Tarsostenodes morulus OPITZ 2016, nov.sp.
Creators: name: Opitz, Weston
name: G, Paratillus
name: B, Tarsostenodes
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2016
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Cleridae
Tarsostenodes
Tarsostenodes morulus

description: <i>Tarsostenodes morulus</i> OPITZ, nov.sp. (Figs 9, 37, 61, 81, 91) Holotype: Ƌ. Australia, 17.06S 145.36E QLD, GSI, Mt Haig 1150 m, 31 Oct-29 Nov 1995, L. Umback, Fl Trap JCU (ANIC). Paratypes: Four. Australia: Queensland: NE: Mt. Finnigan Summitt, 15°49'S 145°17'E, 21 Nov1998, 1100 m, rainforest, sieved litter, G. B. Monteith (QMBA, 1); Upper Boulder Ck, 1000 m, 11 km NNW of Tully, 16-19 Nov 1984, Cook, Monteith &amp; Thomson (QMBA, 1); Mt. Lewis Rd., 16 km from Highway, 18 Dec 1989 - 13 Jan 1990, Monteith, Thomson &amp; Anzees,, Site 2, 950 m, Flt. Intercept (QMBA, 1); Mossman Bluff Track, 5-10-km W. Mossman, 20 Dec 1989 - 15 Jan1990, Monteith, Thomson &amp; Anzees, Site 9, 1260 m, flt. Intercept (QMBA, 1). D i a g n o s i s: Within <i>Tarsostenodes</i> only specimens of <i>T. morulus</i> and those of <i>T. albonotatus</i> have the body mostly black. Also, the black regions show a blue tinge. But, <i>T. morulus</i> specimens differ from those of <i>T. albonotatus</i> by having a more extended antennal capitulum (compare Figs 9, 11), the asetiferous punctation extend only slightly beyond the posterior bullule, and the phallobasic venter is expanded anteriorly into a long thin-triangular plate D e s c r i p t i o n: Size: Length 4.0 mm; width 1.0 mm. Form: As in Fig. 61. Integument: Body and legs black, with blue shine, with 3 white bullules, elytral posterior third dark brown. Head: Cranium coarsely punctate, frons wider than width of eye (FW/EW-22/15); antennal funicular antennomeres subfiliform, 9 th antennomere rectangulate, 10 th antennomeres long triagonal, 11 th antennomere oblong (Fig. 9). Thorax: Pronotum oblong, constricted posteriorly (Fig. 37) (PL /PW-58/45), sparsely punctated, with a longitudinal glabrous plate, without tubercle at sides; elytral disc with small shallow subbasal umbo, with anterior, epipleural, and posterior bullules, with large asetiferous punctations that extend posteriorly slightly beyond posterior bullule (EL /EW- 165/28). Abdomen: Male pygidium not incised at middle of anterior margin; phallobasic venter expanded anteriorly into along thin triangular plate, lobes not fimbriate and delineated basally by a faintly indicated transverse sclerotic line, phallobasic struts contiguous with phallobasic apodeme, phallic apex triangular, truncate, phallic plates wide (Fig. 81). N a t u r a l H i s t o r y: Specimens were collected during October, November and December, at altitudes ranging from 950-1150 m. Collecting techniques involved flight intercept traps and litter sieve. D i s t r i b u t i o n (Fig. 91). Known from Queensland, Australia. E t y m o l o g y: The specific epithet <i>morulus</i> (= black) is a Latin adjective and refers to the body color of this beetle.
description: Published as part of <i>Opitz, Weston, G, Paratillus &amp; B, Tarsostenodes, 2016, Classification, natural history, and evolution of Tarsosteninae (Coleoptera: Cleroidea: Cleridae). Part IV. Taxonomy of the Tarsostenodes complex of Australia, New Caledonia, New Guinea, and Tasmania, pp. 587-636 in Linzer biologische Beiträge 48 (1)</i> on page 610, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.5417172