Leptonetron victoriense ( Blackburn, 1891 ) Lawrence, 2020

Lawrence, John F., 2020, The Australian Lymexylidae (Coleoptera: Tenerionoidea) with one new genus and two genera new to Australia, Zootaxa 4895 (2), pp. 211-238 : 226-227

Leptonetron victoriense ( Blackburn, 1891) comb. nov.

(Figs 15–16, 19)

Atractocerus victoriensis Blackburn, 1891: 306 . Type, female, Victoria, Collection of C. French (MVM).

Atractocerus tasmaniensis Lea, 1917: 143 , syn. nov. Type, male, Tasmania: Triabunna (G. H. Hardy). Type I. 6740 (SAM). Fusicornis tasmaniensis ( Lea, 1917) , Paulus (2004).

Redescription. Total length: 9.80–24.80 (15.37 ± 4.20, n = 16); body 12.60–17.32 (14.45) times as long as combined elytral width. Head 1.25 times as long as wide, more or less globular, not constricted posteriorly, without temples or neck; base weakly biemarginate dorsally, usually with median, longitudinal groove between eyes. Eye about 0.78 times as long as head width, distinctly emarginate anteriorly, protruding and finely facetted, with fine interfacetal hairs; distance across eyes dorsally is 4.88 times and ventrally 1.86 times distance between them.Antennal insertions concealed by frontal ridges which extend slightly into eye emargination. Frontoclypeal suture absent. Labrum about 0.6 times as long as wide, densely setose, with base slightly curved and sides strongly converging to narrowly rounded apex. Antennae 12-segmented in both sexes, slightly shorter than head width in male, with antennomere 2 widest, ratio of antennomere lengths 2.60: 2.20: 2.00: 1.20: 1.00: 1.00: 1.00: 1.20: 1.00: 1.20: 1.40: 2.00 and antennomere length/width ratios 1.44, 1.10, 1.11, 0.75, 0.83, 1.11, 2.00, 2.40, 2.00, 2.40, 2.80, 5.00; slightly longer than head width in female, with antennomere 3 widest, ratio of antennomere lengths 3.00: 1,83: 2.00: 1.50: 1.50: 1.33: 1.33: 1.25: 1.17: 1.00: 1.00: 1.33 and antennomere length/width ratios 2.00, 1.10, 0.75, 0.56, 0.60, 0.57, 0.67, 0.75, 0.78, 0.71, 0.75, 2.00; terminal antennomere in both sexes acute at apex. Mandible about 1.43 times as long as wide; outer edge densely clothed with long, fine setae; apex bidentate with ventral tooth somewhat smaller than dorsal one; mola and prostheca absent. Maxilla highly reduced, with short lacinia narrowly rounded at apex, longer galea broadly rounded at apex and both densely clothed with long setae; first maxillary palpomere 1.67 times as long as wide, second and third closely associated by oblique joint, the two together about 3 times as long as wide, fourth palpomere 4 times as long as wide and narrowly rounded apically; palp organ simple, with two sets of paired lobes. Labial palps approximate, apical palpomere 2.0 times as long as basal one, 2.3 times as long as wide, with narrowly rounded apex. Gular sutures parallel. Cervical sclerites very large, the combined lengths of the two lobes about equal to head width. Pronotum 1.16–1.52 (1.34) times as long as wide, widest anteriorly; sides gradually converging posteriorly, weakly sinuate, without lateral carinae; anterior edge broadly curved; anterior angles not produced, broadly rounded; posterior angles rounded; posterior edge weakly biemarginate laterally and truncate mesally; disc moderately convex, coarsely and densely punctate and clothed with fine, suberect setae; longitudinal groove (endocarina) extending from anterior fourth to posterior fifth. Prosternum about 1.5 times as long as mid length of a procoxal cavity, distinctly convex, with biconcave anterior edge; notosternal sutures straight and complete. Prosternal process short, broad and broadly truncate at apex. Procoxal cavities large and broadly open externally and internally, with notch at base of notosternal suture; postcoxal (hypomeral) process absent; protrochantin well-developed and externally visible, more or less trapezoidal; endopleuron short, broadly expanded at apex. Scutellar shield not clearly separated from remainder of exposed scutellum, slightly elongate and rounded at apex. Elytra 1.77–1.79 (1.78) times as long as greatest combined width and 1.40–1.85 (1.57) times as long as pronotum, separated for their entire lengths, but almost meeting at anterior fourth just behind scutellar shield; each elytron about 1.8 times as long as pronotum and 3.5 times as long as wide, widest at anterior fourth with outer edge sinuate beyond middle and inner edge concave beyond anterior fourth; outer elytral angles more or less rounded and apices independently broadly rounded and well separated; disc with punctation confused, dense, coarse anteriorly and fine posteriorly, each puncture bearing a short fine, inclined seta. Mesoventrite 0.68 times as long as wide, widest at anterior end and gradually narrowed posteriorly; anterior edge emarginate, without coxal rests, with weak median endocarina extending to posterior third and a small, deep pit just before short intercoxal process. Mesocoxal cavities virtually absent. Metaventrite 1.75 times as long as wide, strongly convex, without discrimen; metacoxal cavities strongly oblique and narrowly separated. Metendosternite with long, narrow stalk and paired, slender lateral arms forming an angle of about 30°. Hind wing about 4 times long as wide; apical field 0.26 times as long as wing length, with two short radial extensions; radial cell absent; radial and medial veins joined at apical fourth of wing by transverse connection straight anteriorly, curved posteriorly and probably derived from cross-vein r4 and the radiomedial loop; MP1+2 long, straight and continuing as medial spur to wing edge; medial field with three veins reaching wing edge and probably corresponding to CuA, CuP + AA 3 and AA 4. Anal lobe reduced, without embayment, with single vein (AP 3+4). Procoxa 3.00 times as long as wide, widest near base and very slightly narrowed to apex, strongly projecting; Mesocoxa 1.85 times as long as wide, widest near base and slightly narrowed apically, slightly projecting near midline. Metacoxa about 0.38 times as long as wide, strongly oblique, almost contiguous and projecting near midline, without coxal cowling, Fore legs relatively short: profemur slightly shorter than coxa, 2.4 times as long as wide; protibia about equal in length to femur, 5.3 times as long as wide, parallel-sided, not expanded at apex; protarsi combined about equal in length to tibia, with segment length ratio 3.43: 1.43: 1.14: 1.00: 2.57. Mid and hind legs very long and slender, each with femur about 3.42 times as long as wide and widest at middle; tibia 2.00 times as long as femur, about 16 times as long as wide and more or less parallel-sided; combined tarsal length about 2.00 times as long as tibia, with segment lengths 3.17: 2.22: 1.72: 1.17: 1.00. All tarsomeres simple, without ventral lobes, but densely lined with fine, erect hairs; pretarsal claws moderately long and slender, empodium with several setae. Abdomen with tergites and sternites more or less equal in length and degree of sclerotisation; first segment (sternite and tergite II) about 0.85 times as long as second, with intercoxal process absent; segments 2–6 subequal in length; ventrite 7 (sternite VIII) about 0.85 times as long as 6 and subacute at apex, tergite VIII (pygidium) slightly longer and narrowly rounded at apex. Segment IX in male about 3.0 times as long as wide, widest at posterior third, apex deeply emarginate to form two rounded lobes; pregenital ring anteriorly subacute; tergite X not separated from IX, the apex of which is narrowly rounded. Basale 1.4 times as long as wide, widest at apex, with broadly rounded base and truncate apex; parameroids 1.13 times as long as phallobase, contiguous at base, but well separated apically, each 1.7 times as long as basal width, 2.4 times as long as mid width and narrowly rounded at apex. Penis short, slender, strongly curved dorsally and more or less enclosed within phallobase.

Specimens Examined. TAS: Collinsvale , 27.i.1989, N. W. Rodd (1♁, AMS) ; Triabunna, G. H. Hardy ( SAM, Type I. 6740). VIC: Beaconsfield , 8.xii.1923, G. F. Hill (3♁♁#, ANIC) ; No specific locality (Type, MVM; 2 Cotypes SAM) ; Woori Yallock , 22.xii.1936, F. E. Wilson (3♁♁, 1♀, MVM) ; Wyperfield Nat. Park (35°41’S, 141°36’E), 28.xi.1997, J. & A. Skevington, S. Winterton, C. Lambkin (1♁, QMB) ; Yarragon, Moe River , “taken out of piles”, W. Kershaw (3♁♁, 1♀, MVM). NSW: Grafton, 12 km S, 10.i.1958, E. F. Riek (2♁♁, ANIC) ; Singleton , 48 km N, “Tuglo”, 31.i.1977, C. N. Smithers (1♀, AMS) ; Tamworth , 23 km SE, 25.xi.1982, D. S. Horning (1♁. ANIC). QLD: Brisbane, 16.x.1911, H. Hacker (1♁, QMB) ; Mt. Coot-tha (27°29’S, 152°57’E), 8.xi.1997, C. Lambkin (1♁, QMB) ; Mt. Coot-tha (27°29’S, 152°57’E), 170m, 26.x.1997, hilltoping, J. Skevington (1♁, QMB) . WA: Warren River , nr. Pemberton (3♀♀, AMS) .

Distribution. Southern Australia from TAS to southern QLD and southern WA.

Biology. Specimens from Yarragon River in Victoria were “taken out of piles” (apparently logs).