Aphanocephalus nitidus Lea, 1922

Szawaryn, Karol, 2025, Revision of the Australian species of Aphanocephalus Wollaston (Coleoptera: Discolomatidae), Zootaxa 5632 (3), pp. 401-440 : 423-424

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5632.3.1
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:8D129BA5-B4A2-4AFF-B880-E76A69286E15
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15372400
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/039A2D1C-0A23-DF5F-FF29-D3055B60FCDC
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Aphanocephalus nitidus Lea, 1922
status

Treatment

( Figs 8C, D View FIGURE 8 , 12D–F View FIGURE 12 )

Aphanocephalus nitidus Lea, 1922: 307 .

Material examined. Type material.

Lectotype and paralectotype (here designated). QUEENSLAND: " nitidus Lea , TYPE, Tambourine / I.11798, Aphanocephalus nitidus Lea , Queensland [black ink, handwritten] TYPE [red ink handwritten]/ SAMA Database No. 25-036290 " ( SAMA). Two specimens (left unsexed, right male) are mounted on the same card, the left specimen with „TY” handwritten beneath it, is here designated as the lectotype, the second specimen is a paralectotype .

Other material. QUEENSLAND: Binna Burra QLD Lamington Nat. Pk 25 Mar. -4 Apr. 1985 J. & N. Lawrence / under bark and in rotten wood (1♀, ANIC); Palm Grove Nat. Park . Tamborine Mtn. QLD, 24& 29 Oct. 1993, under bark in rotten wood and fungi, S.A. Slipinski, J.F. Lawrence, colls (1♀, ANIC). NEW SOUTH WALES: 28.27S 152.45E NSW Unumgar SF 580m nr. Grevillia Coxs Rd GoogleMaps 789 2-11 Jan. 1987 A Newton & M. Thyer / subtropical rainf. FMHD #87-177 Berk leaf & log litter (1♀, ANIC).

Type locality. Queensland, Tamborine Mountain .

Distribution. Queensland ( Fig. 16 View FIGURE 16 ).

Diagnosis. Very distinctive large species with rounded body outline ( Figs 5D View FIGURE 5 , 8C View FIGURE 8 ), hemispherical in lateral view ( Fig. 8D View FIGURE 8 ), appearing glabrous, covered with very short, inconspicuous pubescence, almost entirely dark brown to black with just lateral elytral margin teastaceous. Male genitalia are very unique among all Australian Aphanocephalus .

Redescription. Length: 2.10–2.20 mm, width: 1.65–1.75 mm. Body elongate oval about 1.25–1.35 times as long as wide ( Figs 5D View FIGURE 5 , 8C View FIGURE 8 ), convex in lateral view ( Fig. 8D View FIGURE 8 ). Pronotum and elytra appearing glabrous, covered with white, minute, sparse setae. Head, pronotum, elytra and ventral side dark brown to black, lateral sides of pronotum and broad lateral rim on elytra paler, testacous, mouthparts, legs and epipleuron yellow.

Pronotum covered with single sized small punctae, with narrow, longitudinal area in front of scutellar shield without punctae. Lateral margins of pronotum bordered, anterior margin without bordering line. Elytra covered with two types of punctae, setiferous and without setae, of almost equal size, uniformly intermixed. Pronotum and elytra narrowly explanate laterally, margins well visible throughout. Lateral sides of elytra regularly rounded, without pseudopores. Epipleuron with shallow sub-marginal furrow.

Mentum with lateral carinae present only in basal part. Labial palps separated by narrow carina. Prosternum without notosternal carina; prosternal process with lateral carinae absent. Metaventrite longer than ventrite 1. Ventrite 1 longer than ventrites 2–4 combined. Ventrite 1 almost entirely covered with large punctae, only middle area covered with smaller punctae; ventrites 2–5 covered with micro punctae only.

Male genitalia. Tegmen in inner view asymmetric, with basal part broad, laterally rounded, and apical part much narrower, sub-parallel sided, with small notch apically ( Fig. 12F View FIGURE 12 ); in lateral view broad, sub-parallel in basal half, apical half distinctly curved inward, tapering toward apex, sub-triangular in shape, with apex rounded ( Fig. 12E View FIGURE 12 ). Penis in lateral view short, about as long as length of gonopore, inner margin distinctly angled in apical 1/3 rd, inner margin distinctly rounded; gonopore very large, with outer margin sinusoidal, inner margin rounded, narrowing toward apex, apically truncate ( Fig. 12D View FIGURE 12 ).

Female genitalia not examined.

Remarks. In the original description Lea (1922) did not designate a holotype. In SAMA collection two specimens with the label “TYPE” are mounted on the same card, the left specimen with „TY” handwritten beneath it, is here designated as the lectotype to fix the taxonomic status of this species.