Oopterus ocularius ( Broun, 1917 )

Larochelle, Larivière, Marie-Claude, Larochelle & Larivière, 2017, Synopsis of the tribe Zolini in New Zealand (Coleoptera: Carabidae), Insecta Mundi 2017 (594), pp. 1-110 : 46-47

Oopterus ocularius ( Broun, 1917)

Fig. 47 , 93 , 138

Zolus ocularius Broun, 1917: 365 . Holotype: male (BMNH) labeled: “Type (circular red-bordered label; typed) / 3808. [male symbol] (hand-written) / New Zealand. Broun Coll. Brit. Mus. 1922–482. (white label with red horizontal line; typed) / [OL] Mt. [= Mount] Earnslaw. 5.2.1914. (hand-written) / Zolus ocularius [male symbol]. (hand-written).”

Oopterus ocularius: Jeannel 1940: 92 .

Zolus ocularius: Larochelle and Larivière 2001: 79 .

Oopterus ocularius: Larochelle and Larivière 2007: 45 .

Description. Body length 7.4–7.8 mm. Head, pronotum, elytra, and abdomen mostly reddish piceous; lateral margins and suture of elytra reddish; abdomen yellow laterally and apically; antennae, palpi, and legs testaceous. Microsculpture strong and isodiametric on head, feeble and moderately transverse on pronotum, obsolete and very transverse (with microlines) on elytra. Iridescence absent on head and pronotum, feeble on elytra. Very shiny, without metallic luster. Head. Labrum strongly transverse, slightly emarginate anteriorly. Antennae subfiliform (as in O. arthurensis , O. trechoides , and Zolus species ), very long: segment 1 (scape) very long, about 2.5x longer than its maximum width. Frontal furrows wide, deep, convergent. Eyes subdepressed; two setiferous punctures on inner side of each eye. Tempora strongly inflated (about as long as eyes). Mentum: medial tooth entire, acute apically, moderately shorter than lateral lobes. Paraglossae membranous, prominent, much longer than ligula. Thorax. Pronotum moderately convex, finely punctate, wrinkled across base, moderately transverse, widest just before middle; apex subtruncate; anterolateral angles poorly developed, obtusely rounded; anterior bead incomplete, obsolete medially; sides moderately rounded, slightly sinuate posteriorly; lateral grooves absent; two setiferous punctures on each side; posterolateral angles rectangular; posterolateral carinae blunt, very long (about as long as adjoining foveae); laterobasal foveae well defined, finely punctate, very deep and wide, square, prolonged forward, double; posterior bead absent; base subtruncate, slightly wider than pronotal apex, slightly narrower than elytral base. Legs. Very long. Elytra. Moderately convex, subovate, widest before middle. Basal margin incomplete, reaching about stria 4. Shoulders obtuse. Sides moderately rounded. Scutellar striole obsolete. Striae complete, shallow, finely punctate; interval 3 with three setiferous punctures. Recurrent stria long, sharp, directed apically toward stria 5. Subapical seta present. Intervals depressed. Sutural apices obtuse. Abdomen. Last visible sternum (sternum VII): male with two apical ambulatory setae; female with four apical ambulatory setae. Aedeagus. Lateral view ( Fig. 93 ): strongly arcuate, moderately widened in apical half; base moderately biconvex dorsally; middle moderately concave dorsally, slightly concave ventrally, with dorsal membranous area very wide and long; apex triangular, straight dorsally, slightly concave ventrally, with extreme tip wide and long. Dorsal view: moderately wide, symmetrical (ostium of membranous area dorsal); apex straight; basal orifice wide, closed anteriorly, moderately distant from membranous area. Parameres with five or seven apical setae.

Material examined. 15 specimens ( AMNZ, BMNH, JNNZ, LUNZ, NZAC).

Geographic distribution ( Fig. 138 ). South Island: FD, OL, WD.

Ecology. Lowland (hills), montane, subalpine. Endogean. Wet forests (beech). Shaded ground. Nocturnal; hides during the day under well-embedded logs.

Biology. Seasonality: December–March. Tenerals: December (FD). Predacious (based on mouthpart morphology). Occasionally infested with fungi (Laboulbeniales).

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

Collecting techniques. Lifting logs; pitfall trapping.

References. Larochelle and Larivière 2001: 75 (as Zolus ocularius ; catalogue; biology, dispersal power, ecology, geographic distribution, references), 2007: 45, 118 (as Oopterus ocularius ; taxonomy), 2016: 21 (as Oopterus ocularius ; list).

Figures

Figures 47–50. Dorsal habitus. 47) Oopterus ocularius. 48) O. marrineri. 49) O. anglemensis new species. 50) O. nanus new species. Scale line = 1 mm.

Figures 90–97. Aedeagi, lateral. 90) Oopterus trechoides new species. 91) O. sculpturatus. 92) O. taieriensis new species. 93) O. ocularius. 94) O. marrineri. 95) O. anglemensis new species. 96) O. nanus new species. 97) O. garnerae new species.

Figures 136–141. Species distribution maps. 136) Oopterus nanus new species. 137) O. nunni new species. 138) O. ocularius. 139) O. palmai new species. 140) O. patulus. 141) O. punctatus new species.