Pseudoopterus plicaticollis (Blanchard, 1843)

Larochelle, Larivière, Marie-Claude, Larochelle & Larivière, 2017, Synopsis of the tribe Zolini in New Zealand (Coleoptera: Carabidae), Insecta Mundi 2017 (594), pp. 1-110 : 57-58

Pseudoopterus plicaticollis (Blanchard, 1843) , reinstated

Fig. 55 , 101 , 152

Oopterus plicaticollis Blanchard, 1843 : pl. 2, fig. 15 (redescribed in 1853: 44). Type locality: Auckland

Islands [AU]. Oopterus laticollis Kirsch , in Kiesenwetter and Kirsch 1877: 159. Type locality: Auckland Islands [AU].

Synonymized by Gourlay 1950: 181. Pseudoopterus plicaticollis: Csiki 1928: 225 . Combination reinstated Pseudoopterus laticollis: Csiki 1928: 225 . Oopterus plicaticollis: Hudson 1934: 177 . Oopterus aucklandicus Brookes, 1951: 23 . Type locality: Mount Raynal (Flat Topped Mountain), Auckland Islands [AU]. Synonymized by Johns 1974: 298.

Description. Body length 4.1–4.5 mm. Head, pronotum, elytra, and abdomen mostly dark brown; margins of pronotum reddish; lateral margins, suture, and apex of elytra reddish; abdomen reddish laterally and apically; antennae, palpi, and legs reddish; femora pale yellow. Microsculpture strong, isodiametric. Iridescence absent. Very shiny, with metallic luster (aeneous) on head, pronotum, and elytra. Head. Labrum strongly transverse, slightly emarginate anteriorly. Antennae submoniliform, short: segment 1 (scape) moderately long, about 2x longer than its maximum width. Frontal furrows wide, shallow, convergent. Eyes strongly convex; two setiferous punctures on inner side of each eye. Tempora moderately inflated (about half as long as eyes). Mentum: medial tooth bifid, moderately shorter than lateral lobes. Mentum-submentum suture absent (present in other zoline taxa). Ligula with six setae (two medial setae fused, four lateral setae free; as opposed to two fused setae only in other Pseudoopterus species ). Paraglossae membranous, prominent, about as long as ligula. Thorax. Pronotum strongly convex, impunctate, coarsely wrinkled discally (finely wrinkled in other Pseudoopterus species ), strongly transverse, slightly cordate, widest before middle; apex subtruncate; anterolateral angles poorly developed, rounded; anterior bead incomplete, obsolete medially; sides strongly rounded, slightly sinuate posteriorly; lateral grooves absent; two setiferous punctures on each side; posterolateral angles subrectangular; posterolateral carinae obsolete; laterobasal foveae well defined, impunctate, moderately deep, very wide, oblong, prolonged forward, simple; posterior bead absent; base emarginate, much narrower than pronotal apex, about as wide as elytral base. Legs. Short. Elytra. Moderately convex, ovate, widest about middle. Shoulders oblique. Sides strongly rounded. Scutellar striole absent. Striae complete, deep, impunctate or very finely punctate; stria 3 with three large setiferous punctures (small punctures in other Pseudoopterus species ). Recurrent stria long, blunt, directed apically toward stria 5 or 7. Intervals slightly convex. Sutural apices obtuse. Abdomen. Last visible sternum (sternum VII): male with two apical and two medial ambulatory setae; female with four apical ambulatory setae. Aedeagus. Lateral view ( Fig. 101 ): moderately arcuate, moderately widened in apical half; base strongly convex dorsally; middle moderately sinuate dorsally, strongly convex ventrally, with dorsal membranous area moderately wide, very long; apex subtriangular, slightly convex dorsally, moderately concave ventrally, with extreme tip narrow and long. Dorsal view: moderately wide, asymmetrical (ostium of membranous area deflected to right); apex deflected to the left; basal orifice wide, open anteriorly, moderately distant from membranous area. Parameres with three or four apical setae.

Material examined. 173 specimens ( CMNZ, LUNZ, MONZ, NZAC).

Geographic distribution ( Fig. 152 ). Subantarctic Islands: AU.

Ecology. Lowland, montane, subalpine, alpine. Epigean. Supralittoral zone; peaty wet forests ( Olearia , Metrosideros ), tussock grassfields; herbfields; fellfields. Open ground. Nocturnal; hides during the day in leaf litter, under logs and stones, and in peat. Gregarious.

Biology. Seasonality: November, January–February, April, June, August. Tenerals: February. Predacious (based on mouthpart morphology). Occasionally infested with fungi (Laboulbeniales).

Dispersal power. Subapterous (incapable of flight). Slow runner.

Collecting techniques. Sifting leaf litter; lifting logs and stones; pitfall trapping; inspecting peat.

References. Larochelle and Larivière 2001: 76 (as Oopterus plicaticollis ; catalogue; biology, dispersal power, ecology, geographic distribution, references), 2016: 21 (as Oopterus plicaticollis ; list).

Remark. Pseudoopterus plicaticollis is the only New Zealand zoline species lacking a mentum– submentum suture.

Figures

Figures 55–58. Dorsal habitus. 55) Pseudoopterus plicaticollis. 56) P. latipennis. 57) P. fiordlandensis new species. 58) Maungazolus pygmeatus. Scale line = 1 mm.

Figures 98–105. Aedeagi, lateral. 98) Oopterus nunni new species. 99) Synteratus ovalis. 100) Pseudoopterus otiraensis new species. 101) P. plicaticollis. 102) P. latipennis. 103) P. fiordlandensis new species. 104) Maungazolus pygmeatus. 105) M. septempunctatus new species.

Figures 148–153. Species distribution maps. 148) Oopterus trechoides new species. 149) Pseudoopterus fiordlandensis new species. 150) P. latipennis. 151) P. otiraensis new species. 152) P. plicaticollis. 153) Synteratus ovalis.