Rossjoycea glacialis, Liebherr, James K., 2011

Liebherr, James K., 2011, Cladistic assessment of subtribal affinities within the tribe Moriomorphini with description of Rossjoycea glacialis, gen. n. and sp. n. from the South Island, and revision of Meonochilus Liebherr and Marris from the North Island, New Zealand (Coleoptera, Carabidae), ZooKeys 147, pp. 277-335 : 295-300

Rossjoycea glacialis gen. n. and sp. n.

Type species.

Rossjoycea glacialis , sp. n.

Diagnosis.

This taxon is amply differentiated from all other taxa in Moriomorphini by the unique combination: 1, small, indistinctly convex eyes, ocular ratio 1.26; 2, cordate, quadrisetose pronotum with impunctate median base (Fig. 7); 3, quadrisetose third elytral interval with a single accompanying seta in basal third of fifth interval; 4, vestigialized metathoracic flight wings; 5, extensively developed isodiametric microsculpture on head and elytra, plus dense subiridescent transverse mesh microsculpture on pronotal disc; 6, apical margin of apical female abdominal ventrite with four setae each side accompanied by a medial pair of subapical setae; and 7, large body size, standardized body length 10.1 mm. The female reproductive tract characters are entirely congruent with those defining membership in subtribe Moriomorphina , including sclerotization of the base of the spermathecal duct forming a helminthoid sclerite at the juncture of the duct, common oviduct and bursa copulatrix (Fig. 8A), and presence of a single lateroapical seta on basal gonocoxite 1 (Fig. 8B). Specimens of the male sex are not known for this taxon, but the cladistic hypothesis predicts that males will possess elongate, parallel-sided parameres as exhibited by males of the other taxa classified in the subtribe Moriomorphina .

Description.

Head capsule convex across vertex, frontal grooves broad and shallow, broadened medially at frontoclypeal suture, but outlines ill-defined; outer surface of compound eye not extended beyond broad curvature of ocular lobe; 2 supraorbital setae each side, situated mesad a sulcate supraorbital groove that terminates just posterad hind margin of eye; neck transversely depressed, a broad groove connecting 2 posterior supraorbital setae. Antennae moderately elongate, antennomere 9 length 2.37 × breadth; basal 3 antennomeres glabrous except for dorsal seta on scape, ventral seta on antennomere 2, and apical ring of setae on antennomere 3; apical ¾ of antennomere 4 and all of antennomeres 5-11 setose, the surface sparsely covered with long setae and the glabrous areas of anterior and posterior surfaces covered with well-developed isodiametric sculpticells. Labrum 6-setose, anterior margin broadly, shallowly emarginate, the emargination extended posterad 0.10 × distance between anteriormost portions of front margin. Mandibles robust, moderately short, the extension of left mandible past anterior labral margin 0.7 × distance from dorsal condyle to labral anterior margin; dorsal terebral face of mandible with wrinkled surface, the mandibular tip slightly hooked; mandibular scrobe with explanate ventral margin, its flattest and most explanate portion translucent; scrobal seta near anterior margin of excavation, the setal apex extended to margin of scrobe. Maxillary stipes unisetose, a single seta present near base; lacinia hooked apically; apex of galea fusiform; maxillary palpomeres glabrous, apical palpomere fusiform. Labium with anterior margin of glossal sclerite truncate, bisetose; paraglossae glabrous, short, the distance from base to anterior margin of glossal sclerite greater than length of paraglossal extension beyond glossal sclerite margin. Mentum bisetose, lateral lobes deep, breadth 2.5 × distance from apical angles of lateral lobes to basal suture; mentum tooth narrowly rounded, with shallow lateral marginal bead and broad, indistinct longitudinal median carina; mentum surface broadly and shallowly depressed laterally; submentum quadrisetose, lateral pair of setae smaller than medial pair. Pronotum distinctly cordate, the disc convex relative to deeply incised, linear to C-shaped laterobasal depressions that are separated from the distinctly concave lateral margin by a broad convexity; entire median base of pronotum impunctate with the exception of indistinct punctures associated with transverse wrinkles emanating medially from laterobasal depressions; basal margin without marginal bead medially, but mediobasal margin broadly depressed, indistinctly, longitudinally wrinkled; median longitudinal depression finely, broadly incised on disc; anterior transverse depressions shallow, indistinct medially, absent laterally near rounded, little protruded front angles; lateral marginal depression narrow, margin beaded, the marginal depression equally developed laterally, somewhat narrower and more distinctly incised basally inside concave basolateral margins; hind angles acute, the basal seta equidistant from lateral and basal margins; proepipleura robust, posteriorly expanded dorsoventrally to match the deep anterior portions of elytral epipleura. Elytra oviform, lateral margins evenly curved posterad outside pronotal hind angles, the apex broadly curved across the fused elytral halves, the apicolateral margin indistinctly affected by the broad, shallow subapical sinuation; base of elytra laterad broad scutellum depressed, the elytral area between the humeral angles forming a collar where connected to prothorax; scutellar striole shallow and very short; parascutellar seta present; basal marginal groove distinct from halfway point of scutellar interval to angulate humerus; a longitudinal scale-like tooth on basal margin at humerus, the apex of tooth elevated just above juncture of basal groove and elytral lateral margin; all striae impressed from base to apex, intervals moderately convex, the striae minutely punctate basally on elytral disc, smooth laterally and apically; eighth interval distinctly carinate apically immediately laterad stria 7, the carina extended from middle of posterior series of lateral setae to juncture with elytral lateral margin beyond apex of stria 4; interval 3 with 4 setae (pinhole may have obscured fifth seta on right elytron) distributed from 0.20 –0.70× elytral length; a single seta in fifth interval near 0.3 × elytral length; lateral elytral setae arrayed into an anterior series of 6 setae, followed by a single isolated seta, and a posterior series of 6 setae, these latter 6 much farther one from their neighbor than in the anterior series; lateral marginal depression of elytra wide and horizontal outside the posterior setal series, the elytral margin distinctly and robustly beaded, and the flat marginal depression immediately mesad marginal bead lined with granulate isodiametric sculpticells; elytral plica internal, well developed and visible in lateral view; both apical and subapical seta present; the apices of the elytral halves dissimilar, the right half more extended and more broadly rounded. Mesepisternum broadly and distinctly punctate, more than 25 individual punctures present, the surface between punctures lined with distinct isodiametric sculpticells. Metepisternum short, anterior margin distinctly longer than lateral margin; metepisternal-metepimeral suture obscure, region of suture broadly depressed and covered with longitudinal wrinkles. Abdomen with basal 3 visible ventrites indistinctly punctate laterally; visible ventrites 2-5 with irregular longitudinal wrinkles laterally along posterior margins, and broad, shallow, rounded lateral depressions (best observed a lower magnifications - e.g., 20 × - and with oblique lighting). Legs thin, elongate; profemur with 1 anterior seta (right side) and anteriorly glabrous (left side); mesofemur bisetose anteriorly; metacoxae bisetose; metafemur bisetose anteriorly; posteroapical surface of protibia and anteroapical surfaces of meso- and metatibiae hirsute, broadly covered with transverse rows of fine, elongate setae in addition to the generalized spike-like longitudinal tibial setae; basal meso- and metatarsomeres with dorsolateral groove, tarsomeres 2 and 3 convex dorsally; fourth tarsomeres lobate, protarsomere with anterior apical lobe length 1.6 × mediodorsal tarsomere length, outer apical lobe length 1.4 × mediodorsal tarsomere length; mesotarsomere 4 similarly lobate, with anterior (outer) lobe longer than posterior lobe; metatarsomere 4 with length of anterior lobe 0.7 × mediodorsal tarsomere length, posterior (inner) lobe 0.6 × mediodorsal tarsomere length; fifth tarsomeres with approximately 10 elongate ventrolateral setae in two longitudinal rows, length of longest setae more than 2.5 × tarsomere depth at point of setal insertion. Coloration somber, head and pronotal disc piceous, the surface subiridescent due to well-developed microsculpture; elytra slightly paler, brunneopiceous; ventral thoracic sclerites piceous, abdominal ventrite rufopiceous mediobasally, lateral reaches of abdomen with piceous cast; femora piceous, tibiae and tarsi paler, rufopiceous to brunneous. Microsculpture well developed throughout; vertex of head covered with dense, granulate isodiametric mesh, the sculpticells slightly stretched transversely in dorsal depression of neck; pronotal disc with dense transverse mesh microsculpture, each sculpticell raised, the surface diffracting oblique light rays causing iridescent sheen; discal elytral intervals covered with a mixture of isodiametric and transversely stretched sculpticells that line up in irregular transverse rows, lateral elytral intervals with more transverse mesh, the sculpticells arranged in arched transverse rows; ventral thoracic sclerites with well-developed transverse mesh, abdominal ventrites with dense isodiametric mesh microsculpture.

Female reproductive tract.

(n = 1) Bursa copulatrix globose, about as long as broad, common oviduct and spermathecal duct both joined to bursa midventrally (Fig. 8A); spermathecal duct heavily sclerotized basally, the base raised as a ventral crest set at 90° to immediately distal sclerotized duct; spermathecal duct subequal in length to the sinuous spermathecal reservoir, the reservoir of only slightly greater diameter than the duct; spermathecal gland duct entering near base of spermathecal reservoir; basal gonocoxite 1 glabrous except for a single, short seta in the position of the lateroapical series (Fig. 8B); apical gonocoxite 2 with 2 narrow, elongate lateral ensiform setae, their length 0.40 × apical gonocoxite length; a single elongate dorsal ensiform seta present mid-dorsally; apical sensory furrow with 2 nematiform setae basad 4 short furrow pegs, the setae articulating at 0.80 × gonocoxite length.

Holotype.

Female (LUNZ), dissected with body and abdominal ventrites mounted on platens, and dissected reproductive tract in polyethylene vial on pin: Westland N.P. WD / Castle Rocks Hut / 1200 m Chionochloa./ / subalpine scrub 17.i.86 / R.M. Emberson, C.A. Muir // pitfall trap // LUNZ Entomology Research Museum / P O Box 84 Lincoln University / Canterbury, NEW ZEALAND / LUNZ 00009323 // Holotype♀ / Rossjoycea / glacialis / det. J.K. Liebherr 2011 (black-bordered red label).

Etymology.

The generic name Rossjoycea is a concatenation of the first names of Ross and Joyce Bell, and it honors their work together elucidating the worldwide diversity and relationships of rhysodine carabid beetles. The genus name is to be treated as feminine. The adjectival specific epithet glacialis denotes the habitat occupied by this species, with the lone known locality situated between two of the highest arms of the Franz Josef Glacier, in Westland National Park, the South Island, New Zealand.

Distribution and Habitat.

The lone female specimen known for this species was collected in a pitfall trap at a site consisting of a flatter area bordered by a steep slope, located immediately above an arm of the Franz Josef Glacier, the South Island, New Zealand. The soil surface was about 70% covered with shrubs or grasses, and about 30% bare ground and rock. The flatter upper area supported an open grassland flora, including the snow tussock grass Chionochloa ( Poaceae ), Celmisia ( Asteraceae ), Ranunculus ( Ranunculaceae ), and Aciphylla (Apicaeae). About 60 m elevation lower down the steep slope the habitat changed to one dominated by shrubs, including Olearia ilicifolia Hook. f. ( Asteraceae ), Hoheria glabrata Sprague and Summerhayes ( Malvaceae ), and Dracophyllum traversii Hook. f. ( Ericaceae ) (R.M. Emberson, pers. comm). Field notes made at the time state "Rock-turning not at all successful mainly due to the newness of the terrain" and "Beetle hunting abysmal, perhaps due to the extreme sogginess of the ground (J.W. Early, field notes deposited at LUNZ)."