Cyphopisthes monteithi, Ballerio, Alberto, 2013

Ballerio, Alberto, 2013, Revision of the Australian Ceratocanthinae (Coleoptera, Scarabaeoidea, Hybosoridae), ZooKeys 339, pp. 67-91 : 72-74

Cyphopisthes monteithi sp. n. Figs 2 A–D, 3 A–B, 5C, 6, 11C

Type locality.

Amphitheatre scrub, Expedition Range National Park, Queensland, Australia.

Type material.

Holotype, male (QM, accession number: T189552) [extended specimen, glued on a card; genitalia mounted in DMHF resin on a separate card under the beetle]: Queensland, 25.13S, 148.59E, Expedition Range NP, 5063, Amphitheatre scrub, 520 m, 25 Sep– 17 Dec 1997, Cook & Monteith, Vine for. Intercept; Paratype: 1 male, QLD, 24.48S, 149.45E, Brigalow Res. Stn., site 5, 16 Dec. 2000-28 Mar. 2001, D Cook & G Monteith, FIT softwood scrub 10020 (QM, accession number: T189553).

Further material examined

(excluded from the type series). 1 male: Mt. Coot-tha, Brisbane, Queensland, 13-20.III.1971, G. B. Monteith, ex leaf litter (QM) [included in the type series of Cyphopisthes descarpentriesi by Paulian]. 1 female, QLD, 27.58S, 152.39E, Kalbar 3 km SE, 120m, 2 Dec 2000-7 May 2001, C.J. Burwell, 10161, Brigalow scrub FIT (QM).

Description.

Size: HL = 0.84 mm; HW = 1.11 mm; PL = 1.22 mm; PW = 2.02 mm; EL = 2.36 mm; EW = 2.11 mm. Overall morphology as in generic description. Dark brown, shiny, glabrous (very fine short yellowish setation visible at 90 ×), sternum, tarsi and antennae reddish-brown.

Head: interocular distance about five times maximum width of dorsal ocular area, punctation relatively dense and impressed, disc with some impressed short transverse comma-shaped punctures, each one having a simple small puncture at its interior side, sides of disc with large comma-shaped punctures centrifugally oriented, with opening facing internally, each one having a simple fine puncture internally, anterior portion of clypeus with three-four irregular anastomosing transverse lines.

Pronotum: margin completely bordered, anterior angles angulate, completely covered by medium sized horseshoe-shaped punctures, on disc with an opening directed anteriad, punctures at sides larger than on disc, with an opening directed laterad, each puncture having inside it a small setigerous pore. Punctation dense: interpunctural distance being less than their diameter.

Scutellum: covered by dense horseshoe-shaped punctures with posterior openings.

Elytra: W/L: 0,93). Humeral callus indistinct, two short longitudinal lines starting at humerus and occupying proximal third, sutural interstria indistinct, disc with longitudinally oriented comma-shaped punctures, each one having a simple small puncture at its left side, sides of disc with medium horseshoe-shaped punctures with small posterior openings, each one bearing a setigerous pore in the middle. Interpunctural distance subequal to puncture width. Pseudepileura with longitudinally oriented anastomosing horseshoe-shaped punctures mixed with comma-shaped punctures.

Genital segment: Fig. 11C. Aedeagus: Fig. 3A, B.

Dignosis.

Very close to Cyphopisthes yorkensis sp. n., but can be easily distinguished from it by the presence of denser and larger punctation on head disc.

Etymology.

Noun in the genitive case. Dedicated to Dr. Geoff Monteith, former curator at Queensland Museum.

Distribution and habitat.

Known from southern Queensland, where all specimens have been found in dry rainforest type of vegetation, i.e. softwood and brigalow scrub, in flight intercept traps (one specimen excluded from type series was collected by leaf litter sifting).

Remarks.

This new species and Cyphopisthes descarpentriesi are the most remarkable species among the Australian Ceratocanthinae since they occur south of the Queensland Wet Tropics, in environments completely different from the environment where most other Cyphopisthes occur, i.e. rainforests. The vegetation type in the areas where Cyphopisthes monteithi has been collected is characterized by drier, lower and sparser woodland, with patches off denser forest ("dry rainforest").

I excluded from the type series the specimen from Mount Coot-tha which differs from the holotype because of the more extended comma-shaped punctation on the disc and the presence of transverse lines in the pseudepipleura and the specimen from Kalbar, which has much sparser punctation on the head. This circumstance, together with the fact that they occur some 480 km Southeast of the type locality of Cyphopisthes monteithi , suggests prudence before assigning them to the new species. The same applies to the above mentioned specimen from Peak Downs (see under Cyphopisthes descarpentriesi ).