Ypsiloncyphon longus Zwick, 2014, n. sp.
Creators: name: Zwick, Peter
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2014
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Scirtidae
Ypsiloncyphon
Ypsiloncyphon longus

description: Ypsiloncyphon longus, n. sp.
(Figs. 50–57, 75–83)
Type material. Holotype ♂: QLD: “Russell R. at Bellenden Ker Landing, 5m, 24.Oct–9.Nov.1981 Earthwatch\Qld.Museum Pyrethrum knockdown” (ANIC). Paratypes: QLD: 3♂ 4♀with the same data (ANIC); 2♂ 1♀with the same data (QMSB, T189934, T189936, T189938); 1♂: “Russell R. at Bellenden Ker Landing, 5m, 24.Oct–9.Nov.1981 Earthwatch\Qld.Museum beating, rainforest“ (QMSB, T189937). 1♂: “Bundaberg, Q. 2.iii.72 H. Frauca”; 3♂ 4♀: “Bundaberg, Q. 3.iv.1975, at light, H.Frauca” (all ANIC). 1♀: “Cow Bay N.of Daintree, N.Qld. 15.xii.1983 – 20.i.1984 Storey & Cunningham”; same locality, leg. C.Cunningham: 2♀, 27.xii.1983 – 10.i.1984; 1♂ 18–25.i.1984; 2♂ 2♀, 15–22.iii.1984; 1♂ 1♀, 25.i.-7.ii.1984 (all QDPC-M); 1♀, 9–27.xii.1983 ((QDPC-C)). 1♂: “15.16D 144.59E 14 km W by N of Hope Vale Missn 9.Oct.1980 D.H.Colless“; 1♂: “ 16.04S 145.27E QLD Cape Tribulation Pilgrim Sands 9.Nov.1992 C.Reid, bushes\ trees by beach“; 1♂: “Wallaville, Qld. T.L.Bancroft“; 2♀: ”Lizard Island Great Barrier Reef 29.ix.67 H.Heatwole“ (all ANIC). 1♀: “Dulhunty R. Xing Cape York Pen., Qld., 27-28.ix. 19774 G.B.Monteith“ (QMSB, T189935); 2♀:”N. Queensland, Blackb's coll“ (SAMA).
FIGURES 62–69. Ypsiloncyphon ruficollis, n. sp., male (62–67) and female (68, 69): 62, T8; 63, T9; 64, S9; 65, tegmen and parameres; 66, penis; 67, the same, parameroids spread in preparation; 68, female terminal segments with vulvar slcerite, apodemes of S8 black; 69, dictyon. All figures of males to the same scale, of female to different scales.
Additional material studied. QLD: 5♂ 4♀: “Russell R. at Bellenden Ker Landing, 5m, 24.Oct–9.Nov.1981 Earthwatch\Qld.Museum beating, rainforest”, 7♂: “Russell R. at Bellenden Ker Landing, 5m, 24.Oct–9.Nov.1981 Earthwatch\Qld.Museum Pyrethrum knockdown” (ANIC; not dissected, males with projecting tip of S9). 1♀: “Mt. Lofty S.A. A.M. Lea“ (SAMA; locality probably incorrect). NT: 1♂: “ 12.52S 132.50E Koongarra, N.T. 15 km E of Mt.Cahill, 12.vi.73, Upton & Feehan“ (ANIC); 1♂: “Darwin N.Territory A.M.Lea“; 3♂: “Groote Eylandt N.B.Tindale“ (all SAMA). WA: 2♂: “ 14.51S 125.50E, Mining camp Mitchell Plateau, 13 May 1983 WA, I.D.Naumann, J.C. Cardale ex ethanol“ (ANIC).
2♂ with anomalous S9 which is crumpled, not extended: “ 11.45S 142.35E QLD Heathlands 15–26.Jan1992 T.A.Weir, I.D.Naumann at light“ (ANIC).
FIGURES 75–83. Ypsiloncyphon longus, n. sp., male (75–80) and female (81–83): 75, T8; 76, T9; 77, penis; 78, tegmen; 79, S9, tip of longer blade cut; 80, entire S9; 81, ventral view of female terminal segments, S7 removed, apodemes of S8 black. Abbreviation: ov: apodeme of ovipositor; 82, vulvar sclerite; 83, bursella with dictyon, in fluid, turgid. Male and female at different scales, 83 not to scale. Paratypes from Russell River.
Habitus. Sexually dimorphic, BL 1.7–2.3 mm, BL /BW 1.7 in males (n=41), BL 1.9–2.3 mm, BL /BW 2.0 in females (n=21) (Figs. 50–52). Uniformly dark brown to black, appendages yellowish.
Male. Apodemes of T8 gently curved, those of T9 sinuous, 2.3–2.9 times longer (Figs. 75, 76). S9 asymmetrical, more than 50% longer than penis, both blades gradually narrowed to long thin gently curved apices. Left hand blade much longer than the one on the right hand side. Handle-like capulus very short, with wide front end, less than 1/4 the length of the pala (Figs. 79, 80). Length of pala corresponding to about 40% of total penis length, anterior end of pala wide, truncate. Trigonium wide at base, waisted, caudally again widened before the conical apex. Sides of penis almost straight, parameroids flat, wide, inner edge straight, at the tip the outer margin curves mediad (Fig. 77). Tegmen and parameres (Fig. 78) narrow, V-shaped.
Female (Figs. 81–83). S7 with caudal nipple which is bent up and concealed (not shown in figures). S8 resembles a tuning fork, the well sclerotized unpaired anterior piece a little shorter than the lateral branches (Fig. 81). Vulvar sclerite large, box-shaped, bridge between the long sides caudally from midlength with closely adjacent convergent paramedian folds. Front end of lateral sclerites tongue-shaped, caudal ends pointed, surface smooth, (Fig. 82). Dictyon (Fig. 83) large, with about 40 meshes.
Notes and etymology. This is the second scirtid known from Lizard Island in the barrier reef, the other being Austrocyphon tribulator Zwick, 2013. Numerous specimens of both sexes were taken together in samples which contained no other species, so conspecificity is beyond doubt. Males are best recognized by the great difference in length of the long pala (penis base) versus the exceptionally short capulus of S9. One blade of S9 is unusually long, its tip often projects from the abdomen of preserved specimes and is frequently damaged. It is also difficult to orient S 9 in a precisely flat position in slide mounts. Females can at low magnification be confused with Y. sp. A or Y. sp. B, but all three are distinctive, as indicated in the key.
Most specimens are from tropical North Queensland, There are doubts about the identity of male Y. longus recorded above from the Northern Territory and West Australia. Females of Y. longus are presently unknown from these states but the similar females Y. sp. A or Y. sp. B whose males are not known occur there. It can presently not be excluded that their males are among the Y. longus recorded from NT and WA but were not recognized. Damage or poor orientation of male S9 prevented an in-depth biometric study of the genitalia.
The specific name alludes to the extreme length of male S9, from the Latin adjective longus, long.
description: Published as part of Zwick, Peter, 2014, Australian Marsh Beetles (Coleoptera: Scirtidae). 6. Genera Calvarium Pic, Papuacyphon Zwick, and Ypsiloncyphon Klausnitzer, pp. 1-41 in Zootaxa 3846 (1) on pages 22-26, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3846.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/286792