Taxonomic revision of Australian Platynectes Régimbart, 1879 (part I) — four new species from Queensland (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae, Agabinae)
Author
Hendrich, Lars
Author
Šťastný, Jaroslav
text
Zootaxa
2014
3795
1
25
37
journal article
36861
10.11646/zootaxa.3795.1.3
ea99552d-1c2c-44eb-b4e6-9da54c06e601
1175-5326
286022
0F1FD87D-88C8-472E-91C1-054A5DE82F64
Platynectes weiri
sp. n.
Figs 2
,
7, 8
,
13
LSID: lsid:zoobank.org:act:176FBE02-5FB3-46DF-A8D3-1C79C16FC5E7 Wiki species page: http://species-id.net/wiki/
Platynectes
_
weiri
Type
locality
. White Mountain National Park,
20.27S
144.49E
,
500 m
, Queensland,
Australia
.
Type
material
.
Holotype
: Male: “
20.27S
144.49E
QLD
White Mountains N.P.
2.5 km
NE of
RGSQ
/AG Base Camp
4 Apr. 2000
T. Weir at light”, “
Holotype
Platynectes weiri
sp. n.
Hendrich & Šťastný des. 2014” [red printed label] (
ANIC
).
Paratypes
(
11 specimens
):
3 males
and
1 female
with same data as
holotype
(
ANIC
,
CLH
);
2 males
and
1 female
: “
20.26S
144.51E
QLD
White Mountains N.P.
2 km
NE of
RGSQ
/AG Base Camp
5 – 7 Apr. 2000
T. Weir”, “
Platynectes
n. sp.
C. Watts 2001” [hw], “
Agabini
genus? [hw] det. T.A. Weir 2001”, “deep rocky pool, cloudy, sandy bottom, vegetation, half shade“ (
ANIC
,
CJS
);
1 female
: “
20.27S
144.49E
QLD
Whishaw Station nr. Mountains N.P.
29 Mar. 2000
T. Weir”, “at light” (
ANIC
);
2 females
: “
15.16S
144.59E
,
14 km
WbyN Hope Vale Mission [
69 m
]
QLD
7–10 May 1981
A. Calder”, “at light” (
ANIC
,
CLH
);
1 male
: “
QLD
.: White Mountains
53 km
NE Prairie,
Sep 1995
D.J. Cook”, “Queensland Museum loan Date:
Oct. 2006
No LE 06.23” [blue printed label] (QM). All
paratypes
provided with red printed
paratype
label.
Diagnosis
. Medium sized
Platynectes
, oval, rather flat, usually shiny, black with ten deep striae and few small yellow spots on elytron. Pronotum covered with two stripes of deep longitudinal striae (
Fig. 2
).
Description
. Measurements:
Holotype
: TL =
8.2 mm
, TL-H =
7.4 mm
; width =
4.35 mm
.
Paratypes
: TL =
7.4–8.6 mm
, TL-H =
6.7–7.8 mm
; width =
4.1–4.9 mm
.
Head
black, dull, with one central rhombical yellow marking and two small spots not reaching anterior and posterior margin. Microreticulation absent. Reticulation strong, consisting of small meshes and of minute but deep punctures inside meshes. A posterior row of deeper grooves between eyes, and two larger and deeper clypeal grooves on disc and a shallow transverse depression beside eyes. Antennae reddish, long; antennomeres slender. Apical two antennomeres reaching elytron.
Pronotum
shiny, testaceous; anterior and posterior margins each with black broad stripe that fuse medially. Each stripe covered with several deep and well-marked longitudinal striae.
Posterior angles of pronotum acute. Microreticulation absent. Reticulation discally strong, laterally shallow and almost invisible, consisting of strong and closed meshes without any punctures. Lateral margin, except in anterior fourth, almost completely bordered.
Elytron
black, shiny with five small yellow spots apically, three spots near shoulder, and a narrow yellowish one of variable length along posterior third of elytral margin. Elytron with 10 deep longitudinal striae of different length. Nine striae covering 4/5th of elytron, 10th and marginal striae only half of elytron. Sutural stripe of 9 to 10 deep and long strioles visible. Epipleura rufo-testaceous. Reticulation fine but visible at usual magnification (80×), consisting of closed meshes and of minute but deep punctures.
Ventral surface
rufo-piceus. Legs rufo-testaceous. Prosternal process broad, 2 times as long as broad, distinctly bordered at sides, and pointed out at apex. Metaventral wings very narrow. Metacoxal lines raised, well separated, a little divergent in anterior half. Metacoxal plate with few narrow scratches, microreticulation consisting of minute punctures. Abdominal ventrites 2, 4 and 6 laterally with a testaceous spot. Last ventrite narrowly microreticulate with minute punctures and with some strong oblique striations. Posterior margin bordered and broadly rounded.
Male
. Protarsus little expanded, moderately clothed with setae ventrally. Aedeagus: Median lobe regularly curved in lateral view, broadened at apical half and rounded at apex (
Fig. 7
). Parameres narrow with long setae, more elongate (
Fig. 8
).
Sexual dimorphism
. Females are similar to males, but pro- and mesotarsomeres 1–3 not dilated and without adhesive setae in female.
Variability
. Specimens examined show variation in the body size and the extent of yellow color pattern on head.
Etymology
. This species is dedicated to our Australian colleague Tom Weir (Canberra,
Australia
) who collected most of the
type
specimens and recognized the species as new. The specific epithet is a substantive in the genitive case.
Affinities
.
Platynectes weiri
sp. n.
is similar to
P. ponderi
sp. n.
but can be easily separated by the presence of 10 striae on elytra instead of seven striae in
P. ponderi
sp. n.
, and the shape of the median lobe in aedeagus. Furthermore, the yellow markings on elytra are reduced to five small yellow spots apically, and three spots on shoulder.
Distribution
(
Fig. 13
). Northern Queensland. Collected from two isolated spots
580 km
from each other: White Mountain National Park in the inner part of northern Queensland and Hope Vale Mission near Cooktown in north-eastern Queensland.
Habitat
. According to
Weir (2003)
the specimens in White Mountain National Park (
2 km
NE of RGSQ/AG Base Camp) were collected in a large deep pool, with rocky surrounds and only a little vegetation at the edge. It can be classed as a lentic habitat within a lentic zone as both experience flow during periods of rain. All the other specimens were collected at light.