Mecynotarsus fallax Kejval & Cz 2013, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Kejval, Zbyněk
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2013
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Anthicidae
Mecynotarsus
Mecynotarsus fallax

description: Mecynotarsus fallax sp. nov.
(Figs 49, 50)
Type locality. Australia, Northern Territory, 1 km ENE of Jarrnam, Keep River National Park, Keep River, Xing [= river crossing], 15°45′S 129°06′E.
Type material. HOLOTYPE: ♂, ‘ 15.45S 129.06E NT GPS Keep River Xing, 1 km ENE of Jarrnam, Keep River Nat. Pk. 25 - 27 May 2001, T. Weir, P. Bouchard [p] // at light open forest [p] // ANIC Specimen [p; green label]’ (ANIC). PARATYPES: 7 ♂♂ 10 ♀♀, same data as holotype (ANIC, 2 spec. ZKDC); 1 ♀, ‘ 15.44S 129.09E NT GPS 5.5 km NE by E Jarrnam, Keep River Nat. Pk, 27 May 2001 T. Weir, P. Bouchard [p] // at light open forest [p] // AUST. NAT. MUS. COLL. [p; green label]’ (ANIC); 1 ♀, ‘ 15.48S 129.07E NT GPS 4 km S by E Jarrnam, Keep River Nat. Pk, 27 – 29 May 2001 T. Weir, P. Bouchard [p] // FIT ANIC 1955, open forest, sandy soil [p] // AUST. NAT. MUS. COLL. [p; green label]’ (ANIC); 3 ♂♂ 4 ♀♀, ‘ 18.37S 137.59E GPS Border Waterhole, Musselbrook Ck 15 km W by S Musselbrook Mining Camp (QLD)NT 14 May 1995 T. Weir [p] // at light [p] // AUST. NAT. INS. COLL. [p; green label]’ (ANIC, 1 spec. ZKDC); 1 ♂ 1 ♀, ‘ N.T. Junction WH 16 km SW Austral Downs. At light. 22 Sept. 1977. G.F. Gross. [p] // SAMA Database No. 25-028904 [or 25-028905; p]’ (SAMA); 1 ♂, ‘N.T. Katherine P. 25 km NE Katherine. At light. 4 Oct. 1977. G.F. Gross, J.A. Forrest [p] // SAMA Database No. 25-028922[p]’ (SAMA); 1 ♂, ‘N.T. Lake Woods. 15 km SW Elliot. At light. 5 Oct. 1977. G.F. Gross. [p] SAMA Database No. 25-028920 [p]’ (SAMA); 1 ♂ 1 ♀, ‘ 12.40S 142.40E QLD Batavia Downs 22 Jul 1992 at light P. Zborowski & E. S. Nielsen [p] // AUST. NAT. INS. COLL. [p; green label]’ (ANIC); 1 ♂, ‘ 12.27S 142.38E QLD Moreton, 10Dec.1992 W. Dressler, P. Zborowski, at light [p] // AUS. NAT. INS. COLL. [p]’ (ANIC); 1 ♂, ‘100 Km South Nebo at Isaac River, Qld., Australia XI–6–90, At Light W.F. Chamberlain [p]’ (DCDC); 1 ♂, ‘ 4 m. [sic!] W. of Dimbola, Vic. 8 Aug. 1968 Colless & Liepa [p] // ANIC Specimen [p]’ (ANIC); 1 ♂, ‘ S.Aust. Mudla Eore 35 km NNE Billa Kalina HS. At light. 4 Dec. 1974. J.A. Herridge. [p] // SAMA Database No. 25-028921 [p]’ (SAMA); 2 ♂♂, ‘ N.S. Wales Narromine [p+h] // M. close to ziczac Id. By A. M. Lea [p+h] // 143 [h] // E. W. Ferguson Collection [p] // AUST. NAT. INS. COLL. [p; green label]’ (ANIC); 1 ♂, ‘ Walgett, N.S.W. 30.xii.1971. B. Cantrell [p]’ (QMBA).
Description (holotype, male). Body length 2.1 mm. Body largely dark brown, legs and antennae reddish brown.
Antero-lateral margins of frons simple. Gular rugules minute and scattered. Clypeal granules minute. Setation of head rather evenly short and appressed, dense, finer medially on vertex, coarser to scaly around eyes and ventro-laterally. Antennae moderately long; antennomeres III–V at most 1.5 times, X about as long as wide; setation fine in apical and distinctly coarser to scaly in basal half.
Pronotum 1.6 times as long as wide, its lateral margins unevenly shaped, moderately convex anteriorly, somewhat angled at widest point and then straight to slightly concave in narrowing towards base in dorsal view; posterior collar narrow but distinct, somewhat concealed by scaly setation. Pronotal horn robust, rather short, moderately wide, its posterior angles obsolete in dorsal view; horn margins armed with 5 lobules on each side; horn crest distinct, clearly raised, long and rather narrow, with coarse, separate rugules on margins; numerous minute submarginal rugules; 6 median rugules densely spaced. Setation whitish and brownish (dorsally), largely appressed and scaly, including dorsal surface of pronotal horn; scales on pronotal disc of two sizes, smaller and narrower or larger and wider, both widely rounded to truncate apically; antebasal paired setae short but distinct laterally (somewhat thickened) and absent medially, another tactile setae absent.
Elytra 1.7 times as long as wide; omoplates and postbasal impression absent. Setation scaly, whitish and brownish, partly mixed anteriorly and forming brownish marking, evenly developed / ordered; scales distinctly elongate, rounded to subtruncate apically, very densely spaced but distinct; erect tactile setae absent.
Male characters. Sternum VII nearly simple, at most slightly produced and rounded medially. Tergum VIII and aedeagus as in Figs 49, 50; parameres only moderately curved in lateral view.
Variation. Body length (♂ ♀) 1.9–2.3 mm; pronotal horn with 4–5 lobules on each side; 5–8 median rugules; darker markings on elytra usually rather extensive and distinct, rarely reduced to narrow transverse band (spec. from Dimboola).
Differential diagnosis. Mecynotarsus fallax sp. nov. is externally very similar to M. ziczac and M. albellus. It may be easily confused especially with M. ziczac in sharing the narrower horn crest, but differs (from both species) by male characters, mainly by the shape of the parameres (cf. Fig. 50 versus 8, 117).
Etymology. The species name is a Latin adjective, fallax (= deceptive, false); named in reference to its external similarity to M. ziczac and M. albellus.
Distribution. Australia: New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria.
description: Published as part of Kejval, Zbyněk, 2013, Taxonomic revision of the Australian Notoxinae (Coleoptera: Anthicidae), pp. 1-98 in Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae (suppl.) (suppl.) 53 on pages 40-41, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.4272709