Revision of Australian species of the dung beetle genus Lepanus (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae): key to species groups and description of 14 new species from the L. pygmaeus species group
Author
Gunter, Nicole L.
Author
Weir, Thomas A.
text
Zootaxa
2019
2019-03-05
4564
1
41
80
journal article
28431
10.11646/zootaxa.4564.1.2
d3a56aac-92aa-48f2-b9fe-9576a4c2a0ec
1175-5326
2588621
27F70B5F-24DD-4C9E-BBA7-2B87476BD49C
Lepanus pecki
Gunter & Weir
,
new species
(
Figs. 4
D–E, 4I–J, 6D, 9A, 11E, 14)
Type series.
Holotype
:
♂
“AUST: NT; Darwin CSIRO, McMilliansRd
1-25 xii 1993
FIT S&J Peck 93-87” [
12°24'42"S
,
130°55'19"E
] /“Canadian Museum of NATURE
CMNEN-00030268
” / “ANIC Database 25-065551” / “
Lepanus
NT6 det.
T.A.Weir 2018
” / “ANIC Image” in ANIC.
Paratypes
:
Northern Territory
:
Darwin
CSIRO
,
McMillans Road
, [
12°24'42"S
,
130°55'19"E
],
1–25.xii.1993
,
S.B. & J. Peck
(
CMNEN-00030265-00030267
,
2
×
♀
, 1 ×
♂
, 0 0 0 30269
♀
, 00030281–00030285 in
CMNC 5
×
♀
,
CMNEN-00030286–00030287
in
QM 1
×
♂
1 ×
♀
,
CMNEN-00030271-
79
in
ANIC 9
×
♀
); Darwin
CSIRO
,
McMillans Road
, [
12°24'42"S
,
130°55'19"E
],
25.xii.1993
–
10.i.1994
,
S.B. & J. Peck
(
CMNEN-00030252–00030258
in
CMNC 1
×
♂
, 6 ×
♀
,
CMNEN- 00030259–00030260
in
QM 2
×
♀
,
CMNEN-00030262–00030263
in
ANIC 1
♂,
1 ♀
);
5 km
SE Humpty Doo
,
Byrne
, [
12°38'S
,
131°16'E
],
11–13.i.1992
,
D. Bickel
(K266973,
ANIC 25-
060801
in
AM 1
×
♂
,
1x
♀
)
.
Description.
Either uniformly dark brown or bicoloured with head and pronotum dark brown and rest of the body light brown. Antennal clubs grey to yellow.
Total length: 2.0–
2.1 mm
.
Holotype
measurements: Total length 2.0 mm, elytral width
1.3 mm
.
Male: Head: U-shaped between clypeal teeth, which are short, blunt, and upturned. Margin slightly angulate at clypeogenal suture. Genal angle weakly defined. Basal carina present and interrupted medially. Dorsal part of eyes narrow in size, separated by interocular space approximately 15 times eye width (30:2); eye canthus nearly dividing eye. Head 1.15 × wider than long (37:32).
Prothorax: Hypomeral surface finely reticulate. Hypomeral striae about half the length of hypomeron. Pronotum 1.7 × wider than long (60:35).
Elytra: Striae 1–3 narrow and double; striae 4–7 single. Elytra 1.3 × wider than long (78:60).
Legs: Three teeth on the outer edge. Front edge of protibiae deeply angulate; apical digit somewhat elongate and sharp. Inner edge of metatibiae expanded approximately midlength, creating a distinct flange. Metatarsi with 2nd tarsomere subequal to the 5th. Tarsal claws small and toothed.
Abdomen: Pygidium with almost ovoid depression with angulate upper edge and containing a round tubercle in upper third. Depression occupies at least half size of disc and just extending under the angulate upper edge of pygidium. Abdominal surface smooth and non-reticulate. Segment 6 punctate.
Pterothorax: Medial lobe of metaventrite finely punctate and broadly margined between mesocoxae. Lateral lobe of metaventrite smooth and punctate with setae. Meso-metaventral suture very slightly arched. Mesoventrite with slight notch anteriorly. Mesoventrite and mesepimeron smooth. Metanepisternum reticulate.
Female: As per the
L
.
pygmaeus
species group.
Etymology.
Named in honour of Stewart Peck, Canadian Museum of Nature, Ottawa,
Canada
, who collected the majority of known specimens and many other
Lepanus
from the Northern Territory that are included in this study.
Distribution.
Known only from mixed eucalypt woodland and in monsoon woodlands of Darwin and Humpty Doo in the
Northern Territory
IBRA region DAC (
Fig. 14
). Very limited sampling of dung beetles have been conducted in DAC and the neighbouring VIB, DAB, PCK, ARP, and ARC IBRA regions and
L. pecki
may be more widespread than currently reported.
Comments.
Lepanus pecki
was unknown at the time when the informal nomenclature for undescribed species of
Lepanus
was reported (
Yeates
et al.
2011
) but was designated the informal name “
Lepanus
NT6” within this revision. This species has been collected in flight-intercept traps and pan traps. It is differentiated from all other
Lepanus
species (except
L. guthrieae
)
by males having a distinctive flange on the metatibiae. Furthermore it is one of only two species in the
L
.
pygmaeus
species group that have three protibial teeth, the other being
L. sauroni
.