Cerabilia (Cerabilia) major ( Broun, 1912 )

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 : 11-12

Cerabilia (Cerabilia) major ( Broun, 1912)

Fig. 12 , 33 , 46

Zabronothus major Broun, 1912: 393 . Holotype: female (NHMUK) labeled “Type (circular red-bordered label; typed) / 3180. (hand-written) / New Zealand Broun Coll. Brit. Mus. 1922–482. (typed) / Broken River . (hand-written) / Zabronothus major (hand-written).”

Cerabilia major : Townsend 1997: 15.

Cerabilia (Cerabilia) major : Will 2020b: supplementary material 1.

Description. Body length 10.8–11.4 mm; stout. Head, pronotum, elytra, and abdomen piceous black; antennae and palpi rufous; femora and tibiae rufopiceous; tarsi rufous. Microsculpture isodiametric, obsolete on head, strong on pronotum and elytra. Iridescence absent. Dull 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 obtuse apically. Thorax. Pronotum slightly convex, obsoletely wrinkled medially and mediobasally, rectangular, very wide compared to elytra, widest basally; apex strongly emarginate; anterolateral angles well developed, obtuse; sides strongly rounded anteriorly, nearly straight 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 subrectangular; laterobasal foveae double, inner foveae shallow, parallel; posterior bead incomplete, obsolete medially; base strongly emarginate, much wider than apex. Tip of scutellum slightly projected behind elytral base. Prosternum wrinkled anteriorly. Elytra. Oblong, widest before middle, slightly convex. Basal margin slightly arcuate, complete, reaching scutellum. Shoulder tooth well developed, obtuse. Sides strongly rounded. Scutellar setiferous pore absent. Striae shallow, deepening apically, incomplete basally (at least four striae obsolete). Intervals depressed, becoming convex apically; interval 3 without setiferous puncture. Umbilicate series with 14–15 setiferous punctures separated into two major groups (6(7)+8). Subapical sinuations strong. Apices obtuse. Abdomen. Sternum VII of male with dense coarse punctures medially. Aedeagus. Lateral view ( Fig. 12 ): strongly arcuate, moderately wide; base slightly concave dorsally, with basal bead; middle moderately convex dorsally, slightly concave ventrally; apex rather straight dorsally, moderately concave ventrally, with extreme tip narrow, very long, moderately curved downward. Dorsal view: apex very wide, rounded, not deflected to the left.

Material examined. 23 specimens ( NHMUK, NZAC).

Geographic distribution ( Fig. 46 ). South Island: KA–Glen Alton, Clarence [River] Valley. Hundalee. Kaikoura. Mount Alexander. Mount Fyffe. Rika Stream, Clarence [River] Valley. MC–Broken River. “ Canterbury ”. MK– Mount Tekapo [= Tekapo Saddle].

Ecology. Lowland, montane. Epigean, silvicolous, xerophilous. Dry forests (beech) and shrublands; tussock grasslands. Shaded ground. Nocturnal; hides during the day under stones and logs.

Biology. Seasonality: October–March, August. Tenerals: March. Predacious (based on mouthpart morphology). Occasionally infested by fungi (Laboulbeniales).

Dispersal power. Subapterous. Moderate runner.

Collecting technique. Turning stones and logs.

References. Townsend 1997: 15 (taxonomy); Larochelle and Larivière 2001: 132 (catalogue; biology, dispersal power, ecology, geographic distribution, references), 2007: 110 (list), 2016: 30 (list); Will 2020a: 20 (taxonomy), 2020b: supplementary material 1 (classification).

Remarks. Cerabilia major is morphologically close to C. motunau . In addition to diagnostic characters of the male genitalia, C. major has the following distinguishing features: body length 10.8–11.4 mm; head, pronotum, and elytra dull piceous black; terminal segment of palpi obtuse apically; pronotum rectangular, obsoletely wrinkled medially and mediobasally, sides nearly straight posteriorly; elytra slightly convex, sides strongly rounded, striae shallow; tip of scutellum slightly projected behind elytral base. Cerabilia major is found in central and northeastern areas of the South Island (KA, MC, MK), while C. motunau is known only from Motunau Island (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 42–47. Species distribution maps. 42) Cerabilia aphela. 43) C. cordata new species. 44) C. kaihoka new species. 45) C. laevis new species. 46) C. major. 47) C. maori.