Brachypeplus xanthorrhoeae Lea, 1925

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 : 75-77

27. Brachypeplus xanthorrhoeae Lea, 1925

Figs 22 , A–I

Brachypeplus xanthorrhoeae Lea, 1925: 415 ; NSW: Sydney; SA, Kangaroo Island.

Specimens examined. Type specimens: Australia: lectotype of Brachypeplus xanthorrhoeae , male ( SAM), here designated and 1 paralectotype ( ZIN)—“ xanthorrhoeaea, Lea, Type, Sydney ” ; 3 paralectotypes ( SAM)—“ Sydney, Lea ” ; 1 paralectotype ( SAM)—“ Kangaroo Island , South Australia, 10.1924” ; 4 paralectotypes ( SAM)—“ Kangaroo , J.G.O Tepper ”; Other specimens : Australia, NSW: 3 exx ( ANIC, ZIN)—“ Wahroonga, NS Wales, H.J. Carter ”; 1 ex ( AMS)—“ Young, NWS, Sloane”; SA: 1 exx ( AMS)—“ Myponga , S. Australia, A.H. Elston. ”

Diagnosis. This species can be easily diagnosed after the above key to Australian species of the genus. Brachypeplus xanthorrhoeae is distinct among Australian species due to its comparatively large, shining, subunicolorous dark brown body with slightly lighter appendages and with lack of pubescence on head, pronotum and elytra. Besides, this species is characterized by the comparatively sparse and fine punctation of dorsal integument with regular puncture seriation on elytra, comparatively wide pregenal processes with sharply acute outer apical angle and comparatively strong tibial spurs.

Addition to description. Body length 3.7–5.4 mm. Body dark brown to blackish, with somewhat lighter intersegmental articulations of abdomen and appendages; head, pronotum, elytra, lower thoracic sclerites and abdominal ventrites 1–3 without hairs; abdominal segments uncovered by elytra, ventrites 4 and hypopygidium with very short and slightly conspicuous hairs, pronotal and elytral sides with sparse very short hairs (not clear ciliate).

Head with moderately fine punctures (1.5–2.0 × as coarse as eye facets), interspaces between punctures about as great as one puncture diameter, smoothly alutaceous. Pronotum with punctures somewhat finer than those on head, interspaces between punctures greater than one puncture diameter, smoothly alutaceous. Elytra with longitudinal rows of punctures about as coarse as those on pronotum and located in bottom of very shallow striae, interstrial spaces with one row of finer punctures, interspaces between punctures smoothly alutaceous; below thoracic sclerites and abdominal ventrite 1 with punctures nearly as coarse as those on pronotum, interspaces between punctures almost completely smooth.

Antenna almost as long as distance between eyes, with scape more than 2.0 × longer than antennomere 3, more than 2.0 × as long as wide, pedicel (antennomere 2) slightly shorter than antennomere 3, antennal club somewhat less than 0.3 of total antennal length, elongate oval and about 1.5 × as long as wide. Pregenal processes rather wide and with rounded outer apical angle; mentum with slightly projecting anterior angles, almost 4.0 × as wide as long. Pronotum widest at middle, with clearly trapezoid-like excised anterior edge, projecting anterior angles and nearly clear tip, sides narrowly explanate in anterior half and moderately subexplanate in posterior half (less widely subexplanate than scape wide) and slightly bi-emarginate base. Scutellar shield subpentagonal and with subangular to subtruncate apex. Elytra with sides about as widely explanate as base of pronotum. Prosternal process about 4.0 × as wide as distance between procoxae and with subtruncate apex. Distance between mesocoxae about 2.0 × greater and that between metacoxae markedly greater than that between procoxae. Abdominal ventrite 3 slightly shorter than ventrites 1, ventrite 2 about 0.7 × as long as each of ventrites 1 and 3, ventrite 4 longest among ventrites 1–4. Male and female pygidium slightly transverse, about 1.2 × as long as tergite VI and subtruncate at apex, and female pygidium rather subtruncate to shallowly emarginate at apex. Male hypopygidium more than 1.7× as long as ventrite 1 (and about 1.2 × as long as long ventrite 4) and subtruncate to widely rounded at apex. Female hypopygidium about 2.2 × as long as ventrite 1 (about 1.3× as long as long ventrite 4) and widely rounded at apex.

Pro- and mesotibiae subtriangular, about as wide as antennal club, with outer apical angle not projecting; spurs moderately long and moderately thick; male protarsus about 0.5 × as wide as protibia, female protarsus as well as meso- and metatarsi of both sexes narrower.

Male anal sclerite dorsoventrally compressed and with widely rounded and not serrate apex. Aedeagus heavily sclerotized. Tegmen about 2.5 × as long as wide and narrowed at rounded apex. Penis trunk somewhat shorter than tegmen, somewhat more than 2.0 × as long as wide, narrowed at distal 0.2 to acute apex. Armature of inner sac of penis represented by diffuse small sclerotized granules concentrated in unclear paired paramedian S-shaped formations and one median spiculum at its end. Ovipositor slightly sclerotized and moderately narrow; its gonocoxites comprising almost 0.5 of entire length, lateral lobes slightly sclerotized and about 0.3 × as long as gonocoxites in general, outer outline of gonocoxites clearly concave at end of lateral lobes and subparallel-sided at apex; moderately wide apex with comparatively short styli located subapically.

Distribution. Australia: NSW (type locality: Sydney and Young), SA (Mypong and Kangaroo Island).

Notes on bionomy. According to Lea (1925: 415) this species is known that “Numerous specimens were taken from closely compacted young leaves of species of Xanthorrhoea”.

Figures

FIGURE 22. Brachypeplus xanthorrhoeae, orig. A–H: male from NSW (“Wahroonga…”); I: female from SA (“Kangaroo Island…”); A: body, dorsal: B: head, dorsal; C: head, ventral; D: 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 = 0.25 mm to Figs E–I.