Notocryptus, Gimmel & Leschen, 2022

Gimmel, Matthew L. & Leschen, Richard A. B., 2022, Revision of the genera of Picrotini (Coleoptera: Cryptophagidae: Cryptophaginae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae (Acta. Ent. Mus. Natl. Pragae) 62 (1), pp. 61-109 : 87-90

Notocryptus gen. nov.

( Figs 33–49 , 86 , 90, 92 , 102 )

Type species. Cryptophagus australis Redtenbacher, 1868 , by present designation.

Diagnosis. This Australian and New Zealand genus is the largest and most heterogeneous genus of Picrotini , and currently serves as a collection of species with generalized characters and habitus; they may be characterized by having the following features in combination: pronotal bead not expanded and without glabrous space; abdominal ventrites free; antennal club composed of three antennomeres; pronotal platforms and teeth absent ( Fig. 86 ); body with dense, conspicuous setation dorsally; anterior pronotal angles rounded, obtuse; pronotum with basal pits or impression(s) (sometimes weak); discrimen present; metaventrite without postcoxal lines ( Fig. 92 ).

Description. Length 1.10–2.30 mm. Body form variable ( Figs 33–49 ), elongate and parallel-sided to subfusiform, prothorax distinctly narrower than elytra, or nearly as wide as elytra, shining dorsally, with dense decumbent setae and usually with many medium-length to long, sparse, suberect to erect setae dorsally; unicolorous (most), sometimes distinctly bicolored or multicolored. Head with tempora usually present but sometimes absent, when present at least one-fourth length of eye, sometimes greater; vertex with temporal depression present or absent immediately anterior to ridge; band of reticulate sculpture present or absent. Frontoclypeus usually not projecting laterally (slightly to distinctly projecting laterally just anterior to eye in two undescribed species); raised portion of frons between antennal insertions not constricted, slightly narrower to about as wide as or wider than antennal club. Transverse ridge above antennal insertions absent. Eye large, rounded, contacting antennal cavity; interfacetal setae present or absent. Antennal club consisting of 3 antennomeres; antenna inserted into small cavity; antennomere 9 (rarely) barely wider than 8, to (usually) subequal in width to antennomere 10. Mandible with apex bifid, subapical serrations present. Maxillary palpomere 4 distinctly longer than or subequal to 3; palpomere 4 not subulate. Gena without antennal groove; genal spines sharply acute to obtuse and poorly developed. Gular sutures incomplete, not reaching occipital foramen. Pronotum not explanate and sometimes weakly constricted at base, usually narrower than elytra, usually widest in anterior half, sometimes widest at posterior angles (2 undescribed species from Australia); anterior angles present or absent, sometimes projecting anteriorly, extending anterior to cervical foramen of prothorax, without a distinct flat glandular surface or platform ( Fig. 86 ); lateral carina present and complete, smooth and lacking teeth, crenulations, or setigerous tubercles, with lateral glabrous space absent, width of lateral bead wider than discal puncture and (usually) narrower than antennal funicle, sometimes wide; disc with basal impression present or absent, if present usually transverse and not paired; paramedial carinae absent, paralateral plicae usually absent but sometimes present; posterolateral angles variable from acute and projecting to obtuse. Prothoracic hypomeron usually fused to prosternum (separated by suture in 2 undescribed species). Prosternum with anterior margin on same plane as disc; prosternal process with lateral beads present and parallel, connecting around apex, or absent but with paired parallel carinae flanking a central, longitudinal groove or depression ( Fig. 90 ) (a medial longitudinal carina present in two undescribed species), process slightly expanded apically, narrowly to broadly rounded and crenulate with minute setae; procoxal cavity with or without anterolateral notch. Scutellar shield clearly visible, transverse to obtusely triangular. Elytron without humeral tooth; subbasal impression often present (distinct in N. discoideus ), subapical impression usually absent (weakly present in one undescribed species); subapical gape present; punctation confused, often extremely dense and well or moderately impressed; vestiture usually dual with a few to numerous long or short, erect or suberect setae present laterally and on disc (erect setae virtually absent in two undescribed species), decumbent setae sometimes directed straight posteriorly, often with undulate pattern with postscutellar and subapical setae directed laterally. Hind wing well developed. Mesoventrite with mesoventrital cavity shallow and punctate to deep, glabrous and bowl-like and sometimes flanked by sharp carinae. Mesanepisternal pit present, either lined with setae or glabrous. Metaventrite without postcoxal lines ( Fig. 92 ); discrimen present, more or less than 1/2 length of metaventrite, posterior notch of metaventrite usually present, a broad lineate glandular field surrounds the discrimen in males of one undescribed species. Metendosternite with anterior tendons approximate. Tarsi 5-5- 5 in female, 5-5- 4 in male; tarsi moderately slender, tarsomere 5 as wide as preceding tarsomeres in lateral view; pro- and mesotarsomere 4 asetose or unisetose; mesotarsomere 3 not or weakly lobed, with few setae, mesotarsomeres 1–3 of subequal to equal lengths, mesotarsomere 5 about as long as or distinctly shorter than mesotarsomeres 1–4 combined. Abdominal ventrites free and with medial and lateral calli usually present (medial calli absent in 1 undescribed species from New Zealand, lateral calli absent in 3 species), intersegmental crenulations usually absent (present in 2 undescribed species); ventrite 1 with intercoxal process narrowly to broadly rounded, with or without postcoxal lines, when present either scalloped or acuminate; medio-basal thickenings of ventrites 3–5 absent; apex of ventrite 5 with or without crenulations. Abdominal spiracles on segment VII with openings present and usually larger in diameter than spiracle VI, texture granulate and atrium rounded and saclike. Aedeagus ( Fig. 102 ) with tegminal strut absent, tegminal arms separate or fused, with or without a suture; parameres separate and articulated to phallobase, surface microtuberculate in one undescribed species, inner surface not or slightly concave, length about 2–9× longer than wide; apices asetose, uni- or multisetose; attachment point to phallobase not constricted, interparameral process absent; basipenis 2.5–6× longer than distipenis, with or without median carina; distipenis about as long as wide or relatively longer, up to 4× longer than wide, outer rims not or weakly to strongly crenulate, lateral lobes not widely separated, typically symmetrical but weakly to distinctly asymmetrical in some species; internal sac with a pair of short, regularly or irregularly shaped sclerites, or sclerites absent.

Remarks. As indicated above in the diagnosis, this genus is the most heterogeneous one within the Picrotini . Species included tend to have a generalized morphology, and the genus is almost certainly polyphyletic as presently conceived. Although certain species groups supported by characters can potentially be delimited, such as the presence of a medial longitudinal prosternal carina in two undescribed Australian species, we chose not to prematurely fracture this genus into multiple units pending a molecular phylogenetic analysis. Many species are quite abundant among cryptophagid material from Australia and New Zealand.

An examination of types of Cryptophagus australis Redtenbacher 1868 , C. hispidulus Broun, 1880 syn. nov., and C. obscurus Broun, 1893 syn. nov revealed that they fall within the range of variation of a single widespread New Zealand species. The type of C. obscurus is simply a darker color variation, which occurs in most long series of this species. These three species are here synonymized, and the name Notocryptus australis (Redtenbacher, 1868) takes priority.

A habitus line drawing of Notocryptus lindensis ( Blackburn, 1891) was provided in MൺඍඍHൾඐඌ (1992: fig. 43).

Biology. The species are commonly collected in window, flight intercept and Malaise traps, sweeping vegetation, and pyrethrum fogging, and can be collected from flowers, rotten wood, and by sifting leaf litter. Notocryptus australis can be abundant at forest edges and beaten from plants and found on flowers (this species was misidentified as “ Micrambina rutila ” by KඎඌർHൾඅ (1990)). Specimens of N. discoideus have been collected from under the wood of kahikatea ( Dacrycarpus dacrydioides (A.Rich.) de Laub. ; Podocarpaceae ) and under the bark of Pittosporum Banks ex Sol. (Pittosporaceae) and Sophora L. ( Fabaceae ). Notocryptus distinctus has been collected in a branch trap of Vitex lucens Kirk (Lamiaceae) and on Pittosporum tenuifolium Banks & Sol. ex Gaertn. , including freshly cut branches (KඎඌർHൾඅ 1990). It also occurs on sap flows and external damage of Pittosporum crassifolium Banks & Sol. ex A.Cunn. trees caused by the bark beetle Chaetoptelius mundulus (Broun, 1881) ( Coleoptera : Curculionidae : Scolytinae ; Y. Chen, pers. comm.). Undescribed New Zealand species have been collected under the bark of Plangiantus regius (Poit.) Hochr. ( Malvaceae ), in decaying nikau palm ( Rhopalostylis sapida H.Wendl. & Drude ; Arecaceae ), Brachyglottis elaeagnifolia (Hook.f.) B.Nord. (Asteraceae) , and beaten from Cassinia vauvilliersii Hook. f ( Asteraceae ). Gut contents we examined consisted of indeterminate material, but one specimen of N. lindensis from Australia had a gut packed with fungal hyphae. An undescribed species has been collected in the male cones of cycads ( Macrozamia Miq. ; Zamiaceae ) in Western Australia and another undescribed species from Codfish Island, New Zealand has been collected from bird guano, its gut packed with indeterminate matter.

Etymology. The generic name is derived from a combination of the Greek “ notios ”, meaning southern, and “ -cryptus ”, a common generic ending in Cryptophagidae . The gender is masculine.

Distribution. Australia, New Zealand.

Included species (4+13). Notocryptus australis (Redtenbacher, 1868) comb. nov. (from Cryptophagus ); Notocryptus discoideus ( Broun, 1893) comb. nov. (from Micrambina ); Notocryptus distinctus ( Broun, 1893) comb. nov. (from Brounina); Notocryptus lindensis ( Blackburn, 1891) comb. nov. (from Cryptophagus ); at least 13 undescribed species from Australia and New Zealand.

Figures

Figs 28–36. Habitus of species of Picrotini. 28 – Humerocryptus n. sp. 1 (New Zealand); 29 – Neopicrotus peckorum Leschen, 1996; 30 – Neopicrotus n. sp. 1 (Chile); 31 – Neopicrotus n. sp. 2 (Australia); 32 – Neopicrotus n. sp. 3 (Australia); 33 – Notocryptus australis (Redtenbacher, 1868); 34 – Notocryptus discoideus (Broun, 1893); 35 – Notocryptus distinctus (Broun, 1893); 36 – Notocryptus lindensis (Blackburn, 1891). Scale bars = 1 mm.

Figs 37–45. Habitus of species of Picrotini. 37 – Notocryptus n. sp. 1 (New Zealand); 38 – Notocryptus n. sp. 2 (Australia:WA); 39 – Notocryptus n. sp. 3 (New Zealand); 40 – Notocryptus n. sp. 4 (Australia: NSW, Tas, Vic); 41 – Notocryptus n. sp. 5 (New Zealand); 42 – Notocryptus n. sp. 6 (Australia:WA); 43 – Notocryptus n. sp. 7 (New Zealand); 44 – Notocryptus n. sp. 8 (New Zealand); 45 – Notocryptus n. sp. 9 (New Zealand). Scale bars = 1 mm.

Figs 46–54. Habitus of species of Picrotini. 46 – Notocryptus n. sp. 10 (Australia: NSW, Tas); 47 – Notocryptus n. sp. 11 (Australia: NSW, Qld, Vic); 48 – Notocryptus n. sp. 12 (Australia: NSW, Qld, Vic); 49 – Notocryptus n. sp. 13 (Australia: Qld); 50 – Odontosomatula carltoni sp. nov.; 51 – Odontosomatula n. sp. 1 (New Zealand); 52 – Orthoscelis transversus sp. nov.; 53 – Orthoscelis n. sp. 1 (Australia: NSW, Qld, Tas, Vic); 54 – Orthoscelis n. sp. 2 (Australia: ACT, NSW, Tas, Vic). Scale bars = 1 mm.

Figs 82–89. Head and pronotum of Picrotini. 82–88 – lateral view. 82 – Antarcticotectus rutilus (Broun, 1880); 83 – Antarcticotectus silvanus (Broun, 1880); 84 – Antarcticotectus tasmanicus (Blackburn, 1907); 85 – Chiliotis sp.; 86 – Notocryptus australis (Redtenbacher, 1868); 87 – Ostreacryptus helmsi (Reitter, 1880); 88 – Humerocryptus n. sp. 1. 89 – dorsolateral view, Humerocryptus tumidus (Broun, 1893).Abbreviations: lgs = lateral glabrous space.

Figs 90–94. Ventral characters of Picrotini. 90 – prosternum, Notocryptus n. sp. 11. 91–92 – metaventrite.91 – Foveocryptus chenyandongi sp. nov.; 92 – Notocryptus n. sp. 12. 93–94 – basal abdominal ventrites. 93 – Austroscelis gibbipennis (Blackburn, 1891); 94 – Cordosomatula magnabagishae sp. nov.

Figs 98–103.Aedeagus, dorsal view. 98 – Austroscelis gibbipennis (Blackburn, 1892); 99 – Bellascelis pecki sp. nov.; 100 – Cordosomatula magnabagishae sp. nov.; 101 – Humerocryptus n. sp. 1; 102 – Notocryptus australis (Redtenbacher, 1868); 103 – Orthoscelis transversus sp. nov. Abbreviations: aet = anterior extension of tegmen; as = apical serrations; bk = basal kink of internal sac; ep = endophallites; ics = inner concave surface; ip = interparameral plate; lf = lateral fold; os = ostium; pg = primary gonopore.