Psammoecus cruciger ( Waterhouse, 1876 )

Karner, Michael, 2020, Taxonomic Studies on Australian Psammoecus Latreille (Coleoptera, Silvanidae, Brontinae), European Journal of Taxonomy 723, pp. 135-158 : 137-140

Psammoecus cruciger ( Waterhouse, 1876)

Fig. 1

Telephanus cruciger Waterhouse, 1876: 125 .

Psammoecus upsilon Blackburn, 1903: 155 .

Psammoecus cephalotes Grouvelle, 1919: 20 .

Psammoecus cruciger – Grouvelle 1908: 476. — Arrow 1927: 44. — Hetschko 1930: 82.

Psammoecus cephalotes – Arrow 1927: 44. — Hetschko 1930: 82. — Pal 1985: 41.

Psammoecus upsilon – Arrow 1927: 44.

Psammoecus ypsilon – Hetschko 1930: 82. — Pal 1985: 41 (misspellings).

non Psammoecus trimaculatus – Grouvelle 1908: 476 (misidentification). — Pal 1985: 41.

Diagnosis

The following combination of character states distinguishes this species: body oval ( Fig. 1A ) length 1.97– 2.73 mm; eyes ( Fig. 1B ) large, evenly rounded; temples distinct, narrowed evenly immediately behind eyes; frontal grooves flat, slightly curved, short, reaching anterior fifth of eyes; antennae stout ( Fig. 1C ), antennomere 6 sometimes slightly darkened, antennomeres 7–10 distinctly darkened, antennomere 11 whitish yellow; punctation on head and pronotal disc dense, microsculpture absent, punctures round, somewhat smaller than an eye facet diameter, pubescence on head and pronotum moderate; pronotum ( Fig. 1B ) widest at anterior third, pronotal punctation moderate, punctures widened, about as wide as eye facet diameter, lateral pronotal margins with four, sometimes only three teeth of moderate size, anterior and posterior denticles present, small; elytra ( Fig. 1A ) widest at middle, elytra with piceous maculae: wide band near middle, posterior half of suture and elytral apex darkened, humeral area often slightly to distinctly darkened; elytral pubescence short, longer setae along anterior half of interstice between 9 th and 11 th stria; male genitalia ( Fig. 1 D–F) moderately sclerotised, with short, blunt median lobe that bears distinct, complex sclerotizations in apical part of internal sac, parameres short, bearing three distinct, long setae, parameres fused with tegmen, inner margins fused medially at flat angle, almost forming arc.

Material examined

Types PAPUA NEW GUINEA • ♀, holotype of Telephanus cruciger Waterhouse, 1876 ; Dory; “Type” [round label with red border]; “59 58. Dory. | New Guinea”; “ Telephanus | cruciger , | (Type) C.Waterh.”. [59– 58 refers to 703 Coleoptera specimens collected by Alfred Russel Wallace in Dory, New Guinea, and puchased by NHMUK from Stevens’ Auction House in 1859 (M.V.L. Barclay pers. comm.)]; NHMUK.

AUSTRALIA • ♀, holotype of Psammoecus upsilon Blackburn, 1903 (= P. ypsilon sensu Hetschko 1930 ); [Northern Queensland?]; “T. | 7223 | N. Qv [?]” [written on mounting label, last line in red ink]; “Type | H. T.” [round label with red border]; “ Psammoecus | upsilon, Blackb. ”; “Australia. | Blackburn Coll. | B.M. 1910–236.”; NHMUK.

AUSTRALIA • ♀, holotype of Psammoecus cephalotes Grouvelle, 1919 ; Port Darwin ; “Type” [round label with red border]; “Port Darwin. | 92–2.”; “4716”; “ Psammoecus | cephalotes | G. Grouv ” [Grouvelle’s hand]; NHMUK .

Other material

AUSTRALIA – Queensland – Cairns • 3 specs; Aug. 1947; ANIC • 4 specs; ANIC • 6 specs; Sep. 1949; ANIC • 1 spec.; 16°55′ S, 145°46′ E; 26 Jan. 1938; Brooks leg.; ANIC • 1 spec.; same locality; 18 Apr.–14 May 1965; Brooks leg.; at indoor light; ANIC • 1 spec.; 25 Mar. 1965; Balogh leg.; HNHM • 1 spec.; Little Mulgrave National Park ; 16 Dec. 1967; Brooks leg.; ANIC • 1 spec.; Russell River Xing; 17°26′ S, 145°54′ E; 11 Jun. 1992; Reid leg.; weedy rainforest, beating Hibiscus ; ANIC • 10 specs; Edge Hill ; 16°55′ S, 145°46′ E; 9 Aug. 1968; Balogh and Loksa leg.; HNHM . – Cassowary Coast Region • 1 spec.; Cardstone ; 1 Jan. 1966; Hyde leg.; ANIC • 1 spec.; same locality; 2 Feb. 1966; Brooks leg.; ANIC • 6 specs; same locality; 10–13 Mar. 1966; Hyde leg.; ANIC • 1 spec.; same locality; 14 Nov. 1966; Brooks leg.; ANIC • 4 specs; same locality; 15 Nov. 1966; Brooks leg.; ANIC • 1 spec.; same locality; 16 Nov. 1966; Brooks leg.; ANIC • 2 specs; same data as for preceding; MKF • 1 spec.; same locality; 19 Nov. 1966; Brooks leg.; ANIC • 1 spec.; same locality; 28 Nov. 1966; Brooks leg.; ANIC • 1 spec.; same locality; 1–2 Dec. 1966; Brooks leg.; ANIC • 1 spec.; same locality; 5–6 Dec. 1966; Brooks leg.; ANIC • 1 spec.; same locality; 20 Jan. 1967; Hyde leg.; ANIC • 4 specs; Hinchinbrook Island, Gayundah Creek ; 8–9 Nov. 1984; Marks leg.; light trap; ANIC • 1 spec.; same locality; 15–17 Nov. 1984; Marks leg.; light trap; ANIC • 1 spec.; Innisfail, Seymour Range ; 6 Nov. 1966; Britton leg.; rainforest at light; ANIC . – Mackay Region • 4 specs; Finch Hatton, Cattle Ck Xing ; 9 Jun. 1992; Reid leg.; beaten from flowering Eucalyptus ; ANIC • 1 spec.; Bucasia ; 3 Jan. 2007; Sandery leg.; ANIC . – Shire of Cook • 1 spec.; Iron Range National Park, Mount Tozer ; 12°43′ S, 143°17′ E; 5–10 Jul. 1986; Weir and Calder leg.; at light; ANIC . – Shire of Douglas • 1 spec.; Daintree ; 29 Oct. 1966; Britton leg.; dead leaves edge of rainforest; ANIC • 1 spec.; same data as for preceding; MKF . – Shire of Mareeba • 1 spec.; Kuranda ; 16°49′ S, 145°38′ E; 24 Nov. 1964; Brooks leg.; at light; ANIC .

MALAYSIA • 2 specs; Sarawak, W Kuching, Mt Matang ; Dec. 1913; Bryant leg.; NHMUK • 1 spec.; same data as for preceding; MKF .

PAPUA NEW GUINEA • 1 spec.; NE Madang, Gogol River ; 17 Sep. 1969; Balogh leg.; HNHM • 1 spec.; Western Province , SE Kiunga; 23 Jul.–2 Aug. 1969; Balogh leg.; HNHM .

Distribution

Psammoecus cruciger has been found in Australia (Queensland), Malaysia and Papua New Guinea.

Remarks

Grouvelle (1908) erroneously synonymised P. cruciger with P. trimaculatus Motschulsky, 1858 . In his revision of Indian Psammoecus, Pal (1985) agreed with this, treating P. upsilon (“ P. ypsilon ”) and P. cephalotes as “probable synonyms” of P. trimaculatus . Arrow (1927) did not adopt Grouvelle’s synonymization of P. cruciger with P. trimaculatus . Instead, he regarded P. upsilon and P. cephalotes as junior synonyms of P. cruciger . Examination of type material confirmed the synonymy according to Arrow. There are few similarities to P. trimaculatus ; the structure of the male genitalia indicates a very close relationship to P. simonis Grouvelle, 1882 . Both P. trimaculatus and P. simonis were redescribed by Yoshida & Hirowatari (2014).

Figures

Fig. 1. Psammoecus cruciger (Waterhouse, 1876). A–C. Holotype, ♀ (NHMUK). A. Habitus. B. Head and pronotum. C. Left antenna. D–F. Specimen from Queensland, ♂ (ANIC). D. Aedeagus, ventral view. E. Parameres, ventral view. F. Median lobe, dorsal view. Scale bars: A = 1.0 mm; B–D = 0.5 mm; E–F = 0.1 mm.