Notosaprinus Kryzhanovskij, 1972

Lackner, Tomas & Leschen, Richard A. B., 2017, A monograph of the Australopacific Saprininae (Coleoptera, Histeridae), ZooKeys 689, pp. 1-263 : 46-47

Notosaprinus Kryzhanovskij, 1972 Figs 219, 220-227, 228-230, 231-239, 757

Notosaprinus Kryzhanovskij, 1972: 20. Type species Saprinus irinus Marseul, 1862, original designation.

Diagnosis.

Body comparatively large; pronotum with bronze luster, elytra with blue metallic luster (old specimens can be dark brown to black without luster); labrum in males with large median projection (Fig. 229); labral pits with a single labral seta; dorsal elytral striae reduced, usually only fourth dorsal elytral stria discernible; supraorbital stria absent; frontal stria prolonged onto clypeus; both sets of prosternal striae absent; metepisternum comparatively widened; sixth abdominal ventrite of male with conspicuous semicircular median elevation; pygidium laterally carinate; metatibia in male more strongly curved than in female; remaining characters as in Saprinus .

Biology.

This is a typical saprobiont of the open landscapes and forest openings, mostly collected on carrion, where it presumably preys on fly larvae. Some specimens have been collected in pitfall and flight intercept traps.

Distribution.

Notosaprinus is a monotypic genus endemic to Australia: most records are from coastal areas of Queensland and New South Wales with a dubious record from Western Australia, see below (Fig. 757).

Remarks.

Notosaprinus is most similar to species of the genus Saprinus , differing from them chiefly by the absence of both sets of prosternal striae. The median elevation present on the sixth abdominal ventrite in males and sexually dimorphic labrum with single labral seta and absent supraorbital striae could be additional autapomorphies for this genus, however these features must be verified by extensive study of Saprinus species. In the phylogenetic study by Lackner (2014d), Notosaprinus irinus was recovered as sister taxon to Saprinus (Saprinus) semistriatus (Scriba, 1790), the type species of the species-rich genus Saprinus ; albeit this relationship received only low support. The clade containing S. (S.) semistriatus and N. irinus was recovered sister to other higher taxa: type species of the genera Xerosaprinus Wenzel, 1962, Hemisaprinus Kryzhanovskij, 1976, Styphrus Motschulsky, 1845, Paraphilothis Vienna, 1994, and Pilisaprinus Kanaar, 1996. Apart from the absence of both sets of prosternal striae, Notosaprinus might be a member Saprinus , for it shares most of other synapomorphies with members of that genus. However, because there was only moderate statistical support for the phylogenetic placement, we maintain these taxa as separate genera.