THREE NEW SPECIES OF MELQIXJNTHINI (COLEOPTERA: SCARABAEIDAE)
FROM AUSTRALIA
P;G. ALLSOPP
\IIsopp_ PXi. 1999 06 30: Three new species of Melolonthlni (Coleoptera: Scarabacidae)
from Australia. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 4MD: 453-45X. Brisbane, issn
0079-8835.
Three new species are deseribed from Australia: Lepidiota bakkcri sp. uov. from Broome,
Western Australia. L el.areae sp, nov. from Kopevalc, NE Queensland, and Metatrogus lukei
sp. rio\. from Sunshine Beach, SE Queensland, The three species are illustrated and com-
pared with known species. Sonic specimens previously attributed to £ uegatorio Blackburn
are identified as L. frenchi Blackburn. "I Coletipterti, Scarahaeidae, Melnlofttfdnue f
I U-jfidiotrt, Metairogus< taxonomy.
f'.G Allsopp, Bureau of Sugar Experiment Stations, PO Box 651, Bundaberg
Australia; S December r
The Australian Melolonthini were last revised
by Britlon (1978) and the tribe in Australia is now
known to contain 16 genera and 116 species
(Houston St, Weir, 1992; Allsopp. I993a,b,c;
Allsopp Si Watkins, 1995). Most o\ the species
occur in the N and E of the comment, with
Lepidiota Kirby and Derntolepida Arrow
extending into SE Asia and New Guinea,
respectively (Allsopp, 1995).
This paper describes 3 new species; 2 from E
Queensland, and 1 from NW Western Australia.
Abbreviations: ANIC, Australian National Insect
Collection. Canberra; AWA, Agriculture
Western Australia, Penh; PA. P. Allsopp col-
lection; PB. Peter Bakker collection; QM,
Queensland Museum. Brisbane; QIMM,
Queensland Department of Primary Industries.
Mareeba; WAM, Western Australia Museum,
Perth.
Lepidiota Kirby
■ fa/fl Kirhy, IR2N:445.
TYPE SPECIES: Mclolontha stigma P«bflcttt9i
■ I designation by Hope 083
DIAGNOSIS-Britlon (1978) distinguished
Lepidiota from other Australian Melolonthini by
a combination of: anterior face of clypeus
shallow and usually smooth and unpuuetured in
the middle; anterior edge of clypeus as seen from
above usually broadly bilobed; antennae 10-
( rarely 9-) segmented, with a 3-segmented club;
lamellae usually shorter than antcnnal segments
[-7 (or 1-6) together; surface of the body usually
bearing lew or many broad adpressed. white
scales., scales sometimes minute and wholly
contained within their punctures; tarsal claws
each with a strong tooth in the middle of the
concave side; anterior edge of posterior femora
not concave near the base; mandibles not curved
downwards at their apices.
Sixty species are known to occur in Australia,
mainJv in the north half of the continent (Britlon.
197S; Houston & Weir, 1992; Allsopp &
Watkins J 995).
Lepidiota bakkeri sp nov
(Fig. 1)
TTYMOt nt,Y. For m\ colleague Peter Bsdckef, Bureau
ol* Sugar Experiment Stations, who collected the type
series.
MATERIAL. iUM n-JYTF: Q ! ' 16. M. &T0
(WeSteffi Australia), 27.x. 1996, if Bakker, at li
PARATYPLS: 10M, h same data as holotvpe (A
AWA,PA,QH-WAM>
DESCRIPTION. \/a/e Body 23-25mm long.
Head, pronotum, pygidium, venter and legs
reddish brow n,cly Ira paler and with a dull sheen;
antennae yellow-brown lo dark brown. Labium
deeply indented, about twice as deep as the
anterior face of the clypeus. each lobe with a few
scattered, setose punctures, middle section
glabrous Labrum no! visible beyond the clypeus
m front. Clypeus with anterior face shallow. 7-N\
as wide as deep, with a single row ol setiferous
punctures interrupted in the middle; upper
surface almost straight in outline, transverse, 3x
as wide as long, covered with almost circular
white scales, except for a bare area in the middle.
Anterior 2/3 of the Irons with similar scales;
posterior surface with a very dense band of
BioStor
