Eurylychnus victoriae Sloane, 1892

Lay, Stuart, 2023, A taxonomic review of the Australian genus Eurylychnus Bates (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Broscini), Zootaxa 5330 (2), pp. 247-264 : 262

Eurylychnus victoriae Sloane, 1892

( Figs 2D , 4J–L , 7B )

Eurylychnus victoriae Sloane, 1892: 52–53 . Moore et al. 1987: 121 (catalogue). Häckel et al. 2010: 66 (checklist).

Material examined: Holotype: Eurylychnus victoriae . Sl. Melbourne Dist, W. Kershaw, 1074 [handwritten] // Eurylychnus victoriae Sl HOLOTYPE PJD [red label, handwritten and typed] ( ANIC).

Other material examined (18): Victoria: (4), Lorne , 24–5.i.1959, B.P. Moore ( ANIC); (1) [♁], Lorne , 2.i.1959, B.P. Moore ( ANIC); (1) , Mount Macedon , 4.i.1959, B.P. Moore ( ANIC); (6) [2 ♁, 4 ♀], Lardners Track, Otways , 29.i.2022, S. Lay ( SLC); (5) , Otway Range , 14.ii.1960, B.P. Moore ( ANIC); (1) , Vic ( ANIC) .

Diagnosis: Eurylychnus victoriae is similar to E. kershawi and E. femoralis , but the elytral striae are distinctly defined in E. victoriae , in contrast to E. kershawi and E. femoralis where the elytral striae are obsolete. In E. victoriae , the sides of the pronotum are lightly sinuate posteriorly ( Fig. 2D ), which allow it to be separated from both E. dyschirioides and E. kershawi .

Redescription: Body matte black, legs, mouthparts and antennae piceous; tibiae and tarsi piceous, sometimes red. Body length 13.0– 14.2mm; maximum pronotum width 3.5–4.0mm; maximum elytra width 4.4–5.0mm.

Head: Vertex sometimes with weak irregular bumps and wrinkles, covered in reticulation of very fine meshes. Transverse impression behind the eyes strong. Frontal impressions starting at anterior end of eyes, extending inwards to converge with frontoclypeal suture, forming broad foveae at the tentorial pits and continuing in a broad shallow grove halfway down the clypeus, ending in a seta. Clypeus anterior edge emarginated. Labrum anterior edge emarginated, with 6 evenly spaced setae on its dorsal anterior margin, the outermost setae slightly longer. Eyes each with 1 supraorbital seta. Mandibles with a seta in the scrobe. Mentum median tooth short and bifid, with a seta either side at the base; paramedian fovea present; lobes broad. Submentum with 2 setae. Stipes with 2 setae, the inner being approximately double the length of the outer. Gula moderately convex, sometimes wrinkled; gular sutures faint; gular pits almost indistinct.

Thorax: Pronotum covered in reticulation of very fine meshes, sometimes with wrinkles or obsolete punctures above the basal margin; lacking foveae on basal angles; margins constricted in basal third, becoming lightly sinuate at basal angles; margins of basal angles with a very small tubercle; pronotum widest in apical third; 1 seta on the lateral margins at or just above the midline; median impression weakly to moderately defined, running most of the length of the pronotum; lateral margins bordered by pronotal carina, extending slightly onto the anterior margins, terminating posteriorly at the basal angles. Prosternum smooth and very convex, anterior margin very weakly bordered anteriorly. Protrochanters with 1 seta. Males without squamose setae on the ventral surface of protarsi. Metatrochanters with a seta. Mesocoxae and metacoxae both with 2 setae.

Elytra: Elytral disc convex and oval; covered in reticulation of very fine meshes; lateral elytral carina extended from humerus to apex. Parascutellar striole joined to stria 1. Elytra with 8 striae, striae 1–4 moderately defined, striae 5–8 slightly weaker; stria 5 begins at the humeral angle; interstices flat to weakly raised; striae often with irregular obsolete punctures, less prominent on the lateral striae. Basal groove without asetose obsolete punctures. Humerus rounded and simple.

Abdomen: Ventrites 3–5 each with a pair of paramedian setae. Apical margin of ventrite 6 with a pair of paramedian setae.

Male genitalia: Aedeagus left paramere ( Fig. 4J ) broad, asetose, constricting in apical ¼ to form a long blunt denticle; right paramere ( Fig. 4K ) long and narrow, tapering to a blunt point at apex, with setae along apical half of ventral margin. Median lobe ( Fig. 4L ) moderately curved ventrally, slightly deflected to the right; apex blunt and rounded.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Dorsal habitus of A, Eurylychnus blagravei; B, Eurylychnus cylindricus; C, Eurylychnus regularis; D, Eurylychnus victoriae. Scalebars are 2mm.

FIGURE 4. Male genitalia of Eurylychnus blagravei (A–C): A, left paramere, B, right paramere, C, median lobe left lateral; E. cylindricus (D–F): D, left paramere, E, right paramere, F, median lobe left lateral; E. regularis (G–I): G, left paramere, H, right paramere, I, median lobe left lateral; E. victoriae (J–L): J, left paramere, K, right paramere, L, median lobe left lateral. Scale bars are 0.5mm.

FIGURE 7. A, Eurylychnus blagravei, with parascuttelar striole isolated from striae 1; B, Eurylychnus victoriae, with parascuttelar striole joined to apical portion of striae 1.