Oopterus arthurensis, Larochelle & Larivière & Larochelle & Larivière, 2017

Larochelle, Larivière, Marie-Claude, Larochelle & Larivière, 2017, Synopsis of the tribe Zolini in New Zealand (Coleoptera: Carabidae), Insecta Mundi 2017 (594), pp. 1-110 : 32-33

Oopterus arthurensis new species

Fig. 35 , 121

Holotype: female ( MONZ) labeled: “[ NEW ZEALAND NN] Mt. Balloon [= Balloon Hut, Mount Arthur] IN CAVE J. T. Salmon 24.I.48 (hand-written) / [female symbol] / HOLOTYPE [female symbol] Oopterus arthurensis Larochelle & Larivière, 2017 (red label; typed).”

Description. Body length 7.9 mm. Head, pronotum, elytra, and abdomen mostly rufous; margins and suture of elytra red; antennae, palpi, and legs testaceous. Microsculpture strong, isodiametric on head, very transverse (with microlines) on pronotum and elytra. Iridescence absent on head, very strong on pronotum and elytra. Very shiny, without metallic luster. Forebody narrow in comparison to elytra (as in O. trechoides ). Head. Labrum strongly transverse, slightly emarginate anteriorly. Antennae subfiliform (as in O. ocularius , O. trechoides , and Zolus species ), very long: segment 1 (scape) very long, about 2.5x longer than its maximum width. Frontal furrows wide, deep, subparallel. Eyes slightly convex; 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, slightly longer than ligula. Thorax. Pronotum slightly convex, finely punctate across base, wrinkled in basal half, subquadrate, widest before middle; apex subtruncate; anterolateral angles well developed, obtusely rounded; anterior bead incomplete, obsolete medially; sides moderately rounded, moderately sinuate posteriorly; lateral grooves absent; a single setiferous puncture on each side (anteriorly); posterolateral angles subrectangular; posterolateral carinae absent; laterobasal foveae well defined, finely punctate, very deep and wide, oblong, prolonged forward, simple; posterior bead absent; base emarginate, about as wide as pronotal apex, much narrower than elytral base. Legs. Very long. Elytra. Moderately convex, subovate, widest about middle. Basal margin incomplete, reaching about stria 4. Shoulders oblique. Sides strongly rounded. Scutellar striole present. Stria 1 complete, deep; striae 2–7 incomplete, obsolete; striae 1–2 finely punctate; stria 3 with a single setiferous puncture (anteriorly). Recurrent stria long, sharp, directed apically toward stria 6. Subapical seta present. Intervals subdepressed. Sutural apices obtusely rounded. Abdomen. Last visible sternum (sternum VII): male unknown; female with four apical ambulatory setae. Aedeagus. Male unknown.

Material examined. 1 specimen ( MONZ).

Geographic distribution ( Fig. 121 ). South Island: NN –Mount Arthur, Balloon Hut.

Ecology. Subalpine. A beech forest and red tussock area. Found in a cave.

Biology. Seasonality: January. Predacious (based on mouthpart morphology).

Dispersal power. Subapterous (incapable of flight). Fast runner (based on leg morphology).

Remarks. This species is named after the type locality Mount Arthur (NN) and the Latin suffix - ensis, denoting a place, locality, or country. Oopterus arthurensis is morphologically close to O. corvinki and has the following distinguishing features: body length 7.9 mm; forebody narrow in comparison to elytra; antennae subfiliform, very long; tempora strongly inflated (about as long as eyes); pronotum subquadrate, not cordate, posterolateral angles subrectangular; elytral striae mostly obsolete. The two species are allopatric: O. arthurensis is restricted to the northwestern South Island (NN, Mount Arthur), while O. corvinki occurs in the southwest of the South Island (FD, Gilbert Islands). O. arthurensis , with its darkly colored body and normally developed eyes, is probably not a regular cave-dweller.

Figures

Figures 35–38. Dorsal habitus. 35) Oopterus arthurensis new species. 36) O. corvinki new species. 37) O. palmai new species. 38) O. monticola new species. Scale line = 1 mm.

Figures 118–123. Species distribution maps. 118) Maungazolus septempunctatus new species. 119) M. tararuaensis new species. 120) Oopterus anglemensis new species. 121) O. arthurensis new species. 122) O. clivinoides. 123) O. collaris.