Onthophagus longipes Paulian 1937
Creators: name: Reid, Chris A. M.
name: Runagall-Mcnaull, Aidan
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Scarabaeidae
Onthophagus
Onthophagus longipes

description: Onthophagus longipes Paulian, 1937   
Figs 3–4, 17–18, 26, 31, 38, 43  
 Onthophagus longipes Paulian, 1937: 344; Matthews, 1972: 212; Williams & Williams, 1982: 44; Williams & Williams, 1983: 29; Cassis & Weir, 1992: 140; Monteith & Kenyon, 2011: 57.   
 Material examined (5♂, 4♀). Australian Capital Territory: 1♀ / Lees Ck [vic. 35°34'S 148°86'E, 675 m], pitfall 10.iii.1979 (AMS); New South Wales: 1♀ / Cathedral Rock NP, Barokee Swamp, montane sphag. bog/ woodland 1350 m yellow pans 7.xii.1992 D Bickel (AMS); 1♀ / Enfield SF 37BM Daisy Patch Fire Trail, 1.9 km S Enfield Rd 31°20'S 151°54'E 163AS 1130 m (NPWS Survey) 4.ii–9.iv.1993 M Gray G Cassis (AMS); 1♀ / Kunderang Station Ck, NE facing slope above 39BR 30°48'S 152°06'E 410 m (NPWS Survey) 4.ii–9.iv.1993 M Gray G Cassis (AMS); ♂ / Marengo SF 2.1 km along Chimney Rd from jn with Chaelundi Rd 30.105°S 152.412°E human dung trap 13.v.1999 S Lassau & C Lemann (AMS); 1♂ / New England NP 33AM Cliffs Trail (top end) bordering New England NP & Styx River SF, about 3 km S of Point Lookout 30°31'S 152°23'E 1350 m (NPWS Survey) 4.ii–9.iv.1993 M Gray G Cassis (AMS); 1♂ */ Stewarts Brook SF 62AM 0.7 km along unnamed logging track from Omadale Brook Rd, 31°54'S 151°23'E 1250 m (NPWS Survey) 4.ii–9.iv.1993 M Gray G Cassis (AMS); 1♂ */ Stewarts Brook SF 62CM 0.4 km along Barrington Trail from southern Green Gap turnoff, 31°56'S 151°26'E 1430 m (NPWS Survey) 4.ii–9.iv.1993 M Gray G Cassis (AMS); 1♂ / Stewarts Brook SF 62 AG Pol Blue Ck, above Tubbrabucca Rd, 31°55'S 151°23'E 1240 m (NPWS Survey) 4.ii–9.iv.1993 M Gray G Cassis (AMS).   
 Additional records (not included in Matthews, 1972). Australian Capital Territory: 2/ 3k & 6k NE Piccadilly Circus (ANIC); New South Wales: 3/ Moppy Lookout (ANIC); 1/ Mt Gibraltar (ANIC); 7/ Robertson (QMB); 2/ Thungutti Campground (ANIC); Victoria: 2/ Ghost Point (ANIC); 1/ 2.2k NE Warburton (ANIC); 1/ 6k ESE Tanjil Bren (ANIC); 1/ Tarra-Bulga NP (ANIC); 5/ Wilson Promontory (ANIC, QDAF); 2/ Yanks Folly (ANIC).   
 Redescription. Mature specimens with shiny shallowly microsculptured black head and pronotum, duller and densely microsculptured grey-black elytra, with dull microsculptured striae, and dull densely microsculptured grey-black pygidium; freshly emerged specimens usually teneral, with reddish elytral apices, venter, pygidium and legs; antennae reddish-brown, with brown clubs. Length, male 4.5–6 mm; female 4–5.5 mm.   
 Male. Head (Fig. 17). Surface smooth, shiny but shallowly microreticulate, with dense large punctures at base becoming smaller and sparser towards apex, minute stubble on genae and longer semi-erect setae on sides of vertex. Clypeal apical margin uptilted, arcuately excavate, each side of excavation triangularly produced, side margins slightly rounded; clypeal suture entirely effaced at frontal portion, genal portions present and feebly raised; frons flat, without elevations, slightly medially depressed; eyes narrow, 5–7 facet rows in width, separated by 15–20 eye widths, canthus narrowly complete; mentum shallowly excavate at apex.   
Thorax (Figs 3–4, 26, 31). Pronotum. Broad in large males (as wide as elytra), narrower and flatter in small males. Moderately convex, slightly tumid at middle of anterior slope in larger specimens; surface smooth, entirely strongly and closely punctured, punctures shallowly ocellate and often slightly elongate, intervals shiny in fresh material but microreticulate, less than half diameter of punctures, and covered in dense short semi-erect to almost recumbent setae; anterior angles 80–90°; anterior margined, sides margined and crenulate with curved short setae between crenulations, base with thin raised edge which may be partly effaced; pronotal hypomeron dull and densely microsculptured, strongly punctured on outer half, punctures separated by 1–2 diameters, with elevated rims, increasing in diameter towards sides, outermost punctures with long semi-erect setae. Elytra. Semi-ovate in dorsal view, with prominent humeri and preapical swelling, longer than pronotum along midline. Duller than pronotum but weakly shiny, striae and suture similar, densely microreticulate; intervals 1–6 flat or slightly uneven in teneral specimens, without obvious small tubercles or elevations, 7th interval may have a few small round shiny tubercles, outer interval with a few lunate punctures; intervals 1–7 with fairly dense erect short scale-like setae, not in distinct rows, outermost interval more densely setose; strial punctures usually distinct, slightly broader and deeper than striae; epipleura with single row of curved setae. Metaventrite medially shiny, anteriorly and laterally (lateral to mesocoxae) dull and microreticulate, with scattered semi-recumbent setae, anterior smoothly convex, midline grooved; wing fully developed, folded twice in repose. Legs. Protibiae elongated and narrowed, inner apical angle with compact dense tuft of yellow setae about twice length of apical spur; distal face of apical tooth with loose sparse tuft of yellow setae about as long as apical spur, 4th (smallest) lateral tooth at about midpoint; metafemoral ventral surface rough, with short elongate ridges (elevated edges of punctures), mostly dull and microreticulate, with moderately large but shallow close punctures separated by 0.5–2 diameters.  
Abdomen (Fig. 38). Ventrites dull, densely microreticulate, obscuring puncturation, each with single transverse row of semi-recumbent pale setae; pygidium flat or almost so, densely and evenly microreticulate except shiny raised margins; punctures distinct or obscured by microsculpture, sparse, separated by 1–3 diameters; setae short, but thin, length 7–10× width.  
Aedeagus (Fig. 43). In lateral view, parameres “crested”, with an angular apico-dorsal elevation and prominent but short apico-ventral “beak”.  
 Female. Head (Fig. 18). Sides more rounded, surface rougher than male, shiny, smooth at base becoming transversely rugose on clypeus, with dense large punctures throughout; median depression of vertex deeper than male, with sides slightly elevated; clypeal suture slightly elevated in frontal portion, sometimes effaced before reaching genal sutures, straight; pronotum slightly narrower than elytra; protibiae short and straight, with broad lateral teeth.   
 Notes. Matthews’ redescription was based on 19 males and females, including the male holotype from Victoria, with most specimens in Victoria and the northernmost from the Illawarra, New South Wales. The specimens recorded here extend the distribution of this species north to the Dorrigo Plateau. Our material conforms to Matthews’ description except that the eyes are slightly more variable in size and the striae are usually distinctly punctured.   
All sites recorded here are in closed forest, which appears to be its preferred habitat (Matthews (1972; Williams & Williams, 1982), except Barokee Swamp, which is open woodland around a grassy bog at high elevation. The species is rare at its known sites in New South Wales, almost all records being singletons.
description: Published as part of Reid, Chris A. M. & Runagall-Mcnaull, Aidan, 2022, A Revision of the Onthophagus pexatus Species-group, with Description of a New Brachypterous Species (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae), pp. 131-150 in Records of the Australian Museum (Rec. Aust. Mus.) (Rec. Aust. Mus.) 74 (5) on pages 137-139, DOI: 10.3853/j.2201-4349.74.2022.1821, http://zenodo.org/record/13228969