Chelagyrtodes rotundus Seago & Leschen

Seago, Ainsley E. & Leschen, Richard A. B., 2011, Revision and phylogeny of Chelagyrtodes Szymczakowski (Coleoptera: Leiodidae: Camiarinae: Agyrtodini), Zootaxa 3090, pp. 1-20 : 13-15

Chelagyrtodes rotundus Seago & Leschen , new species

( Figs. 4 f, 5f, 9)

Type material. Holotype: Male, labeled: NEW ZEALAND, WD Borland Saddle, 9 May 2000, R Leschen, ex leaf litter ( NZAC). Paratypes: NEW ZEALAND FD: 2, Hump Ridge, 3000’, 9 Feb. 1968, J. I. Townsend, litter ( NZAC); 5, Hump Ridge, 1220 m, 6 Feb 1976, G W Ramsay, litter ( NZAC); 2, Hump Ridge, 914 m, 9 Feb 1968, J I Townsend, litter ( NZAC); 1, Hump Ridge, 12 Mar 1939, Fairburn, A E Brookes Collection ( NZAC); 2, Hunter Mts, Mt Burns, 1300 m, Jan 1970, I Townsend, litter ( NZAC); 1, Dusky Sound, Seal I, 8 Mar 1983, C F Butcher, sifting rotten wood ( NZAC); 1, Breaksea So., Gilbert I No 6, May 1982, C F Butcher, ex moss ( NZAC); 1, 6.4 km E of L Hauroko, 2 Nov 1966, J I Townsend, moss ( NZAC); 1, L. Hauroko, 2 Nov 1966, J I Townsend, litter under Nothofagus cliffortioides ( NZAC); 1, Lake Hauroko, 27 Jan 1983, C F Butcher, litter & moss ( NZAC); 5, Fiordland NP, Percy Stm, 460 m, 5 Feb 1982, J W Early, litter from N. fusca forest ( LUNZ); 1, Wilmot Pass, 670 m, 5 Feb 1983, J W Early, Olearia / Pseudowintera / Polystichum litter ( LUNZ); 1, Wolfe Flat, 600 m – 680 m, Turret Ra, Manapouri Exp. Jan 79 G. W. Ramsay, moss ( NZAC); SD: 120, Maclennan, 31 m, 13 Feb 1968, J I Townsend, moss ( NZAC); 2, NZ, SL, Blue Cliffs Bush, nr Groveburn, 28 Jan 1983, C F Butcher, moss ( NZAC); 5, Longwood Range, 8 Feb 1976, G W Ramsay, litter ( NZAC); SL: 4, Maclennan, 31m, 13 Feb 1968, J. I. Townsend, moss 68 / 30 ( NZAC).

Diagnosis. Male protibia simple. Body form compact and oval, nearly limuloid, with hind margin of pronotum broader than elytral base. Epistomal suture absent. Elytra with sides curved and converging apically from base; transverse strigae present; pronotum and elytra with even vestiture of fine setae. Metaventrite extremely short, narrowly separating meso- and metacoxae medially. Meta- and abdominal ventrites glabrous and lacking distinct punctures. Abdominal ventrite 6 complete, narrow, broadly emarginate medially. Median lobe relatively short, bulb-shaped, apex weakly produced, parameres long, extremely broad and flattened.

Description. Length 1.35 mm (n = 3). Body about 1.5 X as long as wide (BL / EW = 1.52), and greatest depth 0.5 X as great as elytral width (GD / EW = 0.52). Body form compact and oval, with sides of elytra converging apically at basal ½. Color of body unicolorous red to red-brown; mouthparts, tarsi, and clypeus light brown to pale, with femora same color as tibiae; vestiture of thin yellow setae. Dorsum glabrous with sparse, setiferous punctures.

Antennomere ratios: 13:9:6:8:8:6:11:5:10:11:17; segment 6 quadrate, segment 8 transverse. Eyes small, protuberant, with slight posterior emargination. Eyes not coarsely facetted (edges of ommatidia smooth), greatest length 5 facets, greatest height 8 facets. Epistomal suture absent, clypeus subquadrate. Mandibles with single apical tooth, small prostheca and mola present. Maxillae with slender galea, broad lacinia with loose, non-articulated apical brush of minute, curved spines; maxillary palp with penultimate segment longer and wider than other segments, terminal segment apically attenuate. Labial palpi stout, three-segmented, each segment wider than long. Pronotum about 0.6 X as long as wide (PL / PW = 0.59). Anterior rim of procoxal fossae strongly developed, and contiguous with anterior margin of prosternum. Elytra about 0.96 X as long as wide (EL / EW = 0.96) and about 1.7 X as long as pronotum (EL / PL = 1.69), widest at base; sides curved and converging apically from base (not parallel-sided and curving apically at middle); transverse strigae present; setae biseriate, decumbent to suberect, with setae reaching to or beyond next seta in series; width of epipleuron at level of metacoxa subequal to width of metanepisternum. Metaventrite extremely short, narrowly separating meso- and metacoxae medially. Metanepisternal clamp well-developed. Mesothoracic, metathoracic and abdominal ventrites glabrous, lacking distinct punctures. Abdominal ventrites 1–4 each with single transverse row of minute setae; abdominal ventrite 5 longer than 4 or 6; ventrite 6 complete but broadly emarginate medially.

Tibia with 5–6 large blunt spines at apex, protarsi with segments 1–3 weakly expanded, segment 1 two-thirds as wide as tibial apex, male with protibia simple, tenent setae present on protarsomeres 1–3, absent from mesotarsomeres. Male genital segment ovate, convex, nearly globular; tergite 9 bluntly pointed at apices (not angulate) with setae confined apically, anterior apophysis short and robust; sternite 9 longer than wide; tergite 10 (= proctiger) lacking apical notch. Aedeagus ( Fig. 5 f) relatively short and broad with median lobe about 2 X longer than wide; apex of median lobe weakly produced and narrowly triangular in distal half; median lobe bulb-shaped and constricted at base. Phallobase (basal piece) forming a narrow strap surrounding the anterior portion of the median lobe; parameres extending well beyond apex of median lobe, broad and dorsoventrally flattened, slightly overlapping at middle in some specimens, with apical and subapical setae and variolate microsculpture. Endophallus membranous, with rows of minute, sharply pointed well-sclerotized teeth and three pigmented sclerites (elongate laterosclerites, mediosclerite irregular to elongate). Spermatheca present, unsclerotized and irregular-shaped; gonocoxite with 4 long setae, stylus approximately ¼ as long and ½ as wide as gonocoxite, bearing one minute subapical seta and one elongate, robust seta equal in length to both styli segments combined.

Remarks. This species is the only member of the genus that has a nearly spherical body ( Fig. 4 f), and also has broad and dorsoventrally flattened parameres. Specimens were collected mainly from moss, but also from leaf litter and rotten wood from Nothofagus forests and from mixed Olearia / Pseudowintera / Polystichum litter.

Distribution. New Zealand: South Island, Otago Lakes (OL), Fiordland (FD), and Southland (SL) regions. Etymology. The specific epithet refers to the relatively compact, rounded body shape of this species.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Habitus photographs of adult Chelagyrtodes. a) C. crowsoni; b) C. davidi; c) C. glacicola; d) C. haasti; e) C. newtoni; f) C. rotundus.

FIGURE 5. Aedeagus and male genital segment of Chelagyrtodes. a) C. crowsoni; b) C. davidi; c) C. glacicola; d) C. haasti; e) C. newtoni; f) C. rotundus.