Aphanocephalus hackeri John, I, K 1941
Creators: name: Szawaryn, Karol
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Discolomatidae
Aphanocephalus
Aphanocephalus hackeri

description: Aphanocephalus hackeri John, 1941
(Figs 7G, H, 11A–C)
Aphanocephalus hackeri John, 1941: 191. – John 1967a: 112.
Material examined. Type material.
Lectotype and paralectotypes (here designated). QUEENSLAND: "Cairns Hacker/ Coll. Hacker / Syntypus/ Aphanocephalus Woll. hackeri J det. H. John / Dtsch. Entomol. Institut Berlin/ SDEI Coleoptera #303901/ SDEI Coleoptera #303902/ SDEI Coleoptera #303903" (3, SDEI) (Fig. 6E). Three specimens mounted on separate cards on the same pin, the top one, non-dissected with a number #303901 is here designated as the lectotype, the remaining two are paralectotypes.
Other material. QUEENSLAND: Kuranda 20.8.64/ Kuranda NQ. 11/64 GB./ J. G. Brookes Bequest, 1976 (5, ANIC); Australia. N.Q. Pine Creek.Nr.Cairns. 18.I.1962./ E.B. Britton.G.Willson. B.M. 1962-153 (1, NHM); 15.16S 144.59E 14km W by N of Hope Vale Mission QLD 8-10 Oct. 1980 T. Weir (1, ANIC); NEQ: 16°36’Sx145°32’E Oak Beach, 10m 18 May 1998 G. Monteith, Rainforest, Pyrethrum, trees 1895 (1, QMB); Mossman Gorge, via Mossman, N.Qld. 9.viii.1966, G. Monteith / UQIC specimen (1, QMB).
Type locality. Queensland, Cairns.
Distribution. Southern Queensland (Fig. 16).
Diagnosis. Aphanocephalus hackeri is a very distinctive species among its Australian congeners. It is the only species with three pairs of orange-red maculae on the elytra. Additionally, the male genitalia are very distinctive, with an elongate tegmen with a narrow apical part.
Redescription. Length: 1.70 mm, width: 1.20–1.30 mm. Body elongate oval about 1.3–1.4 times as long as wide (Figs 6E, 7G), moderately convex in lateral view (Fig. 7H). Pronotum and elytra covered with long setae, densely distributed on pronotum, more sparsely distributed on elytra. Head, pronotum and elytra dark brown to black, only narrow antero-lateral margins of pronotum red-orange, each elytron with three red-orange sub-oval maculae, anterior macula at humeral region, second one close to the elytral suture, posterior macula in apical portion of elytron, ventral side brown, antennae, mouthparts and apical parts of legs yellow.
Pronotum covered with punctae of two sizes, disc, lateral and anterior parts with small sparse, punctae, only base and posterior corners with coarser punctae. Lateral margins of pronotum bordered, anterior margin without bordering line. Elytra covered with punctae of two sizes, uniformly intermixed. Pronotum and elytra distinctly explanate laterally, margins well visible throughout. Lateral sides of elytra broadly rounded, without pseudopores. Epipleuron with shallow sub-marginal furrow.
Mentum without lateral carinae. Labial palps separated by a narrow carina. Prosternum with notosternal carinae absent; prosternal process with lateral carinae absent. Metaventrite longer than ventrite 1. Ventrite 1 longer than ventrites 2–4 combined. Ventrite 1 covered with large punctae except posteromedial part of ventrite; ventrites 2–5 covered with punctae of two sizes, coarser at base forming a single row, and smaller on the rest of surface.
Male genitalia. Tegmen in inner view with sides slightly rounded in the middle, sub-triangular in apical half, tapering toward narrowly rounded apex, apex with distinct patch of setae (Fig. 11C); in lateral view subtriangular, broad at base, with narrow, elongated apical half, outer margin slightly rounded, inner margin sinusoidal in middle (Fig. 11B). Penis long, broadening toward apex, outer margin broadly rounded, inner margin broadly rounded in apical half, with sinuate apex; gonopore longer than its width, apex of gonopore extending beyond apex of penis, apically truncate, outer margin with distinct hook (Fig. 11A).
Female genitalia not studied.
Remarks. In the SDEI collection, there are three specimens of A. hackeri John, each with a label reading 'Syntypus' mounted on separate cards but mounted on the same pin. The top specimen, with the number #303901, is here designated as the lectotype to fix the taxonomic status of this species.
description: Published as part of Szawaryn, Karol, 2025, Revision of the Australian species of Aphanocephalus Wollaston (Coleoptera: Discolomatidae), pp. 401-440 in Zootaxa 5632 (3) on page 418, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5632.3.1, http://zenodo.org/record/15372416