML come to this collection from David Sharp (but not from the Australian entomologist William Sharp Macleay) are the same ones about which Murray wrote as received from Mr. Frederick Smith because they have the labels “Sharp Coll., 1905–313” and one of them with additional label “from Mr Smith”. But it is imposible to have a complete confidence in this as these specimens originated from QLD, although this state was not mentioned in the original description. However, it could be supposed that the specimens from NHML and ZMB with the lebel “Nlle Holl.” (Nouvelle Holland) have the same origin (i. e. the part of these specimens were exchanged from NHML to ZMB after the indication by Murray and registration in NHML). Therefore a lectotype was chosen from the specimens deposited and have the lebel “Nlle Holl.”

Description (male). Body length with abdomen 4.9–6.9, body length without abdomen 2.4–3.1, width 2.2–3.0, height 1.0– 1.2 mm. Body bright reddish with more or less darkened upper surface, particularly elytra (sometimes to blackish); dorsum smoothed and with some shine and underside very shining. Dorsum without trace of pubescence, except rather long yellowish golden cilia (nearly 0.5 × as long as antennal club wide) on pronotal and elytral sides; underside with moderately sparse and moderately long and fine, slightly conspicuous yellowish hairs (mostly about 2.0 × as long as distance between punctures).

Head and pronotum with rather fine punctures (markedly finer than eye facets), interspaces between them some times greater than puncture diameter and smoothed; in addition to fine punctures, also with sparse and rather coarse puntures on discs of head and pronotum, 2.0–3.0 × as coarse as eye facets and with one very small tubercle inside. Elytra at base between striae with distinct fine punctures (as fine as those on head and pronotum, including one row of very dense punctures along middle of interstriae) and externally on elytral slopes becoming more and more obliterated; at bottom of each stria with dense row of rather coarse punctures similar to coarser punctures on head and pronotum; all interspaces between punctures more or less smoothed. Abdominal laterosternites V–VII also with very fine punctures about as fine as finer punctures on other above body sclerites, but on tergites V–VII these fine punctures becoming sparser and intermixed by coarser punctures bearing inside raised and sharp tubercles; all interspaces more or less smoothed. Underside also with very fine and rather sparse punctures, much sparser than those on dorsal surface, interspaces between them smoothed to alutaceous.

Head somewhat shorter than distance between eyes, eyes looking like triangle with angular outer outline. Labrum short and with clear median suture. Mandibles moderately short, stout, angular at outer outline and with bidentate apex. Mentum nearly 2.0 × as wide as long. Antennal with minimal distance much greater than width of mentum. Pregenal process subtruncate at apex. Terminal labial palpomere about 2.0 × as long as wide. Terminal maxillary palpomere about 2.5 × as long as wide. Antennae markedly shorter than head width, anteroapical process of scape more than 2.0× longer than scape, pedicel about as long as wide and subequal with antennomere 4, antennomere 3 about 1.5 × as long as previous and following antennomeres, cluи suboviform, about 1.3 × as long as wide and with antennomeres 9 and 10 subequal in width and somewhat wider and much longer than antennomere 11.

Pronotum about 1.7 × as wide as long. Scutellar shield about 2.0 × as wide as long. Abdominal laterosternites V and VI emarginate at very narrow spiracles (more than 4.0 × longer than wide). Tergite V about 4.0 × as wide as long and tergite VI only slightly narrower. Pygidium more than 2.0 × as wide as long. Prosternal process at apex about 5.0 × as wide as distance between procoxae, with brash of very long hairs along its subtruncate apex. Pro- and mesocoxae comparatively narrowly separated, distance between metacoxae about 2.0 × greater. Metaventrite with median suture in distal four fifths. Abdominal ventrites 1 and 2 subequal in length and shortest, ventrites 3 and 4 subequal in length and each longer than each of 1 and 2, hypopygidium 2.0 × as wide as long and widely emarginate at apex.

Femora of usual shape, profemur about 1.5 ×, mesofemur almost 2.0 ×, metafemur more than 2.0 × as wide as corresponding tibiae. Protibia with very small teeth along outer edge. Protarsus nearly as wide as, meso- and metatarsi markedly narrower than corresponding tibiae.

Tegmen with some setae at subangular apex. Penis trunk subpentagonal and with slight excision at subangular apex. Inner sac of penis including one pair of long and moderately sclerotized sclerites and at base of them one heavily sclerotized long sclerite (about 0.5 × as long as paired sclerites).

Female. Differs from male only in slightly narrower protarsi and hypopygidium subtruncate at apex. Ovipositor of usual generalized structure, its gonocoxites comprising almost 0.6 of entire length, inner and outer lobes gonocoxites well isolated, outer lobes about 0.3 × as long as inner lobes, inner lobes behind outer lobes heavily sclerotized, moderately long styli located subapically.

Variations. Only small variability can be observed in coloration and sculpture of integument.

Distribution. This species is known from QLD and NSW.

Notes on bionomy. This species seems to be associated as an inquline with nests of native bee, feeding on substrate in the nest.

Figures

FIGURE 34. Onicotisauritus, adult, orig.A-H:male from NSW (“5852…”) andI: female from? (“Native bee nest, Froggatt…”); A: body, dorsal; B: head, dorsal; C: head and thorax, ventral; D: lateral side of abdominal segments 5 and 6, dorsal; thorax, ventral; E: male anal sclerite and spiculum gastrale, ventral; F: tegmen, ventral; G: penis trunk, dorsal; H: proximal part of inner sac with armature; I: ovipositor, ventral. Scale bars: a = 1.0 mm to Fig. A; b = 1.0 mm to Figs B–D; с = 0.5 mm to Figs E–I.