Oopterus frontalis Broun, 1908

Larochelle, Larivière, Marie-Claude, Larochelle & Larivière, 2017, Synopsis of the tribe Zolini in New Zealand (Coleoptera: Carabidae), Insecta Mundi 2017 (594), pp. 1-110 : 40-41

Oopterus frontalis Broun, 1908

Fig. 42 , 88 , 126

Oopterus frontalis Broun, 1908: 342 . Holotype: female (BMNH) labeled: “Type (circular red-bordered label; typed) / 2620. [female symbol] (hand-written) / New Zeal. Broun Coll. Brit. Mus. 1922–482. (white label with red horizontal line; typed) / Zolus (hand-written) / [WN] Wadeston [= Wadestown] Palmerston N. (hand-written) / Oopterus frontalis (hand-written).”

Pseudoopterus frontalis: Csiki 1928: 225 .

Oopterus frontalis: Hudson 1934: 38 , 177.

Description. Body length 5.3–6.5 mm. Head, pronotum, elytra, and abdomen mostly piceous black; apex and base of head reddish; base of pronotum reddish; lateral margins and suture of elytra reddish; abdomen reddish laterally and apically; antennae, palpi, and legs reddish; femora infuscated. Microsculpture strong, isodiametric on head, very transverse (with microlines) on pronotum and elytra. Iridescence absent on head, very strong on pronotum and elytra. Very shiny, without metallic luster. Head. Labrum strongly transverse, slightly emarginate anteriorly. Antennae submoniliform, moderately long: segment 1 (scape) moderately long, about 2x longer than its maximum width. Frontal furrows wide, deep, convergent. Eyes slightly convex; two setiferous punctures on inner side of each eye. Tempora not inflated. Mentum: medial tooth entire, rounded apically, moderately shorter than lateral lobes. Paraglossae membranous, prominent, about as long as ligula. Thorax. Pronotum moderately convex, slightly punctate across base, wrinkled discally, strongly transverse, widest before middle; apex subtruncate; anterolateral angles poorly developed, rounded; anterior bead incomplete, obsolete medially; sides moderately rounded, slightly sinuate posteriorly; lateral grooves absent; two setiferous punctures on each side; posterolateral angles obtuse; posterolateral carinae blunt, very long (about as long as adjoining foveae); laterobasal foveae well defined, finely punctate, very deep and wide, subrectangular, prolonged forward, double; posterior bead absent; base emarginate, wider than pronotal apex, about as wide as elytral base. Legs. Moderately long. Elytra. Strongly convex, ovate, widest about middle. Basal margin complete, reaching about scutellum. Shoulders obtuse. Sides strongly rounded. Scutellar striole present. Stria 1 complete, deep; striae 2–7 incomplete; striae 2–4 shallow, finely punctate; striae 5–7 obsolete; stria 3 with three setiferous punctures. Recurrent stria long, sharp, directed apically toward stria 5. Subapical seta present. Intervals depressed. Sutural apices obtusely rounded. Abdomen. Last visible sternum (sternum VII): male with two apical ambulatory setae; female with four apical ambulatory setae. Aedeagus. Lateral view ( Fig. 88 ): strongly arcuate, strongly widened in apical half; base moderately biconvex dorsally; middle almost straight dorsally, slightly convex ventrally, with dorsal membranous area moderately wide and short; apex subtriangular, almost straight dorsally, straight ventrally, with extreme tip wide and short. Dorsal view: narrow, symmetrical (ostium of membranous area dorsal); apex straight; basal orifice narrow, closed anteriorly, moderately distant from membranous area. Parameres with four or five apical setae.

Material examined. 36 specimens ( BMNH, JNNZ, MONZ, NZAC).

Geographic distribution ( Fig. 126 ). WI–Palmerston North. WN–Dennan. Kaitoke. Mount Holdsworth. Orongorongo Valley. Wadestown. Wellington. Wilton’s Bush.

Ecology. Lowland, montane. Epigean. Wet forests (beech, broadleaf, podocarp) and scrublands. Shaded ground. Nocturnal; hides during the day under stones, in leaf litter; also in flood debris along a stream.

Biology. Seasonality: September–April, June–July. Predacious (based on mouthpart morphology).

Dispersal power. Subapterous (incapable of flight). Moderate runner.

Collecting techniques. Lifting stones; sifting leaf litter; pitfall trapping; inspecting flood debris.

References. Larochelle and Larivière 2001: 74 (catalogue; biology, dispersal power, ecology, geographic distribution, references), 2016: 20 (list).

Remark. Because O. frontalis is only known from specimens collected in the Wellington area, Wadestown is the most likely type locality. The Palmerston North record is plausible but not supported by specimen data.

Figures

Figures 39–42. Dorsal habitus. 39) Oopterus strenuus. 40) O. clivinoides. 41) O. mohiensis new species. 42) O. frontalis. Scale line = 1 mm.

Figures 82–89. Aedeagi, lateral. 82) Oopterus corvinki new species. 83) O. palmai new species. 84) O. monticola new species. 85) O. strenuus. 86) O. clivinoides. 87) O. mohiensis new species. 88) O. frontalis. 89) O. punctatus new species.

Figures 124–129. Species distribution maps. 124) Oopterus corvinki new species. 125) O. discoideus new species. 126) O. frontalis. 127) O. fulvipes. 128) O. garnerae new species. 129) O. laevicollis.