Taxonomic revision of Australian Pristoderus Hope (Coleoptera, Zopheridae)
Author
Turco, Federica
Author
Ślipiński, Adam
Author
Lambkin, Christine L.
text
Zootaxa
2012
2012-03-20
3239
1
34
journal article
10.11646/zootaxa.3239.1.1
b12ef351-4f83-4ebe-82a2-48b94f258942
1175-5326
280436
Pristoderus cornutus
Turco &
Ślipiński
sp. n.
(
Figs 3b
, 5b, 7b)
Types
.
Holotype
:
Australia
:
Queensland
:
Mossman Bluff Track
9km
W Mossman
,
1000m
,
20–24.xii.1989
,
Monteith
, Thompson & ANZSES [Ga:
16.459S
145.285E
] (
QMBA
,
T169597
, QM PHOTOS PS1720).
Paratypes
: same data as holotype (2,
QMBA
,
T
169598-9)
.
Other specimens examined.
Queensland
:
Bellenden Ker Range
,
1 km
S of
Cable Tower
6,
17 Oct–5 Nov 1981
,
500m
, EARTHWATCH/QLD MUSEUM,
Pyrethrum
knockdown [GE:
17.275S
145.867E
] (1,
QMBA
);
20°20’S
148°45’E
, Mt Hayward,
350m
,
20 Nov 1992
–mid
Apr 1993
, D. Cook &
G.B. Monteith
, RF,
Intercept & Pitfalls
(1,
QMBA
);
19.07S
145.23E
, Mt Halifax, SE Ridge,
20 Mar 1991
,
950m
, G.
Monteith
& D. Cook,
Pyrethrum
, logs & trees (1,
QMBA
);
18.55S
146.09E
,
Mt Spec
, S3, 880m,
6 Feb–9 Mar 1995
,
M. Cermak
, FI
Traps
(1,
ANIC
).
Diagnosis.
Pristoderus cornutus
is similar to
P. saccharatus
and the Papuan
P. phytophtorus
having a narrow and semicircular lateral pronotal notch. Pronotal notch in
P. saccharatus
is almost closed, while is distinctly open in the remaining two species.
P. cornutus
can be distinguished from
P. phytophtorus
in having the elytral crest along 3rd interval uneven in lateral aspect, with apical portion distinctly raised, and the body comparatively stouter.
Description.
Body length:
7.7–10.1 mm
.
Body convex, about 1.5–2 times as long as wide (ratio max length/max width: 1.80–1.88); colour brown, often darker in central and apical part of elytra; vestiture of short, recumbent whitish setae, longer and more erect on pronotum (particularly on median process), holding a coat of dirt.
Head transverse; eyes protruding lacking interfacetal setae; long and fine setae just posterior to eyes; supraorbital carina raised and indented, with a distinct upwardly directed, pointed tubercle at posterior end above the eye; supra-antennal carina distinctly raised, frontal edge indented; antennal insertion frontal, just below the edge of supra-antennal carina; antennae 11-segmented with a distinct 3-segmented club; antennomere I slightly elongate, about as long as III; II subspherical; III distinctly longer than II; IV–VIII from subcylindrical to subspherical gradually decreasing in length; IX–XI distinctly transverse to form a rather loose club.
Pronotum distinctly transverse (pronotal length/width: 0.49–0.60), as wide as elytra; dorsal median process anteriorly prominent but short, not reaching anterior margin of head, just reaching anterior pronotal angles, strongly sloping in lateral view with pointed tubercles on dorsal edge; antero-lateral margins widely lobate (7–8 lobes), expanded posteriorly to form a circular, lateral notch; two admedian upwardly pointed tubercles in middle.
Elytra 1.2 times as long as wide, with straight lateral margins and distinctly indented margins; strongly prominent tubercles along 3rd and 5th intervals; 3rd interval with variable tubercles in size and shape, joined to form a crest, weakly
zigzag
; proximal third of crest convergent, ridge-shaped; apical tubercle distinctly raised, with edge sharply indented, pointing upwards; 5th interval with basal tubercle larger than others on same interval, with pointed edge.
Etymology.
The name of this species is a masculine adjective from Latin
cornutus
= provided with horns. It refers to the strongly pointed tubercles on elytra, particularly when compared to
P. saccharatus
and the Papuan
P. phytophtorus
, which are the most similar species.
Distribution and habitat occurrence.
NE Queensland (
Fig. 14
a); upland tropical rainforest with one record of lowland tropical rainforest (Mt Hayward at
350m
above sea level).