Onthophagus squalidus Lea 1923
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 squalidus

description: Onthophagus squalidus Lea, 1923   
Figs 9–10, 23–24, 29, 34, 41, 45  
 Onthophagus squalidus Lea, 1923: 390; Boucomont & Gillet, 1927: 216; Matthews, 1972: 211; Cassis & Weir, 1992: 151; Monteith & Kenyon, 2011: 57; Reid et al., 2022.   
 Material examined (9♂, 6♀). New South Wales: 2♂ / Boonoo Boonoo NP, 28.7998°S 152.1859°E 983 m Site 114 Colongan Rd, burnt tall dry scler., macropod dung baited pitfall 3–4.iv.2021 Reid & Runagall-McNaull (AMS); 1♂ */ Boorook SF, 09AM 1 km E of main rd 28°49'S 152°11'E 900 m (NPWS Survey) 4.ii–9.iv.1993 M Gray G Cassis (AMS); 2♀ / Boyne SF, jn Windywoppa & Lookout Rds, 35°36'28"S 150°12'28"E, CBCR003-048 17.iii.1999 J Tarnawski & S Lessau (AMS); 1♀ / Carrai SF 38AR Fife Fire Trail, 1.6 km NE Fifies Knob Rd 30°55'S 152°23'E 670 m (NPWS Survey) 4.ii–9.iv.1993 M Gray G Cassis (AMS); 1♂ / Cathedral Rock NP 30.4416°S 152.2790°E 1347 m site 61 c2k from park entrance, burnt dry scler/open heath, macropod dung baited pitfall 22–23.ii.2021 Reid & Runagall-McNaull (AMS); 1♂, 1♀ / Donaldson SF 28.3418°S 152.6693°E 524 m Site 113 Summerland Way nr Rabbit Fence trail, burnt wet scler, macropod dung baited pitfall 2–3.iv.2021 Reid & Runagall-McNaull (AMS); 1♀ / East Kunderang Trail 39AR 2.1 km E of West Kunderang Trail 30°49'S 152°03'E 845 m (NPWS Survey) 4.ii–9.iv.1993 M Gray G Cassis (AMS); 1♂ / Richmond Range SF 47A 04 AR Goanna Ck Rd, 28°36'S 152°41'E 545 m (NPWS Survey) 4.ii–9.iv.1993 M Gray G Cassis (AMS); 1♀ / Sydney [sic], Francis Greenway HS, leaflitter, cowpasture 10.v.2001, Vacy (AMS); 1♂ */ Upper Hunter River, mature riparian strip, Denman Vineyard at Denman 32°20'36"S 150°44'18"E Denman S 1/2P pit trap 23.xi–9.xii.2004 J Gollan (AMS); 1♂, ditto except Denman S 1/1 YP yellow pan trap (AMS); Victoria: 1♂ */ 4 miles W Melton 3.ii.1974 PJ Gullan (AMS).   
 Additional records (not included in Matthews, 1972). Australian National Territory: 1/ 6k NE Piccadilly Circus (ANIC); New South Wales: 1/ Byrrill Ck (QMB); 1/ Calosoma HS (ANIC); 3/ W end Coolah Tops (QMB); 1/ 2.5K W Minyon Falls (QMB); 1/ 4k NE Mt Wog Wog (ANIC); 1/ Styx R SF (ANIC); 1/ Unumgar SF (ANIC); Queensland: 1/ Belmont Hills (QMB); 8/ Buhot Creek (QMB); 1/ Bulimba Creek (QMB); 1/ Burleigh Headland NP (QMB); 2/ 14k & 21k SSW Canungra (QMB); 1/ Levers Plateau (QMB); 1/ Mt Cotton (QMB); 1/ Mt Gannon (QMB); 9/ Mt Huntley (QMB); 1/ Mt Superbus (QDAF); 8/ Passchendaele SF (QMB); 2/ Sankeys Scrub (QMB); 3/ 6k WNW Stanthorpe (QMB); 1/ Tallebudgera Valley (QMB); 7/ Vickerman Reserve (QMB).   
 Redescription. Mature specimens dull blackish-grey, head and pronotum shiner than duller and densely microsculptured elytra and pygidium; teneral (or recently emerged specimens) with reddish-brown elytral apices, sides of apical ventrites and legs; antennae reddish-brown, with orange to dark brown clubs. Length, male 4.5–7 mm; female 4.5–6.5 mm.   
 Male. Head (Fig. 23). Surface smooth, shallowly microreticulate, dull to slightly shiny in basal half and shinier in apical half, with close punctures, separated by about 1× diameters at base becoming smaller and sparser towards apex, minute stubble on base of frons and short semi-erect setae on apex of clypeus. Clypeal apical margin uptilted, arcuately excavate, each side of excavation triangularly produced, side margins slightly rounded; clypeal suture entirely effaced at frontal portion, genal suture present (completely effaced on one specimen) but not 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 9–10, 29, 34). 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, midline not obviously elevated or depressed, entirely strongly and closely punctured, punctures not ocellate, slightly elongate at middle, becoming rounder and larger towards sides, intervals shiny and not microreticulate, less than half diameter of punctures, and covered in dense short curved and thickened setae (lengths less than diameter of punctures); anterior angles 80–90°; anterior margined, sides margined and crenulate with curved short setae between crenulations, base with or without thin raised edge at middle; 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. Surface including striae densely microreticulate and duller than pronotum, except numerous shiny tubercles on intervals and shiny apical half of sutural margins; all intervals flat except for distinct shiny tubercles, apex of 5th interval with irregular shiny area formed by coalesced tubercles, similar but much smaller patches may be present at apices of 3rd and 4th intervals; tubercles in 2–3 irregular rows in intervals 2–7, denser on outermost interval; each tubercle with minute short curved scale-like seta, not in distinct rows, outermost interval more densely setose; strial punctures weak, 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 on anterior half, 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 smooth and mostly shiny, distinctly microreticulate on apical third, almost evenly punctured with moderately large punctures separated by 1–3 diameters.  
Abdomen (Fig. 41). Ventrites dull, densely microreticulate, obscuring puncturation, each with single transverse row of short semi-recumbent pale setae, set on shiny tubercles on ventrites 5–6; pygidium flat or almost so, densely and evenly microreticulate except shallowly microreticulate and shinier raised margins; punctures distinct or obscured by microsculpture, sparse, separated by 1–3 diameters; setae short and thick, length 5–8× width.  
Aedeagus (Fig. 45). In lateral view, parameres “crested”, with an angular apico-dorsal elevation and prominent but short apico-ventral “beak”.  
 Female. Head (Fig. 24). Sides more rounded, surface rougher than male, mostly shiny, smooth at base becoming transversely rugose on clypeus, with dense large punctures throughout; median depression of vertex not deeper than male; clypeal suture slightly elevated in frontal portion, effaced before reaching genal sutures, straight, genal sutures often slightly raised; pronotum slightly narrower than elytra; protibiae short and straight, with broad lateral teeth.   
 Minor male (one specimen).As major male but genal sutures slightly elevated and protibiae short, without setal tufts.   
 Notes. Matthews’ redescription was based on 172 males and females, including 141 from a single locality (Canberra), and the female holotype from south Queensland. He recorded it along the coast and Dividing Range from Victoria to south Queensland. The material examined here fits within this range and conforms to Matthews’ description, except that he noted a slightly different size range (5–8 mm long), the eyes are slightly more variable in size and the striae are distinctly but feebly punctured.   
 Onthophagus squalidus appears to be tolerant of a wider range of habitats (Reid et al., 2022) than indicated by Matthews, who regarded it as a woodland species. The sites recorded here vary from closed forest to open grassland. The species appears to be rare where it occurs in New South Wales, most 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 146-147, DOI: 10.3853/j.2201-4349.74.2022.1821, http://zenodo.org/record/13228969