Notopilo lawnhillensis, Bartlett & Lambkin, 2022

Bartlett, Justin S. & Lambkin, Christine L., 2022, Australian Opilonini (Coleoptera: Cleridae: Clerinae) part I: A revised taxonomy for Australian Opilo Latreille including descriptions of new genera and species, Zootaxa 5220 (1), pp. 1-81 : 48-49

Notopilo lawnhillensis sp. nov.

ZooBank registration: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:059145BA-2808-4BA9-9F00-F66244CB1487

( Figs 3 , 50 , 123 , 164 ; Map 4)

HOLOTYPE (unknown sex): Queensland. 18.36S 138.08E QLD Musselbrook Camp 8-21 May 1995 I.D. Nauman Malaise trap ( ANIC) . PARATYPES (8): Queensland. 18.36S 138.08E QLD Musselbrook Camp 8-21 May 1995 I.D. Nauman Malaise trap (2, ANIC) ; 18.35S 138.03E QLD Murrays Spring 8km WbyN Musselbrook Camp 9-20 May 1995 I.D. Nauman Malaise trap (1 ♁, 1 ♀, 2 unknown sex, ANIC) ; 18.33S 138.11E QLD Holts Ck. 8km N of Musselbrook Camp 10-20 May 1995 I.D. Nauman Malaise trap (2, ANIC) .

Other material examined. Queensland. 2km along Ridgepole Waterhole Rd, 10 km ESE Musselbrook Resource Centre Lawn Hill Nat. pk, Qld 18°38′13″S 138°12′29″E 9 May 1995 220m G. Daniels M.A. Schneider (1 ♀, QM) .

Diagnosis. Pronotum rounded laterally, discal punctation not particularly dense; elytra dark with orange maculae (each elytron with a large fasciate macula extending more-or-less straight towards the suture and an apical macula which meets the external and sutural margins; base lacking maculation or with a band spanning it entirely), punctation nodulate, most nodules small, 8 th stria beginning between 4 th and 7 th puncture of the 7 th stria; striae mostly a single seta across interstrial width (rarely two); femora yellow and brown, tarsi with three ventral tarsal pads.

Notopilo lawnhillensis sp. nov. is most similar in appearance to N. interfabulatus sp. nov., though these species are easily separated by the length of the 8 th elytral stria (beginning between the 4 th and 7 th puncture of the 7 th stria in the former species, and between the 1 st and 3 rd pucture of 7 th striae in the latter), by the length of the ventral tegminal sinus (about half the length of dorsal sinus in the former species, about one-third the length of dorsal sinus in the latter) and by the inner margins of the dorsal tegminal sinus which almost touch in N. lawnhillensis sp. nov., while those of N. interfabulatus sp. nov. are well-separated.

Description. Habitus: Fig. 164 . Total length: 6.5–10.9 mm (holotype, 7.7 mm). Head: Vertex and frons black, clypeus and supra-antennal elevations reddish-black, anti-clypeus semi-transparent orange-brown, labrum, antennae and palpi orange to orange-brown; eyes separated by about 0.6–0.83 eye widths (holotype, 0.76); lower vertex and upper frons punctate-rugulose, lower frons transverly rugulose (sometimes subtle) to almost smooth directly above epistomal suture; clypeus laterally and supra-antennal elevations punctate, clypeus mostly smooth medially; genae and submentum wrinkled; exterior margins of terminal palpomeres about 1.8 times (maxillae) and 2 times (labium) the length of inside edges; antennae not quite reaching base of pronotum; eyes and cranium with long erect pale setae, frons and vertex with medially-directed setae. Prothorax: Dark reddish-black or black-brown; pronotum about 1.2–1.34 times longer than wide (holotype, 1.34), sides rounded, middle only slightly broader than pronotal arch; subapical depression deeply v-shaped; central impression shallow but conspicuous; disc moderately distributed with shallow punctation, punctures generally separated by at least a puncture diameter, surface between punctures smooth, pronotal base and a weak ovoid glabrous tumescence each side of central impression impunctate; lateral impression not particularly noticeable; disc with fine short multi-directional setae and more sparsely with longer thicker erect setae. Pterothorax: Ventrites reddish black, with very fine posteriorly-directed setae; elytra black to reddish-black with orange markings (each elytron with a large fasciate macula extending more-or-less straight towards the suture and an apical macula which meets the external and sutural margins; base lacking maculation), length to width ratio 2.29–2.45:1 (holotype, 2.45:1); 8 th stria beginning between 4 th and 7 th puncture of the 7 th stria, 10 th striae most often without punctures before apical macula or punctures less frequent; punctation large, deep in basal half, greatly decreased in size in apical half, punctures with small lateral nodules (most easily viewed in dark area posterior to fascia—nodules of basal punctures difficult to see in some specimens); epipleurae extending into apical maculae; interstriae with short erect to semi-erect setae, plus longer thicker erect setae, striae mostly with a single seta across interstrial width, intrafoveal setae short; hindwing with CuA 3+4 and CuA 1 cross-veins complete, MP 3+4 absent basad of CuA 1 crossvein. Legs: Basal two-thirds of profemora, basal three-quarters of meso- and metafemora yellow, remaining parts of femora blackish; tibiae and tarsi brown, tibial carinae and base of tarsomeres darker; tarsal pads yellowish; meso- and metafemora slender, profemora slightly more swollen. Abdomen: Ventrites orange. Male genitalia: Tegmen ( Fig. 3 , 50 ) with base about as wide as parameroid lobes, sinuate between, parameroid lobes apically tapered to a short digitiform process, dorsal sinus slightly longer than one-third tegmen length, narrowing at apical third before drop-shaped inner section, internal limit curved, ventral sinus about half as long as dorsal sinus, length of apodeme about one-third tegmen length; pygidium as in Fig. 123 .

Variation. Specimens from localities at the southwestern-most limit of the range of Western Australian lawnhillensis -like specimens have the elytral humeri and base orange. Despite the different elytral colouration, these specimens cannot be separated from typical N. lawnhillensis sp. nov. based on external morphology and male genitalia. See ‘remarks’ below for comments on the status of non-type specimens.

Etymology. Notopilo lawnhillensis sp. nov. is named after Lawn Hill National Park (now Boodjamulla National Park), the traditional land of the Waanyi people. The type series was collected from Musselbrook Camp, and surrounding areas, within the park. The first author’s original intention was to name the species after Boodjamulla National Park though was advised against doing so without seeking permission from traditional landowners. Unfortunately, this consideration was made too close to manuscript submission and, out of respect, the substitute name ‘lawnhillensis’ was chosen.

Biology. All type series specimens were collected in May, some by means of a Malaise trap.

Distribution (Map 4). The type series was collected from three localities within Boodjamulla National Park, northwestern Queensland.

Remarks. The type series of Notopilo lawnhillensis sp. nov. from Boodjamulla National Park, northwestern Queensland, was selected from a pool of over 150 specimens with extremely similar external morphology and tegminal structure, collected across Queensland, Northern Territory and Western Australia. Specimens recognised in this paper as Notopilo interfabulatus sp. nov. and Notopilo tanybasilaris sp. nov. were originally part of this larger pool of specimens prior to the recognition of reliable diagnostic characters (i.e., tegminal ventral sinus short, eighth elytral stria beginning near elytral base). Subtle, often geographically correlated, variation in the dorsal tegminal sinus was observed within the tegmina of 17 lawnhillensis -like males dissected during the study, and though this variation appears to form a continuum, or a morphological cline, we have not attempted to determine whether it is a manifestation of of intra-specific genetic variation, or indicative of inter-specific genetic divergence. The decision to limit designation of the type series to the nine specimens from Boodjamulla National Park was made to simplify matters if subsequent investigations (possibly involving molecular techniques) were to recognise further species from the pool of lawnhillensis -like specimens. Until further study provides greater resolution, we suggest that specimens diagnosable as Notopilo lawnhillensis sp. nov., from non-type localities, be referred to as ‘ Notopilo c.f. lawnhillensis ’.

Figures

FIGURES 1–11. (1) Opilo mollis, elytron (1a) first interval broad, (1b) pre-apical ridge; (2–9) tegmina, lateral—(2) Opilo mollis (arrow showing weakly sclerotised tegminal arm region); (3) Notopilo cf. lawnhillensis; (4) Notopilo gerstmeieri, paratype; (5) Notopilo obesus, paratype; (6) Infectostriatus differens, holotype; (7) Notopilo congruus; (8) Culcipternulus mareebensis, paratype; (9) Ancyropilus tricolor, paratype; (10–11) antennal scape—(10) Opilo mollis (carina absent); (11) Notopilo congruus (arrow showing carina) (scale bars: Figs 1–9, 0.5 mm; Figs 10–11, 0.1 mm).

FIGURES 48–65. Tegmina, dorsal: (48–51) Notopilo, cambageicola species group—(48) Notopilo cambageicola, paratype; (49) Notopilo interfabulatus, paratype; (50) Notopilo lawnhillensis, paratype; (51) Notopilo tanybasilaris, holotype; (52) Notopilo congruus (congruus species group); (53) Notopilo reduncus (reduncus species group); (54–56) Notopilo, variipes species group—(54) Notopilo brevistriatus, paratype; (55) Notopilo gerstmeieri, holotype; (56) Notopilo variipes; (57–60) Notopilo, unplaced to species group—(57) Notopilo confusus, holotype; (58) Notopilo elstoni, holotype; (59) Notopilo katherinensis, holotype; (60) Notopilo obesus, paratype; (61) Platynotum bulli, paratype; (62) Platynotum culgoense, holotype; (63) Platynotum femorale; (64) Platynotum foveosetosa, holotype; (65) Platynotum gracile, holotype (scale bars: 0.5 mm).

FIGURES 102–137. Male pygidiae: (102) Ancyropilus brigalowae, paratype; (103) Ancyropilus emmotti, holotype; (104) Ancyropilus exossuarius, paratype; (105) Ancyropilus monteithi, holotype; (106) Ancyropilus noonbahensis, holotype; (107) Ancyropilus packsaddlensis, holotype; (108) Ancyropilus simplex, paratype; (109) Ancyropilus tricolor, paratype; (110) Ancyropilus hornensis, paratype; (111) Culcipternotus mareebensis, paratype; (112) Infectostriatus absentis, holotype; (113) Monilonotum doddi; (114) Monilonotum pascoei; (115) Monilonotum sundholmi, paratype; (116–120) Notopilo, beswickensis species group—(116) Notopilo beswickensis, holotype; (117) Notopilo calicis, paratype; (118) Notopilo tompricensis, holotype; (119) Notopilo xanthoimprocerus, paratype; (120) Notopilo xanthoprolatus, holotype; (121–124) Notopilo, cambageicola species group—(121) Notopilo cambageicola, paratype; (122) Notopilo interfabulatus, paratype; (123) Notopilo lawnhillensis, paratype; (124) Notopilo tanybasilaris, holotype; (125) Notopilo congruus (congruus species group); (126–128) Notopilo, variipes species group—(126) Notopilo brevistriatus, paratype; (127) Notopilo gerstmeieri, holotype; (128) Notopilo variipes; (129–132) Notopilo, unplaced to species group—(129) Notopilo confusus, holotype; (130) Notopilo elstoni, holotype; (131) Notopilo katherinensis, holotype; (132) Notopilo obesus, paratype; (133) Platynotum bulli, paratype; (134) Platynotum culgoense, holotype; (135) Platynotum femorale; (136) Platynotum foveosetosa, holotype; (137) Platynotum gracile, holotype (scale bars: 0.5 mm).

FIGURES 162–173. Habitus: (162–165) Notopilo, cambageicola species group—(162) Notopilo cambageicola, paratype; (163) Notopilo interfabulatus, holotype; (164) Notopilo lawnhillensis, holotype; (165) Notopilo tanybasilaris, paratype; (166) Notopilo congruus (congruus species group), lectotype (of Opilo congruus); (167–168) Notopilo, reduncus species group—(167) Notopilo magnus, holotype; (168) Notopilo reduncus, paralectotype (of Opilo abdominalis Schenkling); (169–171) Notopilo, variipes species group—(169) Notopilo brevistriatus, paratype; (170) Notopilo gerstmeieri, paratype; (171) Notopilo variipes; (172–173) Notopilo, unplaced to species group—(172) Notopilo confusus, specimen from Western Australia; (173) Notopilo elstoni, holotype (scale bars: 1.0 mm).