Australian Marsh Beetles (Coleoptera: Scirtidae) 4. Two new genera, Austrocyphon and Tasmanocyphon
Author
Zwick, Peter
text
Zootaxa
2013
3706
1
1
74
journal article
10.11646/zootaxa.3706.1.1
a9befad7-4b65-4998-8e82-a00f933fdecb
1175-5326
284605
486DF839-3C97-4B16-9E2D-9E06F4D85F8F
Austrocyphon ovensensis
(
Blackburn, 1892
)
,
comb. nov.
(
Figs. 130–136
)
Helodes
(
Cyphon
?)
ovensensis
Blackburn 1892
: 520
.
Type
material.
Holotype
♀, 1 ♀
paratype
(on the same pin), 3810 AT [red ink; on specimen card] T [black ink] /
Type
[circular, red edge] / Blackburn coll. 1919–236 /
Helodes ovensensis, Blckb.
[in Armstrong's hand] /
Austrocyphon
sp. det.
P.Zwick 2012
. According to Blackburn's register, 3815 stands for „
Helodes (Cyphon) ovensensis, Blackb. Austr. Alps
11/90” (M.Barclay, personal communication). In the description Blackburn stated “obtained by sweeping on the banks of the Ovens River”.
Additional material studied.
VIC
:
5♂
, Little R. at confluence with Taggerty R.,
28.12.1972
;
1♂
, Steavenson R. near Buxton, 18°C,
28.12.1972
;
1♂
, Ovens R., Harrietville,
23.11.1972
;
1♂
, Delatite R. 7.7 mls downstream from Mirrimbah,
24.11.1972
;
4♂
, Delatite R. at Merrijig,
24.11.1972
;
5♂
,
VIC
, Grampian Mts, MacKenzie Falls,
15.xi.2007
, on flowers next to shaded splash zone at foot of main falls (all P.Zwick, PZ);
3♂
, Wellington R. on Licola Rd, at light, Jan, 1979, I.C. Campbell (PZ);
1♂
, Dandongadale
VIC
11.1.55
Neboiss (MV).—
ACT
:
4♂
(4♀): Woods Reserve nr
Gibraltar
Falls,
ACT
,
27.Jan.1984
, I.D.Naumann (
ANIC
).—
NSW
:
3 males
,
8km
W Delegate
NSW
25.Dec.1988
C.Reid ex Leptospermum by stream;
1♂
, (
35.08S
150.02E
) Corang River,
NSW
, on road to Nerriga
20.1.1971
S.Misko & K.Pullen;
1♂
,
35.08S
,
150.02E
, Corang River,
NSW
, on road to Nerriga,
20.ii.71
S.Misko & K.Pullen;
1♂
, Mt. Kosciusko N.S.W.
Dec. 1931
A.L.Tonnoir;
1♂
,
36.21S
,
148.25E
,
NSW
, Kosciusko NP Piper's Ck NE Guthega 832
1340m
14. Feb.1987
, A.Newton & M.Thayer / low et scler. forest
FMHD
#87-266 Berl. wet leaves flood debris in forest stream (all
ANIC
).
2 ♂
,
NSW
15 K W Jindabyne Little Thredbo River
6/1/06
on Leptospermum flowers, C.H.S.Watts;
13 ♂
,
NSW
2K W Island Bend
1/1/06
On Leptospermum flws, C.H.S.Watts;
4 ♂
,
NSW
4K N Perisher Pipers Creek
6/1/06
, C.H.S.Watts;
9 ♂
,
NSW
5k N Smiggin Holes
9/2/02
, C.H.S.Watts;
6 ♂
,
NSW
7k E Thredbo
10/2/02
, C.H.S.Watts;
4 ♂
,
NSW
Dead Horse Gap
4.5 km
W Thredbo
6/1/06
, C.H.S.Watts;
8 ♂
,
NSW
Thredbo River 6 K N Jindabyne
6/1/06
on Leptospermum flws;
3♂
,
NSW
Leatherbarrel Creek Alpine Way
7/1/06
on Protanthera flws, C.H.S.Watts;
9 ♂
,
NSW
Thredbo River 6 K N Jindabyne
6/1/06
on Leptospermum flws, C.H.S.Watts (all
SAMA
).
3 ♂
,
8km
W Delegate
NSW
25.Dec.1988
C.Reid ex Leptospermum by stream;
1♂
, New
England
Ntl Pk,
NSW
,
11.Feb.1968
, D.H.Colless, rainforest (
ANIC
).
Habitus
. BL
2.1–2.8 mm
, BL/BW ~1.6. Elongate-oval, rather flat. Dark brown to almost black.
Male
. T8 caudally truncate to moderately excised. Plate appearing bare but at>100x minute pores and short setae appear.
Sclerotized rods caudally continuing the apodemes of T9 deeply divided into a wider and longer dorso-medial and a slenderer latero-ventral sinuous branch. S9 elongate-oval with gently narrowing base. Caudal portion with some setae, distally excised.
Pala
and caudal part of penis of similar length. Sclerite of pala narrow. Parameroids laterally strongly flanged, caudal part behind trigonium long. Trigonium wide, stout, conical, almost filling the foramen. Claw-shaped centema and basal spur distinct.
FIGURES 130–136.
Austrocyphon
ovensensis
(Blackburn)
, male. 130, T8 and S8, ventral; 131, T9 (specimen from Ovens R. at Harrietville); 132, tegmen and parameres; 133, penis; 134, S9. Sclerites of T9: 135, specimen from Gibraltar Falls, A.C.T.; 136, specimen from MacKenzie Falls, Grampians. All to the same scale.
The rod-like parameres diverge from a U-shaped base. Tips indistinctly widened and hooked.
Female
. No prehensor, not distinctive.
Notes
. The
types
are females in very poor shape. Blackburn had mounted them on a single card, one specimen remains on it. Of the other specimen which had been identified as
type
by the letter "T" only the head (upside down) remains on the card. The remainder (prothorax, pterothorax, abdomen) are now on a triangular card on the same pin. The abdomina had previously been cleared. They show no taxonomically useful structures, specific identification is not possible (see also
Klausnitzer 1981
). I apply the name to the common widespread species which I took on the Ovens River.
The delicate bridge between the apodemes of T9 is often torn, and is an important source of apparent variation because the separated sclerite rods tend to rotate around their long axis and eventually lie in different positions in microscope preparations. This may alter the appearance drastically because the sclerite branches are sinuous, looking different in different positions (
Figs. 131, 135, 136
). Alternatively,
A. ovensensis
may actually be an unresolved complex of sibling species.
As far as can be told from labels, specimens were taken along swift flowing streams and rivers, some torrential.