Mecyclothorax molops (Sharp)

Liebherr, James K., 2015, The Mecyclothorax beetles (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Moriomorphini) of Haleakala-, Maui: Keystone of a hyperdiverse Hawaiian radiation, ZooKeys 544, pp. 1-407 : 185-186

Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Carabidae

(076) Mecyclothorax molops (Sharp) Figs 95A, 99

Metrothorax molops Sharp 1903: 269.

Mecyclothorax molops , Britton 1948b: 119.

Diagnosis.

Although known only from two specimens collected by R.C.L. Perkins in 1894 and 1896, new specimens of this species would be instantly recognizable by the presence of only the posterior supraorbital seta, glabrous pronotum with carinate lateral margins, minimally punctate pronotal median base (Fig. 95A), and very large body size; standardized body length 7.4 mm (paratype female). Setal formula 1 0 2 0, and the parascutellar seta is present. Britton (1948b) records the body length as 7.2-7.8 mm based on his measurements of holotype and paratype females.

Identification

(n = 1). These are very robust, large-bodied beetles. The eyes are moderately convex, covering much of the protruded ocular lobes; ocular ratio = 1.48, ocular lobe ratio = 0.79. The pronotum is vase shaped, MPW/PL = 1.15, the base narrowly constricted, MPW/BPW = 1.73. The median base bears ~10 very shallow, isolated punctures each side, the cuticle glossy over the entire surface, and the anterior transverse impression is deep and very smooth, bordered anterior by the convex, smooth and glossy anterior callosity. The elytra are an elongate ovoid shape, with narrowly rounded base. The evenly curved basal grooves meet their respective lateral margins at the proximate, rounded to subangulate humeri; MEW/HuW = 2.30. The 2nd stria is nearly as deep as the sutural stria near elytral midlength, but it is absent basally whereas the sutural stria can be traced basally by a series of fine punctures. The much reduced microsculpture includes: 1, vertex with obsolete transverse mesh, sculpticell breadth 2 × length, the surface glossy; 2, pronotal disc with obsolete transverse mesh in part, glossy between areas of sculpticells; 3, pronotal median base glossy, indistinct transverse sculpticells laterally; 4, elytral disc with shallow transverse lines irregularly joined into a loose mesh, apex glossy, microsculpture obsolete there; 5, metasternum with shallow transverse mesh, sculpticell breadth 3 –4× length; and 6, laterobasal abdominal ventrites with swirling isodiametric and transverse microsculpture.

Female reproductive tract. The female lectotype (BMNH) was not dissected.

Lectotype.

Female (BMNH) hereby designated, labeled: Metrothorax / molops / Type / D.S. / ♀ (pencil) Haleakala / Perkins 413 (ink on mounting platen) / Type (round red-margined label) / Haleakala / Maui 5000 ft. / Perkins. III 1894. // Hawaiian Is. / Perkins / 1904-336. // LECTOTYPE / Metrothorax / molops Sharp / J.K. Liebherr 1998 (black-margined red label).

Distribution and habitat.

Mecyclothorax molops is known from two specimens (Perkins lots 413, 612), which correspond to collections made near Ukulele Camp (Fig. 99) in iii-1894 and v-1896 ( Perkins 1896a). The species has not been recollected since.