Pterorthochaetes simplex Gestro, 1899

Ballerio, Alberto, 2013, Revision of the Australian Ceratocanthinae (Coleoptera, Scarabaeoidea, Hybosoridae), ZooKeys 339, pp. 67-91 : 82-83

Pterorthochaetes simplex Gestro, 1899 Figs 6, 9 A–B, 14B

Pterorthochaetes simplex : Gestro, 1899: 36 (description, distribution, key); Paulian 1978 (key, distribution); Cassis and Weir 1992 (catalogue); Ocampo and Ballerio 2006 (checklist)

Material examined.

Holotype, female (MNHN): Australie, Queensland / Typus / dr. Gestro vidit / holotype / Pterorthochaetes simplex , Typus! Gestro. [extended, glued on a card, in good condition, dissected by the present author with bursal sclerites mounted in DMHF resin on a separate card under the specimen].

Description.

Size: HL = 0.70 mm; HW = 1.30 mm; PL = 1.36 mm; PW = 2.30 mm; EL = 2.36 mm; EW = 2.00 mm. Overall morphology as in generic description. Dark brown, shiny, setation yellowish, sternum, tarsi and antennae reddish-brown.

Head: completely and uniformly covered by comma-shaped punctures, anastomosing on disc. Anterior portion of clypeus with three irregular transverse anastomosing lines. Interocular distance about 13 times the maximum width of dorsal ocular area.

Pronotum: margins completely bordered, lateral margins with a row of erect thick yellowish simple setae. Pronotal setation made of fine short simple yellowish setae, punctation as follows: disc covered by shallow sparse ocellate punctures, containing a small fine setigerous pore, sides with sparse shallow ocellate punctures larger than on disc mixed with a few large horseshoe-shaped punctures with small posterior openings. Anterior angles having six longitudinal irregular lines. Distance between punctures distinctly less than their diameter.

Scutellum: basally with two longitudinal irregular rows of horseshoe-shaped punctures, uniting towards apex.

Elytra: humeral callus poorly pronounced, sutural stria occupying medial and distal third. Elytral punctation as follows: uniformly covered by large shallow sparse horseshoe-shaped punctures mixed with very fine simple punctures, interpunctural distance being equal to their diameter.

Bursal sclerites: slightly asymmetrical, as in Fig. 14B.

Male unknown.

Diagnosis.

Due to the large, shallow sparse punctation this species can be easily identified among all other Australian Pterorthochaetes . In particular the pronotal punctation is unique, being shallow, large and almost ocellate, while the elytral punctation is sparser than in Pterorthochaetes danielsi sp. n. and larger and shallower than in Pterorthochaeres storeyi sp. n.. The shape of the bursal sclerites is also very distinctive.

Etymology.

Latin simplex (simple), probably due to the punctation of dorsum, shallower and sparser than in most other Pterorthochaetes .

Distribution and habitat.

Unknown. The holotype bears a generic label indicating “Queensland”. Paulian (1977) cites further specimens from Queensland in the museums of Canberra and Brisbane, but I was unable to locate specimens belonging to this species in the aforementioned museums. All the specimens bearing an identification label as Pterorthochaetes simplex by Paulian belonged to the two new species herein described or, in the case of the specimen from New Guinea listed by Paulian, to a further new species not occurring in Australia. I was unable to locate the two specimens from "Churchill Creek (16.34°S, 145.19°E)" and "Mt Lewis road, via Julatten", both localities, however, fall within the range of Pterorthochaeres storeyi sp. n. The records of Pterorthochaetes simplex from Daintree by Grove (2000) actually refer to Pterorthochaeres storeyi sp. n. (see below).

Remarks.

As correctly stated in Paulian (1977) the holotype is kept in Paris (ex coll. Oberthür) and not in Genoa, as mistakenly reported in Paulian (1978).