Notopilo eremosus, Bartlett & Lambkin, 2022

Bartlett, Justin S. & Lambkin, Christine L., 2022, Australian Opilonini (Coleoptera: Cleridae: Clerinae) part I: A revised taxonomy for Australian Opilo Latreille including descriptions of new genera and species, Zootaxa 5220 (1), pp. 1-81 : 40-41

Notopilo eremosus sp. nov.

ZooBank registration: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:2C0B213F-833D-4CE4-90DA-7E48D5B62225

( Fig. 158 ; Map 3)

HOLOTYPE (sex not determined): Western Australia: Charlie’s Knob, Gibson Desert, Western Australia, 26 March 1976 R.E. Johnstone // Mulga– Eucalyptus – Triodia . Collected at night ( WAM E88368 ).

Diagnosis. Pronotum goblet-shaped, widest anteriorly, central impression apparently absent, base with conspicuous pair of paramedical tubercles; elytra pale (basal third orange, posterior two-thirds yellow) with brownish markings (a broad transverse, pre-apical fascia suddenly expanded at the suture, plus a more slender post-basal, transverse fascia extending thinly along the suture to the scutellum), punctation with nodules, 8 th striae beginning just posterior of the post-basal transverse fascia; striae 1–8 terminating within preapical fascia, 9–10 terminating between both fasciae; femora bicoloured; tarsi with three ventral tarsal pads.

The pair of tubercles at the pronotal base and the fasciate form of the post-basal maculation will separate N. eremosus sp. nov. from N. xanthoprolatus sp. nov. which it somewhat resembles.

Description. Habitus: Fig. 158 . Total length: 7 mm. Head: Cranium dark brown except gula orange, labrum, palpi and antennae orange-brown, anteclypeus semi-transparent orange; vertex and frons with shallow punctures and wrinkles, frons almost smooth in parts, genae wrinkled, submentum partly wrinkled; eyes separated by 1.36 eye widths; exterior margins of terminal palpomeres about 1.1 times (maxillae) and 2.0 times (labium) the length of inside edges; antennae notably long, reaching near base of pronotum; eyes and most of cranium vested with erect pale setae, frons with extremely fine shorter, medially-directed setae. Prothorax: Entirely orange-brown; pronotum 1.26 times longer than wide, goblet-shaped, anteriorly slightly broader than middle and about as wide or slightly narrower than head, sides weakly tuberculate, subapical depression poorly defined though v-shaped, central impression extremely shallow (apparently absent), base of disc with conspicuous pair of paramedial tubercles; disc with shallow punctuation and wrinkles (though smooth in appearance), moderately distributed with short fine multi-directional setae and long erect setae. Pterothorax: Ventrites yellow-brown to orange, moderately vested with short, pale, posteriorly-directed setae of two lengths; elytra pale (basal third orange, posterior two-thirds yellow) with brownish markings (a broad transverse, pre-apical fascia suddenly expanded at the suture, plus a more slender post-basal, transverse fascia extending thinly along the suture to the scutellum); length to width ratio 2.71:1; punctation with lateral nodules, nodules least visible in pale region beween transverse fasciae, punctation (particular in pale areas) appearing larger than actual puncture diameter due to visibility of subcutaneous structures, striae 1–8 terminating within preapical fascia, 9–10 terminating between both fasciae, 8 th striae beginning just posterior of the post-basal transverse fascia; interstriae with very fine, short, erect setae and slightly thicker, erect, setae about twice as long as the latter; epipleurae extending well into apical curve. Legs: Basal two-thirds of femora yellow, apical third of femora plus tibiae and tarsi brown, ventral tarsal pads yellowish; profemora bhardly more swollen than other femora. Abdomen: Ventrites orange. Male genitalia: Not studied.

Etymology. The specific epithet eremosus (from Greek ‘eremos’ meaning solitary or lonely, and also in reference to the term ‘eremia’ meaning desert) refers both to the fact that only one specimen is known and to the eremial region where the unique holotype was collected.

Biology. The only known specimen was collected late March at light in an area predominantly vegetated by mulga ( Acacia aneura ) and Eucalyptus trees or shrubs and Triodia grass.

Distribution (Map 3). Known only from Charlie’s Knob (-25.051343, 124.975467), off the Gary Highway, Gibson Desert, Western Australia.

Figures

FIGURES 150–161. Habitus: (150) Infectostriatus differens, holotype; (151) Monilonotum bunyense, paratype; (152) Monilonotum doddi; (153) Monilonotum pascoei; (154) Monilonotum sundholmi, paratype; (155) Monilonotum rufiventre; (156–161) Notopilo, beswickensis species group—(156) Notopilo beswickensis, holotype; (157) Notopilo calicis, holotype; (158) Notopilo eremosus, holotype; (159) Notopilo tompricensis, holotype; (160) Notopilo xanthoimprocerus, holotype; (161) Notopilo xanthoprolatus, holotype (scale bars: 1.0 mm).