Cerabilia (Cerabilia) aphela ( Broun, 1912 )

Larochelle, Andre & Larivière, Marie-Claude, 2024, Synopsis of the genus Cerabilia Laporte de Castelnau in New Zealand (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Abacetini), Insecta Mundi 2024 (36), pp. 1-31 : 15-16

Cerabilia (Cerabilia) aphela ( Broun, 1912)

Fig. 17, 24 , 37 , 42

Zabronothus aphelus Broun, 1912: 394 . Holotype: male (NHMUK) labeled “Type (circular red-bordered label; typed) / 3181. (hand-written) / New Zeal. Broun Coll. Brit. Mus. 1922–482. (typed) / Wairiri Kaikoura. (hand-written) / Zabronothus aphelus . [male symbol]. (hand-written).”

Cerabilia aphela : Townsend 1997: 15.

Cerabilia (Cerabilia) aphela : Will 2020b: supplementary material 1.

Description. Body length 6.1–6.6 mm; slender. Head, pronotum, and elytra black; abdomen rufopiceous, lateral margins rufous; antennae and palpi rufous; femora and tibiae rufopiceous; tarsi rufous. Microsculpture weak, isodiametric on head, moderately transverse on pronotum and elytra. Iridescence present on pronotum and elytra. Dull on head, pronotum, and elytra. Head. Eyes small, slightly convex. Tempora not inflated. Frons wrinkled (with oblique strioles). Mentum with median tooth subtruncate apically. Palpi with terminal segment obtuse apically. Thorax. Pronotum slightly convex, obsoletely wrinkled mediobasally, subrectangular, moderately wide compared to elytra, widest before middle; apex strongly emarginate; anterolateral angles well developed, obtuse; sides strongly rounded anteriorly, very slightly sinuate posteriorly; lateral beads narrow throughout; two setiferous punctures on each side (anteriorly and posteriorly), each anterior setiferous puncture close to lateral bead, distant by about one puncture width; median line incomplete apically and basally; posterolateral angles moderately obtuse; laterobasal foveae single, shallow, parallel; posterior bead incomplete, obsolete medially; base strongly emarginate, about as wide as apex. Tip of scutellum slightly projected behind elytral base. Prosternum wrinkled throughout. Elytra. Oblong, widest about middle, slightly convex. Basal margin slightly arcuate, complete, reaching scutellum. Shoulder tooth poorly developed, obtuse. Sides slightly rounded. Scutellar setiferous pore absent. Striae shallow, deepening apically, incomplete basally (at least two or three striae obsolete). Intervals depressed, becoming convex apically; interval 3 without setiferous puncture. Umbilicate series with 13 setiferous punctures separated into two major groups (7+6). Subapical sinuations absent. Apices obtuse. Abdomen. Sternum VII of male without dense coarse punctures medially. Aedeagus. Lateral view ( Fig. 17 ): moderately arcuate, slender; base slightly concave dorsally, with basal lobe; middle moderately convex dorsally, moderately concave ventrally; apex moderately concave dorsally and ventrally, with extreme tip moderately wide, moderately long, not curved downward. Dorsal view ( Fig. 24 ): apex very wide, truncate, deflected to the left.

Material examined. 6 specimens ( NHMUK, NZAC).

Geographic distribution ( Fig. 42 ). South Island: KA–Mount Lyford. Mount Percival. Mount Snowflake. Spaniards Bay, [Kaikoura Peninsula]. Wairiri. MB–Jacks Pass, Hanmer Springs.

Ecology. Lowland, montane. Epigean, silvicolous, xerophilous. Dry forests (beech). Shaded ground. Nocturnal; hides during the day under stones and in tussock litter.

Biology. Seasonality: October, March, June, August. Tenerals: March. Predacious (based on mouthpart morphology).

Dispersal power. Subapterous. Moderate runner.

Collecting techniques. Turning stones; sifting tussock litter.

References. Townsend 1997: 15 (taxonomy); Larochelle and Larivière 2001: 132 (catalogue; biology, dispersal power, ecology, geographic distribution, references), 2007: 110 (list), 2016: 30 (list); Will 2020a: 20 (taxonomy), 2020b: supplementary material 1 (classification).

Remarks. In addition to diagnostic characters of the male genitalia, C. aphela has the following distinguishing features: body slender; length 6.1–6.6 mm; head, pronotum, and elytra black; microsculpture of pronotum and elytra weak; pronotum subrectangular, sides strongly rounded anteriorly; elytra slightly convex, sides slightly rounded, subapical sinuations absent. This species occurs in the northeast of the South Island (KA, MB).

Figures

Figures 14–27.Aedeagus, lateral. 14) Cerabilia rugosa new species. 15) C. laevis new species. 16) C. rufipes. 17) C. aphela. 18) C. striatula. 19) C. oblonga. Aedeagus, dorsal view of apex.20) C.kaihoka new species.21) C. laevisnew species. 22) C. takaka new species. 23) C. rufipes. 24) C. aphela. 25) C. willi new species. 26) C. maori. 27) C. cordata new species.

Figures 36–39. Dorsal habitus. 36) Cerabilia laevis new species (abdomen missing). 37) C. aphela (teneral). 38) C. rufipes (teneral). 39) C. striatula. Scale line = 1 mm.

Figures 42–47. Species distribution maps. 42) Cerabilia aphela. 43) C. cordata new species. 44) C. kaihoka new species. 45) C. laevis new species. 46) C. major. 47) C. maori.