Mecynotarsus obesus Kejval & Cz 2013, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Kejval, Zbyněk
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2013
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Anthicidae
Mecynotarsus
Mecynotarsus obesus

description: Mecynotarsus obesus sp. nov.
(Figs 84, 85, 136, 160, 179, 204)
Type locality. Australia, Northern Territory, 39 km E of Alice Springs, 23°41′S 134°15′E.
Type material. HOLOTYPE: ♂, ‘ 23.41S 134.15E 39 km E of Alice Springs NT, 5 Oct. 78 Upton & Barrett [p] // ANIC Specimen [p; green label]’ (ANIC). PARATYPES: 1♂ 10 ♀♀, ‘ 24.58S 129.23E Hull River 33 km ESE of Docker River NT 17.xi.1977 T. A. Weir [p] // ANIC Specimen [p; green label]’ (ANIC, 2 spec. ZKDC); 1 ♀, same data, except ‘S. A. L. Watson’ on the 1st label [h] (ANIC); 1 ♂, ‘ 23.35S 134.22E 53 km E by N of Alice Springs N.T. 6 Oct. 1978 M. S. Upton’ (ANIC); 5 ♂♂ 10 ♀♀, ‘ Australien Alice Springs, NT 3.10.1972 [p] // Mecynotarsus albellus Pascoe det. G. Uhmann 2004 [p]’ (ZSMC, ZKDC); 2 ♂♂ 3 ♀♀, ‘ AUSTRALIA, N. Territory, West MacDonnell Nat. Park, SIMPSON GAP, 23°40′S 133°43′E, 600 m, 3.- 5.01.2009, St. Jakl leg. [p]’ (ZKDC, NMPC); 1 ♀, same data, except: 11.01.2009 (ZKDC); 1 ♀, ‘ AUSTRALIA: N. Queensland 1917/1918 [p] // HUGHENDEN N. QUEENSL. F. M. 12.I.1918 [h]] // Mecynotarsus albellus Pascoe det. G. Uhmann 2004 [p]’ (ZSMC).
Description (holotype, male). Body length 3.7 mm. Body reddish brown, elytra with rather vague darker marking; legs and antennae reddish.
Antero-lateral margins of frons simple. Gular rugules of different sizes, anteriorly larger, ordered and fused as in Fig. 139. Clypeal granules minute to indistinct. Setation of head rather coarse and conspicuous, hairy, mostly appressed to subdecumbent, with numerous long, more raised setae medially on vertex, especially near base. Antennae rather moderately long; antennomeres III–V nearly twice, X 1.3 times as long as wide; setation mostly fine, coarser on basal antennomeres, especially antennomere I conspicuously setose, with numerous long, stiff setae.
Pronotum moderately transverse, 1.4 times as long as wide, its lateral margins rather strongly, nearly evenly convex in dorsal view; posterior collar very narrow and inconspicuous. Pronotal horn robust, subtriangular, its posterior angles distinct in dorsal view (Fig. 160); horn margins armed with 4 wide lobules on each side, apical lobule simple, widely rounded; horn crest distinct, raised, with coarse, contiguous to partly fused rugules on margins, evenly lowering anteriorly in lateral view; submarginal rugules rather coarse and distinctly spaced; median rugules largely fused and forming irregular longitudinal sculpture, numerous minute granules scattered posteriorly. Setation whitish, slightly yellowish to pale reddish dorsally, largely scaly and appressed; scales on pronotal disc of two sizes, larger scales rather glossy and distinctly truncate apically; antebasal paired setae absent medially and present laterally, somewhat difficult to recognize owing to presence of another tactile setae (about 15 on ach side, especially antero-laterally; also posterior collar dorsally with some longer, bristly setae).
Elytra 1.7 times as long as wide; omoplates and postbasal impression absent. Setation whitish, to pale reddish and brownish, forming rather vague brownish markings (Fig. 204), scaly, appressed and evenly ordered; scales moderately elongate, rounded to subtruncate apically, glossy, densely but distinctly spaced (surface visible, Fig. 179); scattered tactile setae absent, but humeri with numerous bristly setae on basal margins.
Male characters. Sternum VII moderately produced and rounded medially. Tergum VIII and aedeagus as in Figs 84, 85.
Variation. Body length (♂ ♀) 3.5–4.2 mm. Pronotal horn with 4–5 lobules on each side (sometimes contiguous or fused at base); rugules of crest margin sometimes fused and forming uneven rim, frequently connected with median rugules. Darker marking on elytra absent in some specimens.
Differential diagnosis. Mecynotarsus obesus sp. nov. is a larger robust species, that seems to be very close to M. phanophilus in the male and numerous external characters, e.g. pronotum globose with numerous tactile setae, pronotal horn subtriangular, and elytra with appressed, glossy scales and some bristly setae on the humeri. It differs mainly by the longer, anteriorly evenly lowering crest of the pronotal horn, by the wider, more rounded body scales that are entirely appressed on the pronotal disc (scales narrower, nearly linear and truncate apically, partly subdecumbent on pronotum in M. phanophilus; cf. Fig. 179 versus 181), more prolonged and bluntly pointed apex of the parameres, and by the emarginate posterior margin of male tergum VIII.
Etymology. The species name is a Latin adjective, obesus, -a, -um (= corpulent, robust); named in reference to its robust appearance.
Distribution. Australia: Northern Territory, Queensland.
description: Published as part of Kejval, Zbyněk, 2013, Taxonomic revision of the Australian Notoxinae (Coleoptera: Anthicidae), pp. 1-98 in Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae (suppl.) (suppl.) 53 on pages 65-66, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.4272709