Caledonica mediolineata ( Lucas, 1862 )

Kudrna, Arnošt, 2016, Revision of the genusCaledonica (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 56 (2), pp. 567-628 : 606-608

Caledonica mediolineata ( Lucas, 1862)

( Figs 46–50 )

Distipsidera mediolineata Lucas, 1862: 27 (original description). LUCAS (1863): 111 (redescription).

Caledonica mediolineata: GEMMINGER & HAROLD (1868) : 32 (catalogue); FAUVEL (1882): 223 (key, redescription); FLEUTIAUX (1892): 31 (catalogue); FAUVEL (1903): 212 (key), 213 (noted); HORN (1910): 181 (catalogue); HORN (1926): 105 (catalogue); HORN (1936): 6 (catalogue); DEUVE (1981): 180 (key), 185 (redescription); WIESNER (1992): 76 (catalogue); DEUVE (2015): 83 (noted).

Type locality. Original type locality ‘Nouvelle Calédonie’, replaced here by the act of the neotype designation by ‘Nouvelle Calédonie, Port Boisé, forêt Nord’.

Type material examined. NEOTYPE (present designation):J, ‘ Nouvelle-Calédonie, Port Boisé, forêt Nord, PL. 1. III. 1993, M. Boulard réc.’ [pink, printed/handwritten]; ‘Forêt humide’ [pink, printed]; ‘Muséum Paris’ [pink, printed]; ‘ Neotype Caledonica , mediolineata Lucas, 1862 , design.A. Kudrna 2016’ [red, printed] ( MNHN).

Additional material examined (8 specimens). NEW CALEDONIA: PROVINCE SUD: Nyamié creek 30–50 m, at Comboui river , 21°45.9′S, 166°25.5′E, 31.xii.2006, 1 ♀, at light, M. Wanat & R. Dobosz lgt. ( AKCB) ; Prony , 2 ♀♀, 2 JJ ( MNHN) ; Mont Do , 26.ii. 1993, 2 JJ, M. Boulard lgt. ( MNHN) ; env. de Nouméa , 1 J ( MNHN) .

Neotype designation. A neotype is designated to conserve status of this taxon in its current sense and ensure its recognition. Also the original type locality was stated only as ‘Nouvelle Calédonie’ and more precise distribution was unknown. The neotype is based on a well preserved specimen corresponding with the primary description ( LUCAS 1862) and supplementary description and figure published by the same author ( LUCAS 1863). The original type material should be located in MNHN, however, it was not found repeatedly and is considered lost ( DEUVE 1981).

Description. Body medium sized, length 12.30–12.80 (neotype: 13.10) mm, width 4.00– 4.30 mm in male ( Fig. 46 ); in female ( Fig. 48 ) length 13.30–15.20 mm, width 4.70–5.50 mm.

Head with large eyes, slightly narrower than elytra, dorsally lustrous, black, rarely blackcupreous; limited areas of frons adjacent to clypeus and supraantennal plates with green, blue or violet metallic reflections; frons moderately to distinctly convex, separated from clypeus by rather indistinct suture, irregularly vermicular-rugulose; vertex weakly to moderately convex, with shallow posterior impression, longitudinally striate; orbital plates longitudinally parallel-striate with two setae on each side; occipital area irregularly wavy to vermicular-rugulose; genae glabrous, lustrous, coloration varies from black to green, cupreous or violet, finely parallel-striate; clypeus coriaceous, mostly metallic black to cupreous in female; in male shiny, green, blue or violet.

Labrum in both sexes with four setae and acute anterolateral teeth, in male ( Fig. 47 ) entirely testaceous or with only very indistinctly darkened lateral margin in basal area and apices of anterolateral teeth, shorter than wide, 1.25–1.50 mm long, 1.75–1.85 mm wide, median lobe short, its anterior margin truncate or slightly emarginate between indistinct or only indicated anterior teeth (median tooth absent); labrum in female ( Fig. 49 ) longer, testaceous, with indistinctly to more distinctly darkened basolateral margins and teeth, nearly as long as wide, 1.90–2.35 mm long, 1.95–2.35 mm wide, with prominent, tridentate median lobe of acute teeth which are bent downwards, so their acute shape is not obvious in dorsal view.

Mandibles symmetrical, brownish-testaceous with paler basolateral half; each mandible with three teeth and basal molar.

Labial and maxillary palpi in male testaceous except for darkened terminal palpomeres; in female testaceous to dark testaceous with darker terminal and in maxillary palpi also penultimate palpomere.

Antennae markedly longer in male, surpassing half of elytral length while in female usually only one third (only rarely reaching elytral half); scape in male testaceous with black band, pedicel and antennomeres III–IV black with variably developed dark testaceous areas, V–XI dark testaceous to black (progressively darkened); in female as in male except for black scape with testaceous basal area that is occasionally expanding to apex.

Thorax. All parts glabrous. Pronotum in male 2.15–2.35 mm long, 3.15–3.75 mm wide (on average 1.52 times wider than long); in female length 2.05–2.35 mm, width 3.65–4.00 mm (on average 1.60 times wider than long), anterior and posterior sulci well pronounced, anterior lobe of the same width or very slightly wider than the posterior; lateral margins of disc distinctly convex with markedly elevated notopleural sutures obvious in dorsal view, forming flat lateral ribs which are markedly extended in middle and gradually effaced towards anterior and posterior sulci; pronotal surface black to black-cupreous with metallic reflections, irregularly wavy to vermicular-rugulose, rugae becoming more regularly transverse-wavy along moderately developed median line; lateral sterna with metallic lustre, mostly black to dark cupreous, along their sutures often with green or violet metallic reflections, shallowly wrinkled to nearly smooth; female mesepisternal coupling sulci in form of deep, large pit placed in the dorsal mesepisternal half; metepisterna with rather distinct impression at posterior suture; pro-, meso-, and metasternum dark ochreous usually with violent or blueish metallic reflections; metasternum with indistinct impression placed at dorsolateral corner.

Elytra oblong, comparatively wide, length 8.30–9.30 mm in male, 8.80–10.50 mm in female, apices and anteapical angles rounded, slightly to indistinctly emarginate towards short sutural spine; juxtahumeral impressions and basodiscal convexity moderate, apical impressions faint; each elytron between basodiscal convexity and apical impression with two elevated longitudinal (discal and sublateral) costae; area between costae and suture impressed, elytral surface anteriorly densely and deeply punctate (juxtahumeral impression punctate only sporadically); punctures nearly effaced on flat interspaces between costae and also between suture, those on lateral areas of basodiscal convexity often with wide interspaces forming elevated irregular chains, punctures towards apex becoming smaller and shallower, apical area finely but distinctly punctate; sparse setigerous punctures with white, rather long hairlike setae distributed on anterior area; elytral coloration black to black-cupreous with metallic lustre; interspaces between costae and also along the suture iridescent silvery, the iridescence changing to dull depending on angle of illumination; elytral maculation ivory, in both sexes consisting of three maculae: humeral macula with narrow longitudinal protrusion (invisible from above) running along the lateral margin posteriad, transverse median band which is notably long, nearly reaching elytral suture, and anteapical macula which is rather small and of irregularly circular shape.

Abdomen. Ventrites glabrous, dark ochreous often with bluish metallic reflections on lateral areas.

Legs. Coxae and trochanters in both sexes testaceous to dark testaceous; femora dark testaceous to black except for paler basal area (observable laterally) on metafemora (in male also on mesofemora); tibiae testaceous with darkened apical area which is more distinct in metatibiae; tarsi dark testaceous to black; claws dark testaceous.

Aedeagus ( Fig. 50 ) long, length 4.30 mm, width 0.80 mm; basal part notably slim, dorsal margin slightly arcuate, apical area conically attenuated into narrow but rounded, dorsally hooked apex.

Differential diagnosis. Externally resembling C. affinis in its dark body coloration and long transverse median band, but clearly differs in having this band much longer, nearly reaching elytral suture, in much smaller anterapical macula, labrum with predominantly fully developed four setae, and shorter differently shaped aedeagus. Moreover, the body is wider (3.40–5.05 mm in C. affinis , 4.00– 5.50 mm in C. mediolineata ).

Biology and distribution. Nothing is known about biology of this species. The single female from Nyamié creek came incidentally to a light trap.

Remarks. The species was first briefly described in reports from sessions of the French Entomological Society ( LUCAS 1862). However a year later, LUCAS (1863) published a full description including quite a good drawing in colour which enabled subsequent authors to recognize this species.

Figures

Figs 46–55. 46–50 – Caledonica mediolineata (Lucas, 1862): 46 – habitus, J, neotype, Port Boisé, 13.1 mm (MNHN); 47 – frontal view, ibid.; 48 – habitus, ♀, Nyamié creek, 13.8 mm (AKCB); 49 – frontal view, ibid.; 50 – aedeagus, Nouméa (MNHN). 51–55 – C. affinis (Montrouzier, 1860): 51 – habitus,J, SE Koumac, 14 mm (AKCB); 52 – frontal view, ibid.; 53 – habitus, ♀, SW Ouegoa, 15 mm (AKCB); 54 – frontal view, ibid.; 55 – aedeagus, SE Koumac (AKCB). Scale bars = 1 mm.