Revision of Australian species of the dung beetle genus Lepanus (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae): description of 10 new species from the L. australis, L. monteithi, and L. villosus species groups
Author
Gunter, Nicole L.
Author
Weir, Thomas A.
text
Zootaxa
2019
2019-11-08
4695
3
201
252
journal article
24935
10.11646/zootaxa.4695.3.1
256591b2-6d7b-465d-a818-9a158017ca09
1175-5326
3532515
32E17629-F29A-47C8-ACCB-69A32C17B147
Lepanus geoffi
Gunter & Weir
,
new species
(
Figs 8G
,
9A
,
10A
,
11A
)
Types series
Holotype
:
♂
“
12.45S
143.14E
QLD,
West Claudie River
,
24 Oct. 1992
T. Weir
,
P. Zborowski
,
human dung trap
, closed forest” / “
ANIC
Database No. 25 065538” / “
ANIC
image” / “
Lepanus
CYP2 det TA Weir 2012” in
ANIC
(
12°45’0”S
,
143°14’0”E
)
.
Paratypes
(
48 ♂
,
52 ♀
):
West Claudie River
, (
12°45’0”S
,
143°14’0”E
),
24.x.1992
T. Weir
&
P. Zborowski
,
human dung trap
, closed forest (25-023714
2 specimens ♂
,
6 specimens ♀
in
ANIC
)
;
West Claudie River
,
12.45°S
143.14°E
,
29–30.ix.1974
,
G.B. Monteith
(T49923–T49928
3 specimens ♂
,
3 specimens ♀
in
QM
)
;
9 km
ENE Mount Tozer
, [
12°43’0”S
,
143°17’0”E
],
5–10.vii.1986
, J.C.
Cardale
(25-059101
5 specimens ♂
,
16 specimens ♀
in
ANIC
, 25-059101
1 specimen ♂
,
1 specimen ♀
in
CMNC
)
;
9 km
ENE Mount Tozer
, [
12°43’0”S
,
143°17’0”E
],
6–10.vii.1986
, T.A.
Weir
(25-059102
2 specimens ♂
in
ANIC
)
;
9 km
ENE Mount Tozer
, [
12°43’0”S
,
143°17’0”E
],
5–10.vii.1986
, T.A.
Weir
(25-059096
1 specimen ♀
in
ANIC
)
;
Iron Range
,
Cape
York
Peninsula
(general), [
12°44’0”S
,
143°17’0”E
],
11–17.v.1968
,
G.B. Monteith
(25-058478
2 specimens ♂
in
QM
) (
paratype
of
L. monteithi
)
;
Claudie River
near
Iron Range
, [
12°45’0”S
,
143°13’0”E
],
19–25.vii.1978
,
J.F. Lawrence
(25-059095
1 specimen ♂
in
ANIC
)
;
3 km
ENE Mount Tozer
, [
12°44’0”S
,
143°14’0”E
],
1–4.vii.1986
, T.A.
Weir
(25-059098
2 specimens ♂
,
3 specimens ♀
in
ANIC
)
;
3 km
ENE Mount Tozer
, [
12°44’0”S
,
143°14’0”E
],
28.vi–16.vii.1986
, T.A.
Weir
(25-059097
1 specimen ♀
in
ANIC
)
;
3 km
ENE Mount Tozer
, [
12°44’0”S
,
143°14’0”E
],
28.vi–4.vii.1986
,
T.A. Weir
& A.
Calder
(25-059099
1 specimen ♂
in
ANIC
)
;
3 km
ENE Mount Tozer
, [
12°44’0”S
,
143°14’0”E
],
28.vi–4.vii.1986
, J.C.
Cardale
(25-059103
11 specimens ♂
5 specimens ♀
in
ANIC
)
;
11 km
ENE Mount Tozer
, [
12°42’44”S
,
143°18’37”E
],
11–16.vii.1986
, J.C.
Cardale
(25-059100
9 specimens ♂
,
10 specimens ♀
in
ANIC
)
;
11 km
ENE Mount Tozer
, [
12°42’44”S
,
143°18’37”E
],
11–16.vii.1986
, T.A.
Weir
(25-059104
4 specimens ♂
1 specimen ♀
in
ANIC
)
;
East Claudie River
,
12°42’50”S
,
143°17’13”E
,
15 m
,
10–11.xii.2010
,
G.B. Monteith
(25-
060823
1 specimen
in
ANIC
also as
COL1455
1 specimen ♂
)
;
Gordons Creek
,
12°42’47”S
,
143°19’12”E
,
15 m
,
11–12.xii.2010
,
G.B. Monteith
(25-
060822
3 specimens
in
ANIC
also as
COL1452
1 specimen ♂
,
COL1453
1 specimen ♂
,
COL1454
♀)
;
Gordons Mine Area
,
Iron Range
, [
12°43’0”S
,
143°18’0”E
],
100 m
,
12–18.ii.1976
, G.B.
Monteith
(T49933
1 specimen ♀
, T49934
1 specimen ♀
, T49937
1 specimen ♂
in
QM
)
;
Iron Range
,
Cape
York
Peninsula
, [
12°45’0”S
,
143°18’0”E
],
50 m
,
30.vi–4.vii.1977
,
G.B. Monteith
(T49914
1 specimen ♀
,
T49918–19
1 specimen ♂
,
1 specimen ♀
in
QM
)
.
Other material examined.
118 other specimens from 6 other locations were also examined.
Lake Boronto(=Wincheura)
Newcastle
Bay,Cape
York
[Lake Bronto,Lake Wicheura],[
10°46’0”S
,
142°33’0”E
],
50 m
,
21–25.ix.1974
, G.B. Monteith (25-015629
1 specimen
also as T
49922
in
QM
);
Australian Biological Resources Study Area
2,
Dividing Range
15 km
W of Captain Billy Creek
,
Cape
York
Peninsula
, [
11°40’0”S
,
142°45’0”E
],
4–9.vii.1975
,
G.B. Monteith
(25-015608
3 specimens
, 25-015611
1 specimen
, 25-015612
1 specimen
, 25-015613
1 specimen
, 25-015614
2 specimens
, also as T49886–T
49896
in
QM
)
;
Australian Biological Resources Study Area
2,
Dividing Range
15 km
W of Captain Billy Creek
,
Cape
York
Peninsula
, [
11°40’0”S
,
142°45’0”E
],
5.ii.1976
–
12.ii.1976
,
G.B. Monteith
(25-015615
1 specimen
, 25-015616
1 specimen
also as T49897–T
49898
in
QM
)
;
Australian Biological Resources Study Area
3,
Dividing Range
15 km
W of Captain Billy Creek
,
Cape
York
Peninsula
, [
11°40’0”S
,
142°45’0”E
],
4–9.vii.1975
,
G.B. Monteith
(25-015619
1 specimen
, 25-015620
1 specimen
, 25-015621
1 specimen
also as T49907–T
49909
in
QM
)
;
Australian Biological Resources Study Area
5,
Captain Billy Creek
,
Cape
York
Peninsula
, [
11°40’0”S
,
142°50’0”E
],
9–13.vii.1975
,
G.B. Monteith
(25-015644
1 specimen
, 25-015646
1 specimen
, 25-015647
3 specimens
, 25-015648
1 specimen
, 25-015649
2 specimens
, 25-015657
11 specimens
, 25-015658
13 specimens
also as T49780–T49792, T49812, T49817- T49822–T49823, T49857, T49872–T
49881
in
QM
)
;
Australian Biological Resources Study Area
6,
Captain Billy Creek
,
Cape
York
Peninsula
, [
11°40’0”S
,
142°50’0”E
],
9–13.vii.1975
,
G.B. Monteith
(25-015641
2 specimens
, 25-015642
1 specimen
, 25-015643
1 specimen
, 25-015645
4 specimens
, 25-015650
2 specimens
, 25-015651
8 specimens
, 25-015652
6 specimens
, 25-015653
6 specimens
, 25-015654
7 specimens
, 25-015655
8 specimens
, 25-015656
10 specimens
, 25-015659
15 specimens
also as T49793–T49808, T49810–T49811, T49813–T49816, T49824–T49829, T49830–T49856, T49858–T
49871
in
QM
)
;
14 km
ENE Heathlands
, [
11°40’48”S
,
142°42’0”E
],
19.vi–13.vii.1993
,
K. Halfpapp
& S.
De Faveri
(25-
020177
1 specimen
in
QDPC
)
.
Description.
Uniformly dark brown. Antennal clubs grey.
Total length:
1.6–2.4 mm
.
Holotype
measurements: total length
2.3 mm
, elytral width
1.6 mm
.
Male
. Head. Surface with very fine punctation, basal carina absent. Clypeal edge normal, without projection lateral to teeth. Genal angle rounded. Dorsal part of the eyes narrow, separated by an interocular space approximately 16–17 times the eye width (33: 2). Head 1.3 x wider than long (40:30).
Prothorax: Pronotal surface with very fine punctation. Basal angles distinct. Punctures along the basal margin absent. Pronotum 1.7 x wider than long (58:34).
Elytra: Surface smooth with obsolete striae; intervals very finely punctate. Stria 6 not extending to elytral base but stria 7 extending to elytral base. Elytra 1.2 x wider than long (42:35)
Legs: Protibiae with 3 teeth on outer edge, front edge deeply angulate. Apical digit long and parallel sided with a rounded apex with a very small comb of stout setae, and bearing a short spur on the outer apical angle. Metatibiae without a notch on inner edge.
Abdomen: Pygidium simple, primarily smooth and shiny, very finely punctate, and slightly convex. Abdominal ventrites reticulate right across.
FIGURE 13
. Map of known records for
Lepanus geoffi
including predicted distribution estimated with BIOCLIM models. QLD, Queensland.
Pterothorax: Medial lobe of metaventrite very finely punctate and margin between the mesocoxae virtually absent. Lateral lobe of metaventrite with a patch of setae in a depression, virtually impunctate anteriorly, inner bor- der beside mesocoxae not defined. Mesoventrite notched anteriorly. Mesoventrite smooth. Metanepisternum finely reticulate.
Aedeagus: Without small tufts of setae on apices of parameres.
Female
. As per
L
.
monteithi
species group. One or two stout setae on apical digit on the same plane (at right angle in males).
Etymology.
Named for Geoff Monteith for the morphological similarity between this species and the other
Lepanus
named in his honour and for his invaluable contribution to the collection of
Lepanus
and its informal taxonomy.
Distribution.
Known from the rainforests of the Cape
York
Peninsula bioregion, from Iron Range north to the tip of Cape
York
(
Fig. 13
).
Comments.
Lepanus geoffi
is known from over
220 specimens
, the majority of which were collected in dung traps including those baited with human or macropod dung. This species has also been collected in berlesed litter and flight intercept, pan and water traps and may be a generalist as it has also been collected in dung/mushroom traps.
This species has been referred to under the informal nomenclature
sensu
Yeates
et al.
(2011)
as
Lepanus
CYP2, which is followed by Gunter
et al
. (2019). The specimen sequenced in this study collected from East Claudie River is designated as a
paratype
here (ANIC 25-
060823
also as COL1455) and was recovered as sister to
L. yorkensis
new species
. Other specimens from Gordons Creek have been sequenced (25-
060822
3 specimens
in ANIC also as COL
1452–1453
) and show minimal sequence variation.