Matthewsius rossi ( Matthews, 1974 ) Matthews, 1974

Gunter, Nicole L. & Weir, Thomas A., 2017, Two new genera of Australian dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) with the description of six new species and transfer of six described species, Zootaxa 4290 (2), pp. 201-243 : 218-219

Matthewsius rossi ( Matthews, 1974) new combination

Figs 3 C, 6C, 5F

Aptenocanthon rossi Matthews, 1974: 96

Material examined. New South Wales: Holotype Aptenocanthon rossi : [33°31'00''S, 150°21'00''E] Mount Wilson, 900 m, 22 December 1962, E.S. Ross & D.O. Cavagnaro (in CAS). Other material: [33°29'00''S, 150°28'00'']E, Mount Irvine, G. Williams & T. Williams, 5 January 1980 (in Geoff Williams Collection ANIC 25- 062497 ) ; [33°41'00"S, 151°16'00"E], Ingleside, Katandra Bushland Sanctuary, G. Hangay, November 1998 (in ANIC 25- 055632); 33°20'17"S, 150°11'37"E, Newnes State Forest , Sunnyside Road, 6.5 km from Blackfellows Road, G. Milledge, L. Hampden, & J. Tamawski, 15–30 November 2005 (in ANIC 25-055633–5 (also as K266981, K266982, K266983), 25-057620 (also as K267057); in AM K266967 (also as 25- 060807 )) ; [33°20'00"S, 150°11'00"E], Newnes State Forest , Blackfellows Hand Road, G. Milledge, L. Kampen, & J. Tarnawaski, 14–30 November 2005 (in AM K266968 (also as 25- 060808 )) ; 33°21'27"S, 150°16'37"E, Newnes State Forest , Deep Pass Road (South), G. Milledge & M. Beatson, 6–20 March 2006 (in AM K266966, K267054 (also as 25- 060802 )) , 33°21'27"S, 150°16'37"E, Newnes State Forest , Deep Pass Road (South), G. Milledge, L. Kampden, & J. Tamawaski, 15–30 November 2005 (in AM K266961( ANIC 25- 060806 )) ; 33°20'14"S, 150°14'43"E, Newnes State Forest , track off Glowworm Tunnel Road, 11 km N by road from Bungleboori Picnic Area, G. Milledge & M. Beatson, 6–20 March 2006 (in AM K266964 (also as 25- 060803 )) ; 33°20'14"S, 150°14'43"E, Newnes State Forest , track off Glowworm Tunnel Road, 11 km N by road from Bungleboori Picnic Area, G. Milledge, L. Kampden, & J. Tamawaski, 15–30 November 2005 (in AM K266963 (also as 25- 060805 )) ; 33°23'50"S, 150°15'06"E, Newnes State Forest , Waratah Ridge Road, 3.2 km from Glowworm Tunnel Road, G. Milledge, L. Hampden, & J. Tamawski, 15–30 November 2005 (in AM K266965, in ANIC 25- 060809 ) ; 33°23'50"S, 150°15'06"E, Newnes State Forest , Waratah Ridge Road, 3.2 km from Glowworm Tunnel Road, G. Milledge, J. Tamawski, & M. Beatson, 23 February 2006 (in AM K266962, K267055–6, in ANIC 25- 060810 ).

Description. Colour: Black. Antennae yellow.

Total Length: 3.0– 4.8 mm

Male: Head: Broad U-shape between clypeal teeth, which are slightly upturned. Rest of margin of head feebly convex to eye. Mentum almost square, bordered anteriorly, reticulate with setation dense on posterior corners. Edge of head bordered, wider between eye canthus and suture, genal angle slightly prominent. Dorsal parts of eyes notched, separated by an interocular space of about 16 times eye width; eye canthus not dividing eye. Surface smooth, nitid, glabrous, with heavy, round punctures; punctures separated by less than 1 diameter. Head width to length ratio 44:27.

Pronotum: Anterior angles almost 90° with a distinct border. Basal angles distinct. Basal margin rounded. Lateral edge margined. Hypomeron reticulate with heavy punctation. Punctures along basal margin almost extend to basal edge, with punctures different from disc. All punctures round, without setae, separated by 1 diameter; punctation less dense medially. Hypomeral stria short. Pronotum width to length ratio 70:40.

Elytra: Surface smooth. Intervals densely punctate; setae on intervals fine, curved, approximately equal in length to the distance between punctures. Striae impressed, 1–6 geminate, appearing as 2 parallel lines; 7 single; all striae with simple punctures, crenulate from approximately midpoint to apex. All striae on disc equal width, extending to the base; striae 7 are short and only present in basal 2/3rd; 8th striae confined to groove posteriorly. Ratio of length of elytra along suture to maximum elytral width 70:85.

Legs: Prothoracic legs with trochantofemoral anterior pit and trochanter excavated dorsally for reception of inner apical edge of protibia. Protibiae with 3 teeth on outer edge, which is serrate between teeth and proximal to them, each tooth with 2 groups of setae dorsally, front edge straight between apical tooth and short, broad apical spur. The tooth on underside near base of tarsus is a blunt projection. Protibiae inner apical angle produced, with apical comb of short, flattened bristles and on lower surface a brush of long setae extending beyond edge of comb. Claws small and simple. Mesotibiae broad and densely setose on the inner side. Metatibiae are slightly bent with the inner edge of tibia not crenulate. Males with small, blunt tooth at inner apical edge of metatibiae. Tarsomere 1 wider than the other tarsomeres but not lobed.

Abdomen: Pygidium with transverse groove at base reaching basal angle, with a narrow groove around the rest of the pygidium. Ventrites reticulate, with a row of punctures along the anterior edge of ventrites 2–5, ventrite 6 punctate. Suture between abdominal ventrites simple.

Pterothorax: Medial lobe of metaventrite punctate and broadly margined between the mesocoxae. Mesometaventral suture slightly arched. Lateral lobe of the metaventrite reticulate with horseshoe-shaped punctures. Mesoventrite smooth with horseshoe-shaped punctures extending right across but less defined medially, not notched anteriorly. Mesepimera reticulate and punctate. Metanepisterna slightly reticulate with round punctures.

Hind wings: Absent.

Female: Protibiae not expanded at inner apical angle and with longer apical spur. Setae on tarsomeres shorter and less dense than in males. Mesotibiae lack inner brush of setae. Pygidium markedly more convex.

Distribution. See Fig. 5 F. Known only from New South Wales, from Mount Wilson and Newnes State Forest in the Blue Mountains and Ingleside, north of Sydney. Collected in pitfall traps in dry and wet sclerophyll forest.

Comments. At the time of description, the male of A. rossi was unknown and the description was based on a single female specimen ( Matthews 1974). Matthews (1974) placed the species in Aptenocanthon but noted that elytra lacked the distinct carina outside striae 7, which defines the pseudepipleura.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Pygidium and aedeagus (left view, dorsal view, right view) of species of Matthewsius new genus, all scale bars 0.5 mm. A, Matthewsius illawarrensis new combination; B, M. penelopae new combination; C, M. rossi new combination; D, M. speewah new combination; E, M. stricklandensis new species; F, M. vanleeuweni new species.

FIGURE 5. Distributional maps of species belonging to the new genera Matthewsius and Monteithocanthon including close up insets of A, Pilbara region, Western Australia; B, northeastern Queensland; C, southeastern Queensland; D, southwestern Western Australia; E, southeastern South Australia; F, central to southeastern New South Wales.