Museum Scientist Discovers New Dung Beetle Genera
Dr. Nicole Gunter, collections manager of invertebrate zoology at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, was lead author on new research — published today in Zootaxa — that described two new genera of Australian dung beetles, identified six individual species new to science, and transferred six previously described species into new genera.
Dr. Gunter and co-author Thomas Weir of the Australian National Insect Collection, CSIRO studied more than 13,000 specimens from the vast genus Lepanus and concluded, through molecular and morphological examination, that several species showed significant genetic and morphological variation from Lepanus species and actually belong in two newly described genera. The two new genera, named Matthewsius and Monteithocanthon are named in honor of pioneer dung beetle researchers Eric G. Matthews and Geoff Monteith respectively.
Further, analysis showed that five species in existing collections, and a specimen collected from the field led to the description of 6 new species of dung beetle, each assigned to one of the two new genera. The specimen from the field was collected while Dr. Gunter was on a personal trip in her native Australia.
“It was very serendipitous,” says Dr. Gunter. “I set-up pitfall traps in a state forest in New South Wales and collected a specimen that is the only known record of this new species in existence.”
Lepanus has long been identified as a genus in need of revision, previously having 25 Australian species assigned to it. A Bush Blitz grant from Australian Biological Resources Study funded research by Dr. Gunter and Weir to study and revise Lepanus. Dr. Gunter and Weir examined specimens at institutions throughout Australia, including the Australian National Insect Collection, CSIRO; The Queensland Museum, The Australian Museum and the South Australian Museum. In addition, field specimens of these were collected to provide optimum specimens for DNA sampling.
Species assigned to Matthewsius including species new to science: M. stricklandensis (E) and M. vanleeuweni (F)
Key diagnostic characters of the new genus Matthewsius
Species assigned to Monteithocanthon including species new to science: M. elliotensis (B), M. koombooloomba (D), M. paraarator (E) and M. peckorum (F)
Key diagnostic characters of the new genus Monteithocanthon
A drawer of Lepanus examined as part of the taxonomic study
Nicole Gunter and coauthor Tom Weir (right) in the field in remote Northern Territory, Australia with colleagues Sara Pinzon-Navarro and Barry Richardson (left)
“We started doing an investigation that was primarily led through DNA and molecular techniques,” says Dr. Gunter. “Once we knew that we were looking at three genetically distinct lineages, we started looking at the morphological differences between these groups, and assigned species between them.”
Morphological characters supported the idea that the three groups were genetically distinct. Small but important details, including the presence and density of setae on the limbs, the shape of grooves on the abdomen, ornamentation and the number of teeth-like structures on the on the forelimbs, and shape of the male genitalia helped the researchers identify species distinctions and place the species into the correct genus.
“There were a number of significant character differences, but they are subtle,” says Dr. Gunter. “So it was easy in the past to overlook these characters.”
Future research will include the continued revision of the
Lepanus genus.
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