Notolioon Lawrence, Slipinski, Jäger & Pütz, 2013, gen. n.
Creators: name: Lawrence, John F.
name: Slipinski, Adam
name: Jäger, Olaf
name: Pütz, Andreas
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2013
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Byrrhidae
Notolioon

description: Notolioon gen. n. (Figs. 1–3, 12 A, 12C–E)
Type species: Pedilophorus gemmatus Lea 1920.
Diagnosis. All species of Notolioon may be distinguished by the subtriangular metacoxae, without or with reduced coxal plates more or less obliterated laterally (Fig 3 B), the well-developed elytral epipleura, not or only weakly concave and extending well beyond the base of the abdomen, and the metanepisternum concealed by the epipleura or visible as a slender strip only. Most species are also distinguished by the dorsal vestiture, which consists of a single type of fine seta, either very short and erect (usually not visible at lower magnifications) or longer and recumbent (N. atronitens and N. multicolor).
Description. Length 1.5–7 mm. Body oblong to broadly ovate (body length/greatest width 1.25–1.62), strongly convex with both lateral and dorsal outlines usually not continuous. Upper surfaces usually smooth and simple (pronotal surface complexly grooved and elytral surfaces finely tuberculate in N. dives). Colour often metallic green, black or reddish-brown, sometimes bicoloured. Dorsal vestiture usually absent or consisting of very short, fine, scattered hairs (with longer, recumbent hairs in N. atronitens and N. multicolor). Ventral surfaces subglabrous or clothed with short, fine, decumbent hairs.
Head slightly shorter than its width behind eyes, strongly declined and deeply inserted into prothorax, but with eyes at least partly visible; occipital region with short median endocarina; transverse occipital ridge absent. Eyes relatively small, not protuberant, located anteriorly. Frontoclypeal suture absent; frontoclypeus weakly to strongly declined, sometimes with distinct frontal ridge; antennal insertions exposed or barely concealed from above; subantennal grooves moderately well-developed, extending to edges of eyes. Labrum relatively large and well sclerotized, with distinct transverse groove at base; apex subtruncate to slightly emarginate. Antennae as much as 1.5 times as long as head width behind eyes, 11-segmented, slightly to distinctly clavate or with indistinct 4- to 6- segmented club (Fig. 1, 3 D); scape elongate; pedicel at least slightly longer than wide; antennomere 3 as much as 4 times as long as wide. Mandible broad, subtriangular and more or less tridentate, sometimes with dorsal carina or tubercle fitting against base of labrum; mesal edge of mandibular base without mola but with brush of hairs. Maxilla with short, setose galea and lacinia; apical maxillary and labial palpomeres fusiform or somewhat aciculate (Fig. 3 A). Subgenal ridges absent. Gular sutures well separated; gula transverse; corporotentorium broad, straight; cervical sclerites well-developed.
Pronotum about 1.5–1.7 times as long as wide, widest at base; anterior edge broadly rounded or subtruncate; sides straight or weakly rounded, gradually narrowing anteriorly; anterior angles small and acute; lateral carinae complete but usually narrow and not visible for their entire lengths from above; posterior angles slightly acute, sometimes produced; posterior edge broadly and evenly curved, angulate or weakly bisinuate, unmargined, with distinct ventral accessory ridge beneath, sometimes unevenly crenulate or with series of small, unevenly distributed tubercles; disc strongly, more or less evenly convex, sometimes with steep, bulging sides; surface smooth except in N. dives, where numerous slender, irregular ridges form a pattern. Prosternum in front of coxae 0.33–0.5 times as long as mid length of coxal cavity, slightly convex, with weak lateral antennal grooves and a concave head rest above. Prosternal process complete, more or less parallel-sided and broadly rounded or truncate at apex. Procoxa more or less cylindrical, with well-developed exposed trochantin, without coxal plates; procoxal cavities strongly transverse, broadly open externally and internally. Notosternal sutures complete and anteriorly open. Hypomeron flat to slightly concave posteriorly, without or with weak crural impressions.
Scutellar shield small to minute, apically acute, sometimes absent. Elytra about 0.8–1.15 times as long as wide and 1.6–2.6 times as long as pronotum; sides strongly rounded; with or without distinct humeri; disc strongly convex, sometimes laterally bulging, usually simple and even, but with a number of broad, rounded tubercles in N. gemmatus, N. nodipennis and N. carissimus, smaller tubercles and elongate ridges in N. dives (Fig. 1 B) or very weak longitudinal elevations in some specimens of N. simplicicornis; elytral apex without ventral interlocking tongue; epipleuron moderately to very broad anteriorly and usually flat, but slightly concave in N. bryophagus, N. griffithi and N. atronitens, narrowed posteriorly and usually extending well beyond middle of metaventrite, sometimes almost to abdominal apex.
Mesoventrite strongly transverse, separated by complete sutures from mesanepisterna, which are very widely separated; anterior edge usually on different plane than metaventrite, with a pair of large, strongly declined procoxal rests continued onto mesanepisterna and with shallow to moderately deep mesoventral cavity; discrimen very short, lying just behind mesoventral cavity. Mesoventral process short, broad and apically emarginate forming a pair of apicolateral condyles. Mesocoxae obliquely transverse, with or without short coxal plates and with exposed trochantins. Mesocoxal cavities separated by slightly less than to slightly more than shortest diameter of coxal cavity (Fig. 3 B), partly closed laterally by mesepimera, usually in combination with mesanepisterna.
Metaventrite (Fig. 3 B) moderately short, its shortest length less than to slightly more than shortest diameter of mesocoxal cavity; usually without paired postcoxal lines, but sometimes with a single postcoxal line crossing anterior metaventral process; discrimen short, less than a fifth as long as ventrite, or sometimes absent; anterior metaventral process truncate or rounded with pair of anterolateral cavities for receiving mesoventral condyles; metanepisternum and metepimeron usually concealed by elytra, but with slender portion exposed in N. bryophagus. Metacoxae about 0.40–0.70 times as long as wide at base and slightly projecting, sometimes extending laterally to meet elytra but without or with weak coxal plates obliterated laterally. Metendosternite with short to moderately long, broad stalk, long, narrow, diverging lateral arms and no laminae or anterior process. Hind wings absent.
Legs (Fig. 3 C) moderately long and slender; tibiae not or very slightly widened at middle or subapically, without distinct tarsal grooves; outer edges of tibiae without spine-like setae. Tarsi 5-5-5, tarsomere 4 reduced; tarsomere 3 bearing a long, hyaline, setose ventral lobe longer than body of tarsomere; pretarsal claws simple.
Abdomen shorter than to slightly longer than wide at base, with five ventrites, the first three of which are connate; first ventrite without or with very weak lateral impressions; intercoxal process short and broad to moderately long and acute to rounded at apex; ventrite 5 as long as to longer than 3 and 4 combined, its apex varying in shape and sometimes sexually dimorphic. Abdominal tergites lightly sclerotized or membranous. Functional spiracles on abdominal segments I–VIII. Anterior edge of sternite VIII in male with short, broad, truncate or rounded anterior projection. Sternite IX in male slightly elongate to twice as long as wide, rounded or truncate at base (anteriorly) and rounded to acute at apex (posteriorly); tergite IX transverse and undivided, broadly emarginate at apex. tergite X (proctiger) free or partly fused to tergite IX, broadly rounded at apex. Aedeagus with phallobase at least slightly asymmetrical 0.53–1.15 times as long as wide, subtriangular or somewhat constricted anteriorly to form subtruncate or rounded, dorsally curved lobe; parameres not diverging, each 1.3–2.2 times as long as phallobase and 1.5–3 times as long as wide, widest at or near lateral articulation point and usually gradually narrowed posteriorly and narrowly rounded to acute at apex (with deep lateral notch at anterior fifth in N. gemmatus and N. nodipennis); penis 1.25–1.85 times as long as phallobase and 5 to 10 times as long as wide, parallel-sided or slightly narrowed posteriorly and usually narrowly rounded and deeply cleft at apex, but slightly expanded in N. simplicicornis; basal struts 0.1–0.22 times as long as body of penis. Anterior edge of sternite VIII in female (Fig. 3 E) biemarginate or with short angulate or truncate anterior process (spiculum ventrale), posterior edge broadly rounded; tergite VIII transverse and undivided; tergite IX consisting of paired laterotergites (paraprocts) connected at midline by a slender, lightly sclerotised strip. Female proctiger about 0. 6–1.0 times as long as wide. Ovipositor 1.1–2.5 times as long as wide; paraprocts 0.4–0.7 times as long as gonocoxites, each of which has an elongate, cylindrical distal lobe, sometimes outwardly curved or laterally compressed, with an apical, lightly sclerotized, palpiform gonostylus 0.2–0.5 times as long.
Etymology. Notos (Greek, m), south and Lioon (Nearctic byrrhid genus).
Includes species. N. atronitens (Lea 1920: 287) comb. n., N. bryophagus (Lea 1907: 140) comb. n., N. cardamine sp. n., N. carissimus (Lea 1907: 143) comb. n., N. dives (Lea 1907: 144) comb. n., N. gemmatus (Lea 1920: 282) comb. n., N. globosus (Wilson 1921: 34) comb. n., N. griffithi (Lea 1907: 141) comb. n., N. maculatipes (Lea 1920: 284) comb. n., N. multicolor (Lea 1907: 142) comb. n., N. nodipennis (Lea 1920: 283) comb. n., N. simplicicornis (Lea 1907: 141) comb. n. and N. viridinitens (Lea (1920: 286). comb. n.
Distribution. Tasmania, Victoria, montane regions of New South Wales and southern Queensland.
Biology. The species of Notolioon appear to be the most hygrophilous of the Australian Byrrhinae, occurring in the wet forests of the southeastern mainland and Tasmania. It is likely that both adults and larvae feed on external tissues of mosses and liverworts, based on the lack of digging legs in the adult and the occurrence of a well sclerotized, occasionally bicolored, dorsal cuticle bearing apparent defensive glands in the larvae. At least one of the smaller montane species (e.g., N. cardamine), feed on the rosettes of the angiosperm genus Cardamine.
Notes. A few species of Notolioon are still undescribed and will be treated in a future publication. The following new species is described here to provide a name for published biological information (see below) and associated larvae. Larvae yet to be described are known for N. gemmatus, N. cardamine and at least one other Tasmanian species. These larvae are similar to that of the Nearctic Lioon simplicipes (Mannerheim) described by Böving & Craighead (1931, pl. 62) both in general body form and in the presence of glandular openings on the head and most thoracic and abdominal terga.
description: Published as part of Lawrence, John F., Slipinski, Adam, Jäger, Olaf & Pütz, Andreas, 2013, The Australian Byrrhinae (Coleoptera: Byrrhidae) with descriptions of new genera and species, pp. 301-329 in Zootaxa 3745 (3) on pages 302-307, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3745.3.1, http://zenodo.org/record/249241