Mecynotarsus pusillus Kejval & Cz 2013, sp. nov.

Mecynotarsus pusillus sp. nov.

(Figs 104, 105, 165)

Type locality. Australia, Western Australia, 13 km EN of Newman, 23°15′S 119°52′E.

Type material. HOLOTYPE: ♂, ‘(23.15S 119.52E) 13 km. E. by N. of Newman, WA. 12.xi.70. E. B. Britton [p] // ANIC Specimen [p; green label]’ (ANIC). PARATYPES: 1 ♀, same data as holotype (ANIC).

Description (holotype, male). Body length 1.6 mm. Body largely brownish, pronotal horn reddish, elytra with vague paler markings; 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 vertex uniformly fine, short and appressed, distinctly coarser around eyes and ventro-laterally. Antennae moderately long; antennomeres III–V about twice, X 1.25 times as long as wide; setation mostly fine, somewhat coarser on basal antennomeres.

Pronotum globose to moderately transverse, 1.5 times as long as wide, its lateral margins nearly evenly and strongly convex in dorsal view; posterior collar narrow but distinct. Pronotal horn robust and wide, subtriangular, its posterior angles distinct in dorsal view (Fig. 165); horn margins armed with 3 lobules on each side, posterior lobules conspicuously wide, apical lobule simple, widely rounded; horn crest quite distinct and raised, forming complete semioval rim with nearly evenly shaped margins; submarginal rugules ordered in rows and contiguous to fused; single evenly shaped, longitudinal median rugule and several minute scattered granules. Setation scaly, greyish to pale brownish, hairy and inconspicuous on pronotal horn dorsally; scales on pronotal disc uniform, appressed, rather glossy and contiguous, entirely covering surface (Fig. 165); antebasal paired setae present both laterally and medially (longer and conspicuous laterally), another tactile setae absent.

Elytra 1.8 times as long as wide; omoplates and postbasal impression absent. Setation scaly, brownish and silvery, forming rather vague markings, appressed and evenly ordered; scales smaller than on pronotal disc, elongate, rounded to subtruncate apically, glossy and contiguous, entirely covering surface; erect tactile setae absent.

Male characters. Sternum VII simple. Tergum VIII and aedeagus as in Figs 104, 105.

Differential diagnosis. Mecynotarsus pusillus sp. nov. can be easily recognized by its external characters. Both specimens are extremely small, showing rather a distinctive morphology of the pronotal horn (few lobules on margins, complete crest rim, single median rugule, ordered contiguous to fused submarginal rugules), and the glossy setation of the pronotal disc and elytra, with dense appressed scales entirely covering the surface.

Etymology. The species name is a Latin adjective, pusillus, -a, -um (= very little, very small); named in reference to the small body size.

Distribution. Australia: Western Australia.