Ryssonotus nebulosus Kirby 1819
Creators: name: Reid, C. A. M.
name: Beatson, M.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2016
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Lucanidae
Ryssonotus
Ryssonotus nebulosus

description: Ryssonotus nebulosus (Kirby, 1819)
(Figs 1, 10, 19, 28, 37, 44, 46, 50, 52, 61, 68)
Lucanus nebulosus Kirby 1819: 410.
Ryssonotus nebulosus, MacLeay 1819: 99; Holloway 2007: 116; Bouchard et al. 2011: 234. Rhyssonotus nebulosus, Agassiz 1846: 329; Moore & Cassis 1992: 16; Mizunuma & Nagai 1994: 206, plate 3; Lawrence & Ślipiński 2013: 201.
Material examined. Holotype (by monotypy): AUSTRALIA: 1 / type / Kirby / nebulosus K. L. Ta / (BMNH).
Additional material (abbreviated localities only): AUSTRALIA: Australian Capital Territory: Canberra (AMS); New South Wales: Ashfield (AMS); Avoca Beach (AMS); Barrington (ANIC); Batehaven (ANIC); Bawley Point (AMS, ANIC, JB); Bayview, Sydney (AMS); Beaury Creek State Forest (AMS); Big Scrub Flora Reserve (larva: AMS); Bilinudgel [Billinudgel] (ANIC); Blacktown (AMS); Blue Gum Knob, Chichester (MMM); Bondi (AMS); Bondi Beach (RB); 3.5 mi W Bonville (ANIC); Botany (SAM); Brooklana (AMS); Broulee (ANIC); Bruxner Park (AMS); Bundeena (AMS); Bungabee [Bungabbee] State Forest (ANIC); Burrewarra Point (ANIC); Byron Bay (AMS, MMM); Calga (AMS); Cambridge Plateau (ANIC); Caparra (ANIC); Carlingford (AMS, SFS); Carlton (AMS); Castle Cove (SFS); Castlecrag (MMM); Cedar Flat (JB); Cherry Tree State Forest (ANIC); Chichester Knob (SAM); Clarence River (MMM); Coffs Harbour (AMS); Collaroy Plateau (AMS); Congo (ANIC); Cooper Park, Sydney (AMS); Croydon (SFS); Cully [Cullya] (BMNH); Cutlers Pass, Williams River (AMS); Cyder [Clyde] Mountain, near Batemans Bay (AMS); Dingo State Forest (ANIC); Dorrigo (ANIC, MMM, SAM); Eccleston (ANIC); Elanora Heights (AMS); Engadine (AMS); Epping (ANIC); Forrestville (AMS); Fortis Creek State Forest (ANIC); Galston (MMM); Girard SF (ANIC); Glenfield (ANIC); Gloucester (AMS); Gosford (AMS); Grafton (ANIC, MMM, QMB); Gymea (AMS); Hampden Bridge, Kangaroo River (AMS); Hazelbrook (AMS, BMNH, RB); Heathcote (AMS); Helensburgh (AMS); Hornsby (AMS); Hunters Hill (ANIC); Kangaroo Valley (ANIC, JB); Killara (SFS); Kingsgrove (AMS); Kioloa (ANIC); Kurri Kurri (AMS); Kyogle (AMS); Lake Ainsworth, near Lennox Head (ANIC); Lambton (BMNH); Lane Cove (AMS); 3 km N Lansdowne (AMS, ANIC); League Scrub Flora Reserve (larva: AMS); Lilyvale (AMS); Lismore (AMS); Longueville (ANIC); Manly (BMNH); Meringo (ANIC); Meroo Meadow (AMS); Merricumben [Merricumbene] (SAM); Mimosa Rocks National Park (MMM); Mosman (AMS); Mount Keira (ANIC); Mount Kennedy (JB); Mount Wilson (RB); Narrabeen (AMS, BMNH, MMM, RB); Nelligen (ANIC); Newcastle (AMS); Nowra (BMNH); Otford (AMS); Ourimbah (AMS); Panania (AMS); Pompenbil [Pumpenbill] (ANIC); Pymble (AMS); Richmond Gap (AMS); Richmond Range (ANIC); Richmond River (ANIC, MMM, SAM); Rivertree (QMB); Rocky Creek, Killara (AMS); Royal Camp State Forest (ANIC); Royal NP (AMS); Ryde (AMS); Seal Rocks (AMS); Seven Hills (AMS); Shoalhaven Heads (AMS); Smiths Lake (AMS); South Woy Woy (AMS); Sydney (ANIC, BMNH, MMM, SAM); Tamworth (SFS); Telegraph Point (AMS); Tooloom (QMB); Tuross (AMS); Ulong (AMS); Upper Allyn River (ANIC, JB); Upper Tweed River (ANIC); Upper Wilson River (ANIC); Vaucluse (AMS); Wahroonga (ANIC); Waitara, Sydney (AMS); Wallaga Lake (AMS); Wellington (ANIC); Westleigh (AMS); West Pennant Hills (AMS, SFS); West Pymble (AMS); White Rock, Allyn R. (ANIC); Wiangaree State Forest (ANIC); Wilberforce (AMS); Willi Willi Caves (QMB); Wingham (AMS, JB, MMM); Winston Hills (AMS); 7 mi. W Wisemans Ferry (ANIC); Woy Woy (AMS); Yarratt State Forest (ANIC); Yowie Bay (AMS); Queensland: Albert River, Mount Tambourine (SAM); Archer River (AMS); Binna Burra (QMB); Boar Pocket Road, 4 mi. N Gillies Highway (ANIC); Bribie Island (SAM); Brisbane (BMNH, DPIM, MMM, QMB, SAM); Broken River, Eungella (AMS, QMB); Bulburin State Forest (QMB); Bunya Mountains (AMS, QMB); Cash's Crossing (ANIC); Cathu (ANIC); The Caves, near Rockhampton (QMB); Charmillin Creek (QMB); Coomra [Coomera] River (SAM); Curtain Fig (ANIC); Fletcher (AMS, ANIC); Garradunga (DPIM); 20 km E Hampton (QMB); Innisfail (QMB); Kauri Creek (JB); Kirrama Range (ANIC); Kuranda (BMNH); Lake Barrine (JB, QMB); Lake Eacham (ANIC); Longmans Gap (ANIC); Mackay (ANIC); Maryborough (SAM); McDonald NP (ANIC, QMB); 4 km SE Millaa Millaa (JB); Mission Bay (AMS); Montville (QMB); Moreton Bay (BMNH); Mossman Bluff Track (QMB); Mount Carbine (AMS); Mount Coot-tha (ANIC); Mount Fort William (QMB); Mount Glorious (QMB); Mount Hypipamee (ANIC); Mount Lewis Road (QMB); Mount Moffat (QMB); Mount Tambourine (AMS, SAM); Murphys Creek (QMB); Pile Valley, Fraser Island (QMB); 18 km SSW Ravenshoe (DPIM); Redwood Park [Toowoomba] (QMB); Stanthorpe (AMS, QMB, SAM); Summer Hill (AMS); Tansey (DPIM); Taylor Range [The Gap] (SFS); Toowoomba (ANIC, QMB); Tower, The Crater (QMB); Upper Logan (SAM); Whitfield Range (BMNH); Windsor Tableland (ANIC, DPIM); Yarraman (AMS, QMB); Yuccabine Creek (QMB); Victoria: Beechworth (MMM); Inglewood (MMM).
Notes. Ryssonotus nebulosus is widespread and common in closed forest in eastern Australia, from westcentral Victoria (Inglewood) and the south coast of New South Wales (Congo), to Windsor Tableland, north Queensland, as far inland as Mount Moffat, which is 300 km from the Queensland coast. There is a published record for Colosseum, central Queensland (Mjöberg 1916). In urban Brisbane (G. Monteith, personal communication 2004) and Sydney it persists in gardens and parkland. Ryssonotus nebulosus is also present in New Zealand, where it was introduced before 1950 (Brockerhoff & Bain 2000).
The adult is an active flier and is attracted to light. The larva inhabits a variety of rotting timbers: there are collection records for Eucalyptus, including E. pilularis (Myrtaceae), Jacaranda (Bignoniaceae), Salix babylonica (Salicaceae), and Toona australis (Meliaceae), and published records for Acacia (Fabaceae), Eucalyptus, and Ligustrum (Oleaceae), and various un-named rainforest species (Wood et al. 1996; Thorpe 2001; Holloway 2007). Jacaranda, Salix, and Ligustrum are exotic genera in Australia. The larva prefers recently dead wood that is infected by white-rot fungi (Wood et al. 1996; J. Hasenpusch, personal communication 2004).
Live adults of R. nebulosus are easily distinguished by the velvety mottling of the upper surface, unique in the Australian Lucanidae (Moore 1984, figs 117-8; Mizunuma & Nagai 1994, plate 3), but dead specimens in collections are commonly greasy and uniformly dark brown, hence the name “brown stag beetle” (Naumann 1993). But brown is hardly a distinctive colour among stag beetles, even Australian species (Mizunuma & Nagai 1994). We propose that a more appropriate vernacular name for the living insect is “mottled stag beetle”. There are no obvious morphological differences between specimens from the relatively isolated populations in north Queensland and central Victoria and the main range of the species.
description: Published as part of Reid, C. A. M. & Beatson, M., 2016, Revision of the stag beetle genus Ryssonotus MacLeay (Coleoptera: Lucanidae), with descriptions of a new genus and three new species, pp. 1-39 in Zootaxa 4150 (1) on pages 3-4, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4150.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/272084