New Australian Thanocleridae, with notes on the biogeography of the subtribe Isoclerina Kolibác (Coleoptera : Cleroidea)

Abstract

Four new species of the family Thanerocleridae are described from Australia (Queensland, New South Wales): Isoclerus (Isoclerus) rumcajs, I. (I.) manka, I. (I.) cipisek and I. (I.) gerstmeieri. These species are the first records of the family’s autochthonous members from the Australian continent. The subgenus Isoclerus (Lyctosoma) Lewis is synonymised with Isoclerus (Isoclerus) Lewis. Hypotheses concerning the biogeography of subtribe Isoclerina Kolibáÿč in which the newly described species belong, are proposed. The ancestral area of Isoclerina may be in Africa or somewhere in the region of Europe, Greenland and the eastern part of North America – in either case, in the Lower to Middle Cretaceous era. Also, pan-biogeographic hypotheses are formulated for the distribution patterns of species of the subgenus Isoclerus.