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Genus Macropsis Lewis, 1836


Compiler and date details

23 March 2012 - Murray J. Fletcher

Taxonomic Decision for Subgeneric Arrangement

 

Introduction

Wagner (1960) and the subsequent Opinion published by I.C.Z.N. (Anon. 1961) both gave the date of publication of Lewis's original description of Macropsis as 1834. The paper was read to the Entomological Society of London on February 3, 1834 but the publication of the paper in the Transactions of that society did not occur until 1836. This makes the date of publication 1836, not 1834. The genus is large and distributed in all major biological regions of the world, although its representation in the Neotropical region is limited to a handful of species in Mexico. Hamilton (1980) recognised four subgenera based largely on characters of pronotal striations and hind tibial armature. Only one Australian species, Macropsis (Parapediopsis) citronella Hamilton, was placed into a subgenus with all the remaining Australian species regarded by Hamilton (1980) as incertae sedis.
The Australian fauna is distributed across most of the continent but there are no records of the genus from the Northern Territory or from the northern half of Western Australia. It is likely that species will be identified from those localities following current research on the Macropsinae of Australia. Evans (1966) provided a table in which he listed all the described Australian species in order of size, providing general colour and distribution by state as an aid for their identification but this is of limited use.

 

Distribution

States

Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia


IBRA and IMCRA regions (map not available)

IBRA

ACT, NSW, Qld, SA, Tas, Vic, WA: Avon Wheatbelt (AW), Brigalow Belt South (BBS), Central Mackay Coast (CMC), Coolgardie (COO), Cape York Peninsula (CYP), Eyre Yorke Block (EYB), Flinders Lofty Block (FLB), Gascoyne (GAS), Geraldton Sandplains (GS), Great Victoria Desert (GVD), Murray Darling Depression (MDD), Mitchell Grass Downs (MGD), Murchison (MUR), NSW North Coast (NNC), Riverina (RIV), South East Coastal Plain (SCP), South Eastern Highlands (SEH), South Eastern Queensland (SEQ), Swan Coastal Plain (SWA), Tasmanian Central Highlands (TCH), Tasmanian South East (TSE), Tasmanian Southern Ranges (TSR), Victorian Midlands (VM), Warren (WAR), Wet Tropics (WT)

Diagnosis

The quadrate notch on the male eighth tergite and the very narrow female seventh sternite (except in subgenus Parapediopsis) distinguish Macropsis from other genera (Hamilton 1980).

 

ID Keys

Hamilton 1980: 881–884

 

History of changes

Note that this list may be incomplete for dates prior to September 2013.
Published As part of group Action Date Action Type Compiler(s)
05-Dec-2019 19-Apr-2012 MODIFIED
12-Feb-2010 (import)