Mecynotarsus apicipennis Lea 1895

Mecynotarsus apicipennis Lea, 1895

(Figs 13, 14, 127, 144, 169, 188)

Mecynotarsus apicipennis Lea, 1895: 607. Mecynotarsus apicipennis: Pic (1911): 13 (catalogue); LEA (1922): 473 (catalogue).

Type locality. Australia, New South Wales, Tamworth, Peel River.

Type material. SYNTYPES: 1 ♂ 2 ♀♀ [mounted on single card], ‘ apicipennis Lea TYPES Tamworth [h] // 19016 Mecynotarsus apicipennis Lea N. S. Wales. TYPE [h] // S.A. Museum Specimen [p; red label]’ (SAMA).

Additional material. AUSTRALIA: NEW SOUTH WALES: 1 ♀, Mount Kaputar, Bullawa Creek, 29.xi.1984, G. Hangay leg. [‘ Notoxus decemdentatus ’ identification label by Uhmann] (HNHM).

Redescription (male, syntype). Body length 3.8 mm. Dark brown to brown black; elytra with pale reddish apical spot.

Antero-lateral margins of frons simple. Gular rugules of different sizes, anteriorly ordered and fused as in Fig. 139. Clypeal granules minute. Setation of head rather evenly short and appressed, dense and finer on vertex, slightly coarser around eyes. Antennae moderately long; antennomeres III–V about twice, X 1.4 times as long as wide; setation mostly rather short and fine, inconspicuous, somewhat coarser and longer on basal antennomere.

Pronotum 1.7 times as long as wide, its lateral margins evenly moderately convex in dorsal view; posterior collar quite distinct; pronotal base with two pairs of distinct median granules on each side of deep transverse antebasal sulcus, and with minute granules scattered dorso-laterally and on posterior collar. Pronotal horn rather robust, moderately wide, its posterior angles obsolete in dorsal view (Fig. 144); horn margins armed with 5 rounded lobules on each side; horn crest distinct, clearly raised, narrow, with coarse, separate rugules on margins; submarginal rugules quite distinct, ordered in sparse row laterally; coarse median rugules fused and forming longitudinal sculpture. Setation rather heterogeneous, mostly whitish and scaly (especially laterally), dorsally in addition with brownish to cupreous shiny, longer, nearly hair-like setae (or linear scales); scales on pronotal disc appressed, elongate and truncate apically, longer hair-like setae subdecumbent, somewhat flattened and rather rounded apically; dorsal setation of pronotal horn comparatively fine (not scaly) and more raised, with some long stiff setae posteriorly along its crest; antebasal paired setae present and rather short, another tactile setae absent.

Elytra 1.6 times as long as wide; omoplates and postbasal impression absent. Setation very similar to that on pronotal disc, mostly mixed whitish and brownish to cupreous shiny, forming rather vague brownish markings, and whitish on apical spot (Fig. 188), comprised of smaller, appressed scales and longer, subdecumbent setae, evenly developed / ordered, somewhat sparse (coarsely punctured surface visible, Fig. 169); erect tactile setae absent.

Male characters. Sternum VII slightly produced medially. Tergum VIII and aedeagus as in Figs 13, 14.

Variation. Body length (♂ ♀) 3.7–4.0 mm. The apical pale reddish colouration of elytra may be strongly reduced to a pair of inconspicuous, rounded subapical spots.

Differential diagnosis. Mecynotarsus apicipennis is conspicuous by its larger size, and mainly by the sparser and clearly double setation of the elytra, which is comprised of smaller whitish scales and much more elongate, somewhat more raised, apically rounded to truncate, cupreous shiny setae.

Distribution. Australia: New South Wales (LEA 1895, UHMANN 2007).