Australian Melolonthini (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae): a sixth species of Pseudholophylla Blackburn, 1911, and notes on the other known species
Author
Hutchinson, Paul M.
Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development WA (Quarantine WA), Locked Bag 69, Welshpool DC, Western Australia 6986, Australia.
Author
Allsopp, Peter G.
Queensland Museum, PO Box 3300, South Brisbane, Queensland 4101, Australia.
text
Zootaxa
2021
2021-12-15
5082
1
30
40
journal article
2946
10.11646/zootaxa.5082.1.3
c601c282-b593-47ff-bd7f-0b901cbf7b6c
1175-5326
5783154
06372651-6702-4741-AA55-2B302F34D21F
Pseudholophylla lepidoptera
(
Blackburn, 1912
)
(
Figs. 11
,
15–17
)
Paralepidiota lepidoptera
Blackburn, 1912: 51
.
Pseudholophylla lepidoptera
:
Britton 1978: 34
, Figs. 94–96, 274D;
Allsopp 2020b: 478
.
Type series.
Lectotype
♂
, designated by
Britton (1978)
.
QUEENSLAND
.
Cairns
, in
NHML
[examined].
Additional material examined.
QUEENSLAND
.
1♀
, LAURA [
15.56°S
,
144.45°E
] [handwritten] | Paralepidiota
lepidoptera Bl.
[handwritten]
Id. By A.M. Lea
[typeset]; in
QM
.
Diagnosis of males.
Body
23 mm
long. Colour reddish brown. Antennomere 4 angulate, without a lamella. Maxillary palp with apical palpomere broad, with an elliptical concavity on the upper surface. Pronotum with greatest width 1.6x mid length; anterior margin narrow and raised, posterior margins not defined in the middle. Parameres (
Fig. 11
) with a transverse apical process, dorsal margin sinuate concavely and ventral margin concave arcuate, apically one-quarter of paramere pointed in ventral view and with pre-apical, transverse, sclerotised process near its base, apex perpendicular to longitudinal axis of parameres.
Description of female (
Figs. 15–16
). Body
27 mm
long. Colour reddish brown. Labrum transverse, anterior margin concave in middle, with transverse row of white, elongate-pointed setae and scattered smaller pale yellow setae. Maxillary palp with a deep elongate depression on the upper surface. Antennae with antennomere 4 cylindrical; antennomere 5 angulate, apex pointed; antennomeres 6–10 rounded-lamellate, each lamella about as long as length of antennomere 1. Clypeus with anterior face with short, pale yellow setae; dorsal surface depressed behind strong anterior-lateral margins, anterior angles rounded, surface glabrous and shagreen in centre, with white, elongate-pointed setae laterally. Clypeofrontal suture marked, concave in centre. Frons with wide band of white, elliptical setae across middle, almost bare above eyes and along anterior margin, posterior margin bare across middle, with small, white, rounded setae towards posterior-lateral margin of eyes. Pronotum with greatest width (at base) 2x mid length, anterior and posterior margins well defined but not grooved, lateral margin erose, surface with scattered, white, elongate-pointed setae on disc, setae denser laterally and along posterior margin. Elytra with rows of white, elongate-pointed setae, thin, pale yellow setae along outer margins. Propygidium and pygidium with white, elongate setae smaller and denser than those on elytra, pygidium with long, pale yellow setae towards lateral-posterior margins. Ventral thorax with elongate-pointed, white setae, larger than those on dorsal surface, amongst dense, long, yellow setae. Ventrites with dense, very elongate, white setae on anterior segments, becoming sparser and more rounded on posterior segments, very sparse on the final segment. Legs with scattered, elongate-pointed, white setae amongst long, yellow setae; protarsal claw with large, pointed tooth close to base; metatarsal claw with smaller tooth one third along claw.
Remarks.
Female antennae are consistent (
Allsopp 1990
) with other Australian old-Gondwanan
Melolonthini (
Allsopp 1995
)
where both genders do not feed as adults, and the females fly little (if at all) and attract males with pheromones (
Allsopp 1993
). This contrasts with more recent Oriental arrivals, such as
Lepidiota
species
, where male and female antennal clubs are similar, and mating appears to take place at feeding sites.
Distribution
(
Fig. 17
). The stated
type
locality is unlikely to be correct; “Cairns” was often used in the late 1800s as a general locality for material collected in northern
Queensland
. Laura was linked to Cooktown by rail in 1891, providing easy access to collectors. It has a Köppen-Geiger climate of Aw (savanna).