Australosagola, Choi & Chandler & Park, 2025

Choi, Su-Ho, Chandler, Donald S. & Park, Jong-Seok, 2025, Australosagola, a new genus of pselaphine beetles from southern Australia (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Pselaphinae, Faronitae) with descriptions of seven new species, ZooKeys 1245, pp. 177-205 : 177-205

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1245.151556
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:C4112641-FC74-4967-AC60-198EF5E7E381
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15930417
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/B5F36D0D-35B6-5C9A-8074-F9E1CD040D08
treatment provided by	ZooKeys by Pensoft
scientific name	Australosagola
status	gen. nov.

Treatment

Genus Australosagola gen. nov.

Type species.

Sagola tasmaniae Lea, 1911 , here designated.

Diagnosis.

Members of this genus are separated from other faronite genera by the following combination of characters: prominent rostrum of head with narrow, elongate median frontal sulcus terminating posteriorly at frontal fovea, median sulcus impressed at midpoint of head around frontal fovea (Fig. 3 C, D, I View Figure 3 ); pronotum with isolated median antebasal fovea, lateral antebasal foveae, and inner basolateral foveae; prosternum with median procoxal fovea and lateral procoxal foveae (Fig. 3 J View Figure 3 ); elytra with two subbasal elytral foveae, three basal elytral foveae (1 at base of sutural stria), discal elytral foveae with short discal striae, and additional fovea present in sutural striae (Fig. 3 L View Figure 3 ); mesoventrite with lateral mesoventral foveae, lateral mesocoxal foveae, and promesocoxal foveae; metaventrite with median metaventral fovea, and lateral metaventral foveae (Fig. 3 M View Figure 3 ); abdominal tergite 2 (V) ~ 2 / 3 length of 3 (VI) (Figs 1 View Figure 1 , 2 View Figure 2 ). Species only known from southern half of Australia (Figs 13 View Figure 13 , 14 View Figure 14 ).

Description.

1.8–3.5 mm (Figs 1 View Figure 1 , 2 View Figure 2 ). Body brown to dark brown. Head. Head broader than long to as long as wide, widest across eyes for both sexes, rostrum longitudinally divided by narrow median frontal sulcus (Fig. 3 C, D, I View Figure 3 ). Antennomeres modified in some species. Thorax. Prothorax broader than long, widest at midpoint (Fig. 3 J View Figure 3 ). Meso-metathorax trapezoidal in ventral view, widest at posterior margin (Fig. 3 M View Figure 3 ). Males of some species have metatrochanters with angulate ventral margins (Fig. 3 E, F, M View Figure 3 , black arrow). Abdomen. Most male specimens have posteriorly directed large rows of large spinoid setae near posterior margin of sternite 5 (VII) (Fig. 3 F, N View Figure 3 ). Genitalia. Length 0.32–0.57 mm. All members in this genus with symmetrical aedeagus with expanded bulbous form of median lobe; with paired curved projections at base of median lobe best visible in lateral view (Fig. 3 O – Q View Figure 3 ), elongated parameres with apices bearing long, sparse setae. Every species except A. doohyungi sp. nov., has elongate projection from near midpoint of median lobe (Fig. 3 P View Figure 3 , white arrow, Q, white arrow).

Etymology.

Australosagola gen. nov. is named for its endemic locality ( Australia) and its similarity to the genus Sagola. Gender feminine.

Distribution.

Southern part of Western Australia, South Australia, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, and the Australian Capital Territory (Figs 13 View Figure 13 , 14 View Figure 14 ).

Comments on secondary sexual characters.

Except for A. doohyungi sp. nov., the abdomen of male specimens is medially impressed on venter for either sternites 4 or 5 (VI – VII) or for both (Figs 3 F, N View Figure 3 , 10 E, K View Figure 10 ). Most species, except for A. helenae comb. nov., A. jiwooki sp. nov., A. sunheei sp. nov., and A. yongsooni sp. nov. have the metatrochanters of male specimens with angulate ventral margins (Fig. 3 E, F, M View Figure 3 ).

Comments on related taxa.

Both Australosagola gen. nov. and Porongurup have an almost identical foveal pattern as well as an elongate abdominal tergite 3 (VI). On this basis Australosagola is close to the genus Porongurup . However, species of Porongurup [ P. clarkei Choi, Chandler & Park, 2019 , P. tenuis Choi, Chandler & Park, 2019 , and P. angulatus Choi, Chandler & Park, 2019 ] have a small frontal fovea that is not more broadly impressed lateral and posterior to the frontal rostrum. Also, the pronotum of members of Australosagola is broader than Porongurup . The aedeagus of Australosagola is bizarrely and consistently different because it is symmetrical, which is very uncommon in Faronitae (in which at least the median lobe is usually asymmetrical). The phallobase is very short, approximately as wide as long, the parameres are narrow and elongate, and the median lobe is almost grotesquely inflated with thick curved spines originating at the base and longer, more complex spines arise from near the middle. In Australosagola gen. nov. the frontal rostrum is longitudinally divided by a median sulcus that typically has the margins contiguous, and the head is broadly impressed around the frontal fovea, and the elytra with two subbasal elytral foveae, three basal elytral foveae (1 being fovea at base of sutural stria), discal elytral foveae with short discal striae, and single fovea in sutural striae.

Little can be said about the relationship of Australosagola to the other groups present in Australia as at this time a revision of the entire fauna has only started. Of those other genera that are described, Logasa Chandler, 2001 has the frontal rostrum medially fused and lacks a frontal sulcus, Nornalup Park & Chandler, 2017 has the ventral surface of the head swollen, a broad frontal sulcus, and lacks a median metaventral fovea, while the remaining diverse species are all tentatively left in Sagola Sharp sensu lato.