Dicranolaius weiri, Liu, Zhenhua, Ślipiński, Adam & Pang, Hong, 2015

Liu, Zhenhua, Ślipiński, Adam & Pang, Hong, 2015, Notes on Australian Laius Guérin-Méneville, Dicranolaius Champion and Intybia Pascoe with description of new species related to Dicranolaius c-purpureus (Lea) (Coleoptera: Melyridae: Malachiinae), Zootaxa 3936 (2), pp. 272-280 : 278

Dicranolaius weiri sp. n.

( Figures 1 A, 1B, 2A, 2D, 2E, 3A, 3D, 3G)

Etymology. Dedicated to Tom Weir of the Australian National Insect Collection, who has collected the holotype.

Diagnosis. This species is externally identical to D. c-purpureus and can be reliably distinguished only by male genitalia and the sexual characters on antennae and fore femora. Females of D. weiri can usually be separated from those of D. c-purpureus in having the C-shaped apical elytral mark occupying longer stretch of lateral edge ( Fig. 1 A), while in most specimens of D. c-purpureus the mark only touches the edge posteriorly ( Fig. 1 C).

Description. Length 5.44–5.92 mm. PL/PW 0.68–0.70, EL/EW 2.88–3.30, HW/PW 0.75–0.77, EL/PL 2.68–3.10.

Male. Head bicoloured with labrum, clypeus and anterior part of frons yellow or orange, remaining part of frons from middle of eyes and vertex bluish or black; prothorax uniformly yellow or orange; elytra orange or yellow with dark blue slightly iridescent humeral area and C-shaped preapical marking ( Figs 1 A, 1B); antennomeres 1–4 yellow, remaining segments dark brown or black; fore leg yellowish with dark brown tibia, mid and hind legs dark blue. Meso- and metaventrite dark, abdomen yellow with two terminal segments dark blue or black. Vestiture double, consisting of short and moderately dense yellow erect or semierect setae (adpressed on scutellum and part of head) and sparser and distinctly longer bristles, pale on yellow parts of elytra and usually darker on darker spots.

Head finely punctured with vertex weakly concave, covered with dense white adpressed setae and sparser bristles. Antenna with strongly modified basal segments ( Figs 2 D, 2E), scape slightly expanded; antennomere 3 expanded with dorsal pointed process on outer margin ( Fig. 2 E). Pronotum broader than head, widest at anterior third; lateral margins and pronotal base with narrow bead; disk smooth and shiny, sparsely setose. Scutellum truncate apically, covered with dense whitish adpressed setae. Elytra widest at apical third, sides gradually expanded posterolaterally; surfaces densely punctured, punctures about twice as large as eye facets, 0.5–0.7 puncture diameter apart. Fore femur with deep excavation on dorsal outer surface as in Figure 2 A. Fore tarsus with tarsomere 2 projecting over 3, bearing black comb composed of dense teeth.

Tergite VIII ( Fig. 3 D) with deep incision apically and short median spur; sternite VIII as in Figure 3 G. Aedeagus ( Fig. 3 A); endophallus with numerous smaller sclerites and spines.

Female. Identical to male but with frons flat or weakly convex, antennomeres 1 and 3 not modified and fore leg with femur simple and tarsomere 2 without comb.

Types. Holotype male, Northern Territory: 14.04S 131.59E, Fergusson R., 31 km SE by S of Pine Creek, N.T. 14 Nov. 1979, T. Weir (ANIC). Paratypes: same data as the holotype (2, males, 5, females; 5, ANIC; 2, SYSU; 1 dissection); Tindal, N. T. 14.31S 132.22E, 1–20 Dec.1967, light trap, W.J.M. Vestjens (1 male, ANIC, dissection); 12.06S 133.04E, Cooper Creek, N.T. 19 km E. by S of Mt. Borradaile 31.v.73 at light, E.G. Matthews (1 male, ANIC); Katherine, 20 Nov. 1974, on Eucalyptus sp., E.M. Exley & R.I. Storey (1 male, QMB).

Distribution. Northern Territory.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Dicranolaius species, dorsal and lateral habitus. (A, B) Dicranolaius weiri sp. n.; (C, D) Dicranolaius similis sp. n.; (E, F) Dicranolaius c-pupureus (Lea).

FIGURE 2. Dicranolaius, males; A – C Foreleg; D – I antenna and antennomeres 1 – 4. (A, D – E) Dicranolaius weiri sp. n.; (C, F – G) Dicranolaius similis sp. n.; (B, H – I) Dicranolaius c-pupureus (Lea).

FIGURE 3. Dicranolaius, males; A – C Penis; D – F Tergite VIII, dorsal; G – I Sternite VIII, ventral (A, D, G) Dicranolaius weiri sp. n.; (B, E, H) Dicranolaius similis sp. n.; (C, F, I) Dicranolaius c-pupureus (Lea).