Lepanus williamsi Gunter & Weir 2021, new species
Creators: name: Gunter, Nicole L.
name: Weir, Thomas A.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2021
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Scarabaeidae
Lepanus
Lepanus williamsi

description: Lepanus williamsi Gunter & Weir, new species
(Figs. 9C; 10E; 11C; 12A)
Type series. Holotype: ♂ “ Sea Acres Reserve, Port Macquarie NSW, 3-4 Sept. 1970 K.R. Pullen ” / “ ANIC database 25 054070” / “ Lepanus NSW 3, Det T.A. Weir 2012” / “ ANIC Image” (in ANIC) [31°28’00”S, 152°56’00”E], (missing one metatarsus); Paratypes (14 ♂, 8 ♀, 1 undetermined): Sea Acres Nature Reserve, Port Macquarie [31°28’00”S, 152°56’00”E], 1.i.1999, G. Williams & T. Williams (25-054073 2 specimens ♀ in ANIC, 25-058084 6 ♂, 2 specimens ♀, 1 specimen with sex undetermined in GWC and 1 specimen ♂, 1 specimen ♀ in QM); Sea Acres Nature Reserve, Port Macquarie [31°28’00”S, 152°56’00”E], 25–27.xi.1999 (25-058083 3 specimens ♂ in GWC); Dooragan National Park, eastern slope, N Brother Mountain, Laurieton [31°39’00”S, 152°46’00”E], 400 m, 30.xii.1998, G. Williams (25-054072 1 specimen ♂ in ANIC); Mount Gibraltar, Comboyne Plateau [31°39’00”S, 152°26’00”E], 18–20.i.1998, G. Williams (25–65523 1 specimen ♀ in GWC); Langley Vale Road, Lansdowne State Forest [31°43’00”S, 152°30’00”E], 17–20.xi.1980, G. Williams & T. Williams (25-054071 1 specimen ♂, 1 specimen ♀ in ANIC, 25-058087 1 specimen ♀ in GWC); Lorien, Lansdowne [31°52’00”S, 152°29’00”E], 25.x.1980, G. Williams & T. Williams (25-058086 1 specimen ♂ in GWC); Royal National Park [34°04’00”S, 151°04’00”E], 27.x.1979, G. Williams & T. Williams (25-058085 1 specimen ♂ in ANIC).
Description. Head, pronotum and elytra brown, humeral and apical areas with ill-defined orange colouration. Antennal clubs grey.
Total length: 2.5–3.5 mm. Holotype measurements: total length 3.5 mm, elytral width 2.2 mm.
Male. Head: Width to length ratio 56: 40. Surface smooth and nitid, with fine punctation, becoming very fine anteriorly. Dorsal part of eyes narrow, separated by an interocular space approximately 22–23 times eye width (45: 2).
Prothorax: Pronotum anterior angles obtuse. Surface smooth, nitid, finely punctate. A row of slightly elongate punctures present along middle two thirds of hind margin. Hypomeral stria about half the length of hypomeron and very close to lateral margin which almost appears double at that point. Hypomeral surface very finely reticulate. Pronotum width to length ratio 47: 27.
Elytra: Surface reticulate with very fine superficial striae. Striae 1–4 equal width and appearing double at least in part. Striae 6 extending to the elytral base. Epipleura reticulate. Ratio of length of the elytra along suture to maximum elytral width 58: 60.
Legs: Protibia with 2 teeth on outer edge, front edge deeply angulate between outer tooth and apical digit. Apical digit parallel sided and obliquely truncate, with a sharp inner angle. Mesotibia with a brush of setae apically on inner edge.
Abdomen: Pygidium smooth, nitid, without a medial depression, with a transverse sinuate fold curving away from base. Abdominal ventrites finely reticulate for full width. Ventrite 6 very finely punctate.
Pterothorax: Medial lobe of metaventrite very finely punctate and broadly margined between mesocoxae. Lateral lobe of metaventrite punctate and setose. Mesoventrite smooth with a few very fine punctures. Mesepimeron smooth. Metanepisternum finely reticulate.
Female. Protibia with a short apical digit giving rise to a long apical spur. Mesotibia without a brush of setae apically on inner edge.
Etymology. This species is named for Geoff Williams who has collected almost all specimens known to date, as well as many other Lepanus examined in this revision.
Distribution. Known from subtropical rainforests and wet sclerophyll forests of eastern New South Wales from Port Macquarie to south of Sydney in the New South Wales North Coast (NNC) and Sydney Basin (SYB) IBRA bioregions (Fig. 12A).
Comments. This species has been referred to to under the informal name of “ Lepanus NSW 3”. The majority of specimens has been collected at faeces or in faeces baited pitfall traps but it has also collected in leaf litter.
description: Published as part of Gunter, Nicole L. & Weir, Thomas A., 2021, Revision of Australian species of the dung beetle genus Lepanus (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae): review of the L. ustulatus, L. storeyi, and L. nitidus species groups and description of eight new species, pp. 1-66 in Zootaxa 4923 (1) on pages 41-43, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4923.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/4496757