Stenocyphon neozealandicus, a new species from New Zealand of a previously monotypic subfamily from Chile (Coleoptera: Scirtidae: Stenocyphoninae)

Abstract

The genus Stenocyphon Lawrence, 2001 was described from central Chile to accommodate a single new species, S. sasajii Lawrence, 2001. The genus shows features unusual for Scirtidae, including tibia without longitudinal carinae, distinct frontoclypeal suture, laterally compressed male aedeagus, laterally compressed, vertically arranged coxites of ovipositor, and very elongate habitus. This led Lawrence and Yoshitomi (2007) to place it in a new monotypic subfamily, Stenocyphoninae. The recent discovery of Stenocyphon in New Zealand greatly extends the known geographical range of the genus and subfamily. The initial discovery of the New Zealand species was made about 8 years ago, when one of us (ST) was examining unsorted beetles in the Auckland Museum collection, and found a single specimen from Northland of a beetle that was difficult to place to family. Further investigation led to the suggestion that it may be an odd scirtid, and John Lawrence subsequently determined it to belong to the genus Stenocyphon. Unfortunately, the specimen was destroyed in the post while on return from Lawrence, and no further material was located until early 2011, when ST was examining some unsorted samples collected by Dave Seldon (University of Auckland), again from Northland.