Cerabilia (Cerabilia) motunau Larochelle and Larivière, 2024

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 : 12

Cerabilia (Cerabilia) motunau Larochelle and Larivière , new species

Fig. 13 , 34 , 48

Cerabilia (Cerabilia) motunau Larochelle and Larivière , new species. Holotype: male (NZAC) labeled “[ NEW ZEALAND NC] Motunau I [= Island] 1–5.XII.67 (typed) / Pit traps A. Whitaker (typed) / Zabronothus sp. Anchomenini Det. J.I. Townsend 18.I.68 (hand-written) / HOLOTYPE [male symbol] Cerabilia (Cerabilia) motunau Larochelle & Larivière, 2024 (red label; typed).” Paratype: one male (NZAC) from the same locality as the holotype, bearing a blue paratype label.

Description. Body length 8.1–8.3 mm; stout. Head and pronotum rufopiceous; elytra piceous black; abdomen rufotestaceous; antennae, palpi, and legs rufotestaceous. Microsculpture isodiametric, obsolete on head, strong on pronotum and elytra. Iridescence absent. Shiny on head, pronotum, and elytra. Head. Eyes moderately large, moderately convex. Tempora not inflated. Frons smooth (without oblique strioles). Mentum with median tooth subtriangular apically. Palpi with terminal segment truncate apically. Thorax. Pronotum slightly convex, unwrinkled, subquadrate, very wide compared to elytra, widest basally; apex strongly emarginate; anterolateral angles well developed, obtuse; sides strongly rounded anteriorly, slightly sinuate posteriorly; lateral beads gradually widened from apex to base; 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, complete basally; posterolateral angles rectangular; laterobasal foveae double, inner foveae shallow, parallel; posterior bead obsolete; base strongly emarginate, much wider than apex. Tip of scutellum strongly projected behind elytral base. Prosternum wrinkled anteriorly. Elytra. Oblong, widest before middle, moderately convex. Basal margin slightly arcuate, complete, reaching scutellum. Shoulder tooth well developed, obtuse. Sides moderately rounded. Scutellar setiferous pore absent. Striae deep (deeper apically), incomplete basally (at least four striae obsolete). Intervals depressed, becoming convex apically; interval 3 without setiferous puncture. Umbilicate series with 15 setiferous punctures separated into two major groups (7+8). Subapical sinuations feeble. Apices obtuse. Abdomen. Sternum VII of male with dense coarse punctures medially. Aedeagus. Lateral view ( Fig. 13 ): strongly arcuate, slender; middle slightly concave dorsally, rather straight ventrally; apex moderately concave dorsally and ventrally, with extreme tip narrow, moderately long, slightly curved downward. Dorsal view: apex very wide, rounded, not deflected to the left.

Material examined. 2 specimens ( NZAC).

Geographic distribution ( Fig. 48 ). South Island: NC–Motunau Island.

Ecology. Lowland. Epigean. Mixed shrubland. Probably nocturnal and hiding during the day under cover.

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

Dispersal power. Subapterous. Moderate runner.

Collecting technique. Pitfall trapping.

Remarks. This species is named after its type locality Motunau Island (NC), applied as a noun in apposition. Cerabilia motunau is morphologically close to C. major . In addition to diagnostic characters of the male genitalia, C. motunau has the following distinguishing features: body length 8.1–8.3 mm; head and pronotum rufopiceous; elytra piceous black; dorsal surface shiny; terminal segment of palpi truncate apically; pronotum subquadrate, unwrinkled, sides slightly sinuate posteriorly; elytra moderately convex, sides moderately rounded, striae deep; tip of scutellum strongly projected behind elytral base. Cerabilia motunau is known only from Motunau Island (NC); it may also occur on the mainland, in the North Canterbury region (NC).

Figures

Figures 1–13. Illustrations of Cerabilia morphology. 1–4) Microsculpture. 1) Granulate. 2) Isodiametric. 3) Moderately transverse. 4) Very transverse. 5) Head: frons with oblique strioles (os). 6–7) Tip of scutellum. 6) Slightly projected behind elytral base.7) Strongly projected. 8–13) Aedeagus, lateral.8) Cerabilia takaka new species. 9) C. kaihoka new species. 10) C. maori. 11) C. willi new species. 12) C. major. 13) C. motunau new species (apical half).

Figures 32–35. Dorsal habitus. 32) Cerabilia willi new species. 33) C. major. 34) C. motunau new species (holotype). 35) C. rugosa new species. Scale line = 1 mm.

Figures 48–53. Species distribution maps. 48) Cerabilia motunau new species. 49) C. oblonga. 50) C. rufipes. 51) C. rugosa new species. 52) C. striatula. 53) C. takaka new species.