Lepanus vangerweni Gunter & Weir, 2021

Gunter, Nicole L. & Weir, Thomas A., 2021, Revision of Australian species of the dung beetle genus Lepanus (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae): review of the L. ustulatus, L. storeyi, and L. nitidus species groups and description of eight new species, Zootaxa 4923 (1), pp. 1-66 : 54-56

Lepanus vangerweni Gunter & Weir , new species

( Figs. 13E, K, P ; 14E ; 15E ; 16E ; 17A, D )

Type series. Holotype: ♂ “QLD 17.154°S 145.474°E Longlands Gap , 18–19 Sep 2010, G. Monteith Mushroom trap, RF, 1120m 34587” / “ ANIC Database 25-059236” / “ Lepanus NQ 9 det T.A. Weir 2010 ” in ANIC (17°27’14”S, 145°28’26”E) . Paratypes (35 ♂, 38 ♀): Queensland : Longlands Gap, 17.154°S 145.474°E (17°27’14”S, 145°28’26”E), 18–19.ix.2010, G. Monteith, mushroom trap, rainforest, 1120 m (25-065536 1 specimen ♀ in ANIC) ; Longlands Gap , 17.154°S 145.474°E (17°27’14”S, 145°28’26”E), 18–19.ix.2010, G.B. Monteith (25-060793 2 specimens ♂, 1 specimen ♀ also as COL933 (♀), COL934 (♂), COL935 (♂), 25-060884 2 specimens ♀ also as COL1155, COL1156, in ANIC) ; Majors Mount track, 17°38’02”S, 145°32’02”E, 1020 m, 18–19.ix.2010, G.B. Monteith (25-060855 1 specimen ♂ also as COL1103, 25-060854 2 specimens ♂, 1 specimen ♀ in ANIC also as COL1100 (♂), COL1101 (♂), COL1002 (♀ )) ; Lambs Head , 20 km SW Cairns, 17°01’23”S, 145°38’33”E, 4–13.xii.1988 (T55341–T55343 1 specimen ♂, 2 specimens ♀ in QM) ; Mount Haig , 2 mi. N Tinaroo Dam [17°06’00”S, 145°36’00”E], 4000 m, 3.vi.1972, G.B. Monteith (25-058517 1 specimen ♂, 25-058518 1 specimen ♀ in QM [paratypes of Lepanus nitidus ]) ; Mount Haig , 17°06’22”S, 145°34’07”E, 17–21.iv.1994, G.E. Morse (25-058321–25-058324 2 specimens ♂, 2 specimens ♀ in ANIC) ; Mount Edith GS2 [17°06’00”S, 145°37’00”E], 1050 m, 1.xii.1994 – 3.i.1995, P. Zborowski (25-058310 1 specimen ♂, 25-058311 2 specimens ♀ in ANIC) ; Bellenden Ker Range, Cable Tower 3 [17°12’00”S, 145°51’00”E], 1054 m, 17.x–5.xi.1981, Earthwatch, Queensland Museum, (25-058298 4 specimens ♂, 1 specimen ♀ in ANIC) ; Hugh Nelson Range , 21 km S of Atherton [17°25’00”S, 145°28’00”E], 5.xi–1.xii.1983, R.I. Storey & Brown (25-032638 1 specimen ♂, 25-032642 1 specimen ♂ in QDPC) ; Sluice Creek , 17°32’24”S, 145°31’56”E, 1.xii.1993 – 25.ii.1994 (T55832 1 specimen ♀ in QM) ; Tower near the Crater National Park, 17°27’23”S, 145°29’12”E, 10.i–31.iii.1995 (T55231–T55237 4 specimens ♂, 3 specimens ♀ in QM) ; BS2 Mount Fisher [17°33’00”S, 145°32’00”E], 1150 m, 31.i–27.ii.1996, L. Umback (25-058325 1 specimen ♂ in ANIC) ; BS3 Massey Creek [17°37’00”S, 145°34’00”E], 1000 m, 1.xii.1994 – 3.i.1995, P. Zborowski (25-058306 5 specimens ♂, 3 specimens ♀ in ANIC) ; GS3 Hugh Nelson Range [17°27’00”S, 145°29’00”E], 1150 m, 1.xii.1994 – 3.i.1995, P. Zborowski (25-058316 1 specimen ♂, 25-058317 1 specimen ♂ in ANIC) ; Vine Creek , Majors Mountain, 17°40’58”S, 145°32’02”E, 4–6.ii.1999 (T75488–T75493, T75495 4 specimens ♂, 3 specimens ♀) ; Mount Kooroomool summit, 7 km S, 17°54’09”S, 145°40’55”E, 3.xii.1998 (T70889–T70900 11 ♀ in QM) ; Mount Edith Lamb Range , 17°04’08”S, 145°37’59”E, 4–5.xii.2010, G.B. Monteith (25-060833 1 specimen ♀, also as COL1466 specimens in ANIC) ; GS2 Mount Edith , 17°06’00”S, 145°36’36”E], 1050 m, 31.viii–29.ix.1995, L. Umback (25-058308 1 specimen ♀ in ANIC) ; GS2 Mount Edith [17°06’00”S, 145°37’00”E], 1050 m, 29.ix– 31.x.1995, L. Umback (25-058312 1 specimen ♂ in ANIC) ; GS2 Mount Edith [17°06’00”S, 145°37’00”E], 1050 m, 31.vii–31.viii.1995, L. Umback (25-058314 1 specimen ♀ in ANIC) ; BS3 Massey Creek , [17°37’00”S, 145°34’00”E], 1000 m, 1.xii.1994 – 3.i.1995, P. Zborowski (25-058307 4 specimens ♂, 1 specimen ♀ in ANIC) ; Hugh Nelson Range , GS3 [17°27’00”S, 145°29’00”E], 1150 m, 4.ii–6.iii.1995, P. Zborowski (25-058315 1 specimen ♂ in ANIC) ; BS1 Longlands Gap [17°28’00”S, 145°29’00”E], 1150 m, 1.xii.1994 – 3.i.1995, P. Zborowski (25-058318 1 specimen ♀, 25-058319 1 specimen ♂, 1 specimen ♀ in ANIC) ; Hugh Nelson Range , 21 km S of Atherton [17°25’00”S, 145°28’00”E], 5.xi–1.xii.1983, R.I. Storey & Brown (25-058309 1 specimen ♀ in QDPC) ; Sluice Creek , 9 km WSW Millaa Millaa, 17°32’24”S, 145°31’56”E, 5–14.xii.1988, 1150 m, Monteith & Thompson (T55831 1 specimen ♂ in QM) ; Bellenden Ker Range , Cable Tower 3, [17°12’00”S, 145°51’00”E], 1054 m, 17.x– 5.xi.1981, Earthwatch, Queensland Museum (25-058297 2 specimens ♂, 3 specimens ♀ in QDPC) ; BS3 Massey Creek [17°37’00”S, 145°34’00”E], 1000 m, 3.x–2.xi.1995, L. Umback (25-058313 1 specimen ♂ in ANIC)

Other material examined. 275 other specimens from approximately forty other localities were also examined.

Queensland: 26 km up Tinaroo Creek Road via Mareeba [17°06’00”S, 145°37’00”E], 10.xi–30.xii.1982, Morgan, R.I. Storey & Brown (25-032657 1 specimen in QDPC) ; Lamb Range , 19 km SE Mareeba, 17°06’39”S, 145°34’04”E, 3–11.xii.1988 (T55344 1 specimen in QM) ; Lamins Hill , 17°22’56”S, 145°42’07”E, 1.xii.1993 – 25.ii.1994 (T55307–T55309 3 specimens in QM) ; The Crater , 17°25’43”S, 145°29’13”E, 26.xi.1992 – 15.iv.1993 (T106678 1 specimen in QM) ; Thiaki cottage, 17°26’02”S, 145°30’40”E, 1000 m, 19–23.i.2012, G.B. Monteith (25-053926 7 specimens in ANIC, 25-053927 36 specimens in QM) ; Topaz, Hughes Road , (Breeden house in QM) , 17°26’04”S, 145°42’02”E, 6.xii.1993 – 25.ii.1994 (T55229 1 specimen in QM) ; Tower near The Crater , 17°27’22”S, 145°29’13”E, 1235 m, 21–23.i.2012, G.B. Monteith (25-053928 1 specimen, 25-053929 28 specimens, 25-053930 7 specimens, in QM, 25-053931 19 specimens in ANIC) ; Tower near the Crater National Park , 17°27’23”S, 145°29’12”E, 10.i–31.iii.1995 (T55238–T55279, T55397–T55405 51 specimens in QM) ; Tower near the Crater National Park , 17°27’23”S, 145°29’12”E, 25.xi.1994 – 10.i.1995 (T55280–T55291 12 specimens in QM) ; Tower near the Crater National Park , 17°27’23”S, 145°29’12”E, 7.iii–15.v.1995 (T55292–T55293, T55383–T55396 16 specimens in QM) ; Sluice Creek , 17°32’24”S, 145°31’56”E, 14–17.iv.1999 (T79094–T79096, T79104–T79105 5 specimens in QM) ; Sluice Creek , 17°32’24”S, 145°31’56”E, 5.ii–15.iv.1999 (T79097–T79100 4 specimens in QM) ; Mount Fisher, Kjellberg Road , 17°32’34”S, 145°33’31”E, 27–29.iv.1982 (T55830 1 specimen in QM) ; Vine Creek, Majors Mountain , 17°40’58”S, 145°32’02”E, 4–6.ii.1999 (T75496–T76498, T76140–T76144, T76146–T76151, T761534–T76157 38 specimens in QM) ; Vine Creek, Majors Mountain , 17°40’58”S, 145°32’02”E, 15–18.iv.1999 (T79101–T79103, T79106–T79111 9 specimens in QM) ; Vine Creek Majors Mountain [17°41’00”S, 145°32’00”E], 1060 m, 4–6.ii.1999, G.B. Monteith & D. Cook (25-060860 8 specimens in QM, 25-060908 5 specimens also as COL596, COL597, COL618, COL619, COL620, in ANIC) ; Sluice Creek Road [17°34’00”S, 145°31’55”E], 1100 m, 23–24.i.2012, G.B. Monteith (25-053850 5 specimens in QM, 25-055607 5 specimens in ANIC) ; Mount Kooroomool summit, 7 km S, 17°54’09”S, 145°40’55”E, 3.xii.1998 (T70901 1 specimen in QM) ; Mount Kooroomool summit, 7 km S, 17°54’09”S, 145°40’55”E, 3–4.xii.1998 (T70902–T70908 7 specimens in QM) ; Mount Kooroomool summit, 7 km S, 17°54’09”S, 145°40’55”E, 4.xii.1998 (T70909–T70910 2 specimens in QM) ; Tully River Crossing, 10 km S Koombooloomba Dam, 17°55’32”S, 145°37’38”E, 8.xii.1989 – 4.i.1990 (T55078 1 specimen in QM) ; Mount Hugh Nelson S base [17°31’00”S, 145°33’00”E], 1080 m, 7–9.ii.1999, G.B. Monteith & D. Cook (T76158 1 specimen in QM) ; Kauri Creek, Lamb Range , 17°06’39”S, 145°34’04”E, 6–10.ii.1998 (T57497–T57498 2 specimens in QM) .

Description. Holotype light brown with orange markings on central area and anterior angles pronotum, and humeral areas of the elytra. Other specimens vary to dark brown with orange areas less pronounced than in holotype. Antennal clubs with apical antennomere (3rd) white and basal two antennomeres (1 st, 2 nd) grey.

Total length: 4.6–5.2 mm. Holotype measurements: total length 4.8 mm, elytral width 3.2 mm. Note: the holotype is a little expanded so measurements are close approximation.

Male. Head: Width to length ratio 36: 25. Basal carina only narrowly interrupted medially. U-shaped between clypeal teeth. Surface without setae and finely punctate. Clypeal area more-or-less finely reticulate. Dorsal part of eyes moderate, separated by an interocular space approximately 9 times eye width (27: 3).

Prothorax: Pronotum smooth, nitid, with very fine punctation towards the anterior and finely punctate posteriorly. Hypomeral surface very finely reticulate and impunctate. Hypomeral stria absent. Pronotum width to length ratio 59: 35.

Elytra: Smooth and nitid. Intervals very finely punctate and with extremely fine setae. Apical area usually very finely reticulate, with striae 1 and usually 2 slightly impressed, appearing as a double line. Ratio of length of the elytra along suture to maximum elytral width 75: 76.

Legs: as per L. nitidus species group. Ridge on ventral side of protibia not joined to the second tooth by a fine carina.

Abdomen: Basal corners of pygidium reticulate and rest of pygidium, other than central reticulate area, with fine punctures, each bearing a seta.

Pterothorax: Lateral lobe of metaventrite finely punctate, setose and more-or-less finely reticulate. Medial lobe of metaventrite very finely to minutely punctate (much smaller than those on lateral lobe) and very finely reticulate between metacoxae, and with a median longitudinal depression extending from metacoxae to mesocoxae.

Male genitalia: Aedeagus with apex of left paramere entire, somewhat pointed. Apically deflexed part of right paramere rounded.

Female. Usually with a small metaventral depression and medial line between metacoxae, much smaller than in males.

Etymology. Named for Tom van Gerwen in honour of his long-time association with the ANIC volunteers scheme and maintenance of the collection.

Distribution. Known from rainforest of the Australian Wet Tropics (WET) IBRA bioregion [Zones 7, 8, 9, 10, and 12] from around Lamb Range to Cardstone (~ 160 km) ( Fig. 17A ). Most specimens are from high elevations (750–1250 m). BIOCLIM modelling broadly reflects the species occurrence ( Fig. 17D ).

Comments. This species has been referred to to under the informal name of “ Lepanus NQ 9”, which is followed by Gunter et al. (2019) and Ebert et al. (2019). One specimen sequenced in the former study that is designated as a paratype here (25-065536) was collected in the same trap as the holotype. Other specimens in this series collected from Longlands Gap have also been sequenced (25-060793, 25-060884) along with specimens from Mount Edith, Lamb Range (25-060833) and Majors Mountain (25-060855, 25-060854), all of which are designated here as paratypes (see Fig. 1 ). Lepanus vangerweni is recovered as sister to L. carbinensis and the relationship was strongly supported in both Bayesian and maximum likelihood analysis. In the phylogeny of Gunter et al. (2019), L. vangerweni was the earliest branching member in the monophyletic L. nitidus species group, however that study did not include L. carbinensis .

Matthews (1974) designated a male and a female of Lepanus vangerweni from Mount Haig in the paratype series of L. nitidus . Interestingly, in describing the metaventrite of L. nitidus, Matthews comments that one specimen has a shallow depression instead of the tubercle. This is one of the primary diagnostic character used to distinguish L. vangerweni from most other species in the L. nitidus species group to the exception of L. carbinensis , which is distinguished by other other diagnostic characters. Given the metaventral depression is more prominent in males than females, Matthews (1974) was likely referring to the male Mount Haig specimen.

Lepanus vangerweni appears to be a generalist species that has been collected in dung, mushroom or fishbaited pitfall. Specimens have also been collected in flight intercept, yellow pan taps and berlesed leaf litter. This species was also collected in the bait preference study of Ebert et al. (2019). Almost one-third of the 151 specimens collected were trapped with macropod dung (n = 49), while fowl dung (n = 21), vertebrate carrion (n = 19), and invertebrate carrion (n = 24, 14, 22) were also successful lures; two specimens were collected from cucumber-baited traps while no specimens were collected from banana, pineapple, or mushroom baited traps ( Ebert et al. 2019).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Phylogenetic estimate of relationships among described species in the genus Lepanus. Consensus topology generated from Bayesian analysis (BA) with node values for posterior probability BA and bootstrap values of clades also supported in maximum-likelihood analysis. Strongly supported nodes are indicated by coloured circles at base of nodes, while other support values are listed in full. Species groups revised here are highlighted by the grey boxes and IBRA regions for these specimens are also listed following the general locality in bold. Abbreviations for localities are as follows CMC: Central Mackay Coast; CYP: Cape York Peninsula; NNC: NSW North Coast; NSW: New South Wales; NT: Northern Territory; QLD: Queensland; SEQ: South Eastern Queensland; SYB: Sydney Basin; TS: Torres Strait; WA: Western Australia; WET: Wet Tropics.

FIGURE 13. Some diagnostic characters of the Lepanus nitidus species group. A, Dorsal view of male protibia of Lepanus nitidus; B, dorsal view of female protibia of Lepanus nitidus; C, dorsal view of male protibia of Lepanus kulki; D, dorsal view of male protibia of Lepanus dichrous; E, dorsal view of male protibia of Lepanus vangerweni; F, dorsal view of male protibia of Lepanus carbinensis; G, ventral view of male protibia of Lepanus nitidus, grey arrow points to diagnostic carina; H, ventral view of male protibia of Lepanus dichrous showing lack of carina; I, ventral view of metaventrite of Lepanus nitidus, showing tubercle (grey arrow); J, ventral view of metaventrite of Lepanus dichrous, showing tubercle (grey arrow); K, ventrolateral view of metaventrite of Lepanus vangerweni, showing medial longitudinal depression; L, apical view of elytra of Lepanus dichrous, showing stria 1 appearing superficial towards the apex (grey arrow); M, lateral lobe of metaventrite of Lepanus nitidus, grey arrow points to apically widened inner border; N, lateral lobe of metaventrite of Lepanus kulki; O, apical view of elytra of Lepanus carbinensis, showing stria 1 visibly impressed towards the apex (grey arrow); P, metaventrite of Lepanus vangerweni showing punctures on medial lobe much smaller than those on lateral lobe; Q, metaventrite of Lepanus carbinensis showing punctures on medial lobe same size as those on lateral lobe.

FIGURE 14. Dorsal habitus of species within the Lepanus nitidus species group. A, Lepanus carbinensis; B, Lepanus dichrous; C, Lepanus kulki; D, Lepanus nitidus; E, Lepanus vangerweni. All specimens in comparative scale. Scale bar 1 mm.

FIGURE 15. Pygidial configuration of species within the Lepanus nitidus species group. A, Lepanus carbinensis; B, Lepanus dichrous; C, Lepanus kulki; D, Lepanus nitidus; E, Lepanus vangerweni. All specimens in comparative scale. Scale bar 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 16. Left, dorsal and right view of aedeagi of species within the Lepanus nitidus species group. A, Lepanus carbinensis; B, Lepanus dichrous; C, Lepanus kulki; D, Lepanus nitidus; E, Lepanus vangerweni. All specimens in comparative scale. Scale bar 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 17. A, Map of known records of Lepanus carbinensis, Lepanus dichrous, and Lepanus vangerweni with the zones of insect endemism of the Wet Tropics sensu Yeates & Montieth (2008) numbered and indicated by dashed lines. Zone numbers are as follows: 2 Thornton Peak; 3 Windsor Tableland; 4 Carbine Tableland; 5 Hann Tableland; 6 Black Mountain; 7 Lamb Range; 8 Walsh/Hugh Nelson Range; 9 Atherton Tableland; 10 Bellenden Ker; 11 Malbon Thompson Range; 12 Walter Hill Range; B, predicted distribution of Lepanus carbinensis; C, predicted distribution of Lepanus dichrous; D, predicted distribution of Lepanus vangerweni.