Temnelytron nigrum Lawrence 2019, sp. nov.

Temnelytron nigrum, sp. nov.

(Figs 9–11, 14–15, 18, 30, 57, 62, 72, 79, 87)

Description. Length = 3.10–3.80 (3.52 ± 0.21, n = 11) mm. Body broadly ovate, moderately convex: BL/EW = 1.50–1.64 (1.55); GD/EW = 0.58–0.62 (0.60). Dorsal and ventral surfaces, legs and antennae dark reddish-brown to black; vestiture dual, consisting of longer and shorter decumbent setae.

Head as long as wide. Eyes 0.27 times as long as head width. Temples 0.54 times as long as eye, slightly curved. Vertexal line incomplete at middle, with head punctation arising from small circular pits anterior to line and more or less spiculate behind line. Frontoclypeal suture absent. Labrum 0.34 times as long as wide, slightly rounded laterally; apex subtruncate with moderately deep, angulate emargination. Antennal scape 1.33 times as long as wide and 2.22 times as long as pedicel; antennomere 3 about 1.56 times as long as 4; club 0.67 times as long as antennomeres 3–8 combined and 1.36 times as long as wide; terminal antennomere 0.67 times as long as wide. Antennal grooves weakly sinuate, very slightly converging, extending to ends of temples and then slightly curved laterally behind temples; genal ridges narrow and more or less following grooves; genal lobes narrowly truncate. Mandible with outer edge evenly curved; apex unidentate; incisor edge with weak rounded projection; mola well-developed; prostheca divided into slender setose membrane basally and setal finge apically. Apical maxillary palpomere about 2 times as long as wide, widest near base with narrowly rounded apex. Mentum 0.55 times as long as wide, with weak, broadly rounded mesal lobe and subacute lateral lobes; apical labial palpomere 1.38 times as long as wide, widest near base with broadly rounded apex. Pronotum 0.47–0.52 (0.49) times as long as wide, widest at posterior fourth; anterior edge moderately emarginate; anterior angles distinctly produced and subright with rounded corners; sides slightly explanate with distinct marginal bead; posterior angles more or less right; posterior edge broadly, weakly curved but slightly sinuate laterally; disc moderately, evenly convex; punctation relatively fine and sparse, punctures usually separated by one or two diameters; interspaces finely sculptured and shiny. Pronotal punctation consisting of smaller and larger transversely oval pits with a thin rim and usually enclosing two pores; megasetae much longer than microsetae, longitudinally ribbed and arising just within the pit rim and microsetae short, simple and arising just anterior to a pit rim. Prosternum 0.75 times as long as mid length of procoxal cavity, strongly tumid mesally, with a distinct, angular anterior projection; prosternal process 0.52 times as wide as mid length of procoxal cavity, slightly curved behind coxae, and slightly expanded towards apex, which is broadly rounded, without oblique wall. Scutellar shield 0.25 times as wide as pronotum, narrowly rounded at apex. Elytra 1.05–1.16 (1.08) times as long as wide and 2.23–2.43 (2.33) times as long as pronotum; sides slightly explanate forming lateral margins extending almost to apex; inner apex of each elytron abruptly excised, humeri moderately well developed and anterolateral angle slightly obtuse; disc moderately convex; punctation and vestiture dual and seriate, each elytron with 10 rows of longer, decumbent setae separated by groups of shorter decumbent setae, usually forming two irregular rows; surfaces distinctly sculptured but relatively shiny. Elytral punctation consisting of simple setiferous punctures giving rise to longer, thicker, longitudinally ribbed megasetae forming longitudinal rows alternating with irregular double rows of subcircular to oval pits, about 1.5 times as long as an eye facet, each with distinct rim, enclosing two pores and associated with a shorter, finer microseta, which lies just anterior to but not enclosed within rim. Epipleuron slightly inclined and partly visible in lateral view, moderately wide anteriorly and gradually narrowed, extending to apex of ventrite 3. Anterior edge of mesoventrite on same plane as metaventrite, weakly convex, without distinct prosternal rest or median carina; posterior edge not elevated; posterior edge broadly emarginate. Mesocoxae separated by 0.50 times longest longitudinal diameter of mesocoxal cavity. Metaventrite slightly convex; discrimen about 0.85 times as long as ventrite; postcoxal lines arising at mesal third of coxal cavity and extending laterally, almost parallel to edge of cavity, then abruptly turning posteriorly and extending to lateral edge of ventrite at about middle, so that axillary spaces relatively small; posterior edge of metaventrite between metacoxae weakly angulate. Metacoxae separated by a distance equal to mid length (shortest diameter) of metacoxa. Ratio of distances between procoxae, mesocoxae and metacoxae 1.00: 1.00: 1.50. Protibia gradually expanded, widest and angulate at apex, which bears a continuous row of very short, blunt spines in male (protibial ridge) and 6 short, thick, well separated spines in female; outer edge bearing series of short, stout, blunt spines. Mesotibia and metatibia both similarly expanded with 6 long, apical spines, but outer edge lined with acute spines and setae. Basal protarsomeres distinctly widened, those of mesotarsi less so and those of metatarsi not at all.

Abdomen with broadly rounded intercoxal process; ventrite 1 with postcoxal lines broadly curved and not extending far onto ventrite; ventrite 5 slightly biemarginate in both sexes. Punctation of mentum, postmentum, prosternum, most of metaventrite and all abdominal ventrites consisting of circular pits of various diameters and their associated setae; postcoxal processes and mesal portions of hypomera impunctate; mesoventrite impunctate anteromesally but with double row of small pits posterolaterally; axillary spaces mostly impunctate. Base of pygidium with single, straight carina; pygidial apex slightly truncate in male, broadly rounded in female. Genital capsule in male 1.30 times as long as wide, broadly rounded apically with small preapical pit; basal oblique struts meeting at midline and extending posteriorly as median ridge; ventral plate about 0.89 times as long as wide with paired inner lobes 1.7 times as long as outer lobes, 3.4 times as long as wide and obliquely truncate at apex with a small tooth at inner apical angle; spiculum gastrale slender and abruptly expanded at apex. Tegmen 2.86 times as long as wide, sides parallel, apex with two rounded lobes separated by a median cleft, slightly curved in lateral view; tegminal strut 0.50 times as long as body of tegmen. Penis 1.40 times as long as tegmen and 5.47 times as long as wide; widest at base, sides gradually converging to acute apex, sides strongly curved in lateral view; penile strut 1.53 times as long as body of penis. Ovipositor 2.85 times as long as wide, more or less flattened; paraprocts 1.11 times as long as gonocoxites, which are 1.36 times as long as their combined widths, widest at base, strongly, gradually narrowing to narrowly truncate, contiguous apices; gonostyli lateral, 0.05 times as long as coxites, 0.67 times as long as wide and apically emarginate, with a patch of medioapical setae.

Types. Holotype, ♂, “ 30.30S 152.10E NSW, Styx River SF., W end Thru Road, 24km SE Wollombombi, 25 Feb /15 Mar, 1993, 980m, FIT D. Chandler / FIT ANIC 1410, cut wet sclerophyll forest” (ANIC # 25-067892).

Paratypes. New South Wales: Bull’s Ground S. F. (31°33’S, 152°38’E), Site SA /1, ii.2001, RTU 122, pitfall, Alan York (7, AMS, ANIC); Styx River S. F., W end Trhu Road, 24 km SE Wollombombi, cut wet sclerophyll forest, 25.ii–15.iii.1993, ANIC FIT 1410, D. Chandler (8, ANIC).

Distribution. Northern NSW.

Biology. All specimens collected in flight intercept traps.

Etymology. The generic epithet is derived from the Greek verb temno, cut and the Greek elytron, sheath, referring to the distinct notch in the elytrral apex in this group.