Mecodema ponaiti, Seldon, David S. & Leschen, Richard A. B., 2011

Seldon, David S. & Leschen, Richard A. B., 2011, Revision of the Mecodema curvidens species group (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Broscini), Zootaxa 2829, pp. 1-45 : 36-38

Mecodema ponaiti , sp. n.

Figures: 5, 9b, 11b, 13a, 25a.

Diagnosis. Head broad but convex. Clypeus with a single setose puncture on each side, bearing 2 setae. Prothoracic carina broad, crenulation absent and extended to anterior angle. Pronotum fovea shallow and narrow. Elytral striae with regularly distributed, small asetose punctures. Setose punctures absent on 3rd, 4th and 5th ventrites. Apical portion of aedeagus symmetrically rounded with a strong twist to right of vertical. Dorso-apical portion of central spicule, greatly expanded. Basal lobe of left paramere rectangular, arm and apical lobe relatively large, and with setation along apical ¾ of ventral edge.

Description. Length 20–26 mm. Colour black. Head broad but convex. Microsculpture of frons and vertex absent. Vertexal groove broad laterally and narrow middle. Form of microsculpture on anterior area of clypeus, spatulate. Clypeus with single setose puncture on each side, bearing 2 setae (or 2 setose punctures on each side bearing a single seta each*). Form of lobes of the mentum, square. Submentum constriction broad, with 6 setae. Prothoracic carina broad, crenulation absent, and extended to anterior angle (or extending to beyond anterior angle*). Pronotum broad and flat, posterior lateral sinuation angle parallel, pronotal fovea shallow and narrow, microsculpture of pronotal disc absent. Elytra broad but convex, striae with regularly distributed small asetose punctures, intervals slightly convex. Setose punctures of mesocoxae present, absent metacoxae. Setose punctures absent 3rd, 4th and 5th ventrites. Apical portion of aedeagus symmetrically rounded with a strong twist to right of vertical axis. Dorso-apical portion of central spicule, greatly expanded. Left paramere basal lobe rectangular, arm and apical lobe relatively large, and with setation along apical ¾ of ventral edge (or setation along apical ½ of ventral edge*).

Comments. Britton (1949) placed specimens from the Poor Knights Islands and Whangarei area under M. atrox , which seemed to be the “default” species for Northland specimens. M. ponaiti is sister species to the remaining curvidens species and is endemic to the Poor Knights Islands. The similarities between the M. ponaiti and M.

manaia species can be seen in one of the two variants of the island group. The variant from Aorangi Is. has similar external morphological features to those of M. manaia (Whangarei Heads) , whereas the Tawhiti Rahi Is. variant exhibits similarities in external morphology to M. regulus (Three Kings Islands), especially the pronotal disc, which is more rounded laterally than the mainland species. In the description the difference in character states between the two variants are indicated by an asterisk (*). Several specimens of M. ponaiti have been collected in association with seabird burrows, either resting under logs in close proximity or from within the burrows themselves.

Distribution. North Island: Northland (ND), Poor Knights Islands (only).

Holotype: Male labelled ( NZAC) NEW ZEALAND ND Poor Knights Is. Tawhiti Rahi Is. 18 Dec 2009 D.S. Seldon, R.A.B. Leschen & T. Buckley / HOLOTYPE Mecodema ponaiti n. sp. design. by Seldon & Leschen 2010 [red label].

Paratype material examined: 1, NEW ZEALAND ND Poor Knights Aorangi Is in rodent bait station 3 Aug 2002, I. Hogarth / AMNZ 54564 Auckland Museum New Zealand / PARATYPE Mecodema ponaiti design. by Seldon & Leschen 2010; 1, NEW ZEALAND. ND Poor Knights Is. Tawhiti Rahi 15 Apr 1996 I.A.N. Stringer / AMNZ 25709 Auckland Museum New Zealand / PARATYPE Mecodema ponaiti design. by Seldon & Leschen 2010; 1, NEW ZEALAND ND Poor Knights Is. Aorangi Is. 16 Apr 1996 Richard Parrish / AMNZ 33511 Auckland Museum New Zealand / PARATYPE Mecodema ponaiti design. by Seldon & Leschen 2010; 1, TAWHITI RAHI POOR KNIGHTS IS. 11.31.45 Coll. Auk. Museum / MECODEMA n.sp. Det. J.I. Townsend 1969 / AMNZ 24110 Auckland Museum New Zealand / PARATYPE Mecodema ponaiti design. by Seldon & Leschen 2010; 1, N. Island Poor Knights in soil P. bulleri burrow 24/3/1954 E.G. Turbott / Mecodema sp. nr. atrox Det. J.C. Watt / MECODEMA n. sp. Det. J.I. Townsend 1969 / AMNZ 63295 Auckland Museum New Zealand / PARATYPE Mecodema ponaiti design. by Seldon & Leschen 2010; 4, NEW ZEALAND ND Poor Knights Is Tawhiti rahi 2 Dec 1980 G. Kuschel / PARATYPE Mecodema ponaiti design. by Seldon & Leschen 2010; 4, Tawhiti Rahi under rock 21-1-86 J.C. Watt / Mecodema atrox ? E.B. Britton det. 1956 / J.I. Townsend Collection / PARATYPE Mecodema ponaiti design. by Seldon & Leschen 2010 ( NZAC); 2, Tawhiti Rahi on ground 1-1-56 J.C. Watt / Mecodema atrox ? E.B. Britton 1956 / J.I. Townsend Collection / PARATYPE Mecodema ponaiti design. by Seldon & Leschen 2010 ( NZAC); 5, Tawhiti Rahi under rock 1-1-56 J.C. Watt / Collection J.C.Watt / J.I. Collection / PARATYPE Mecodema ponaiti design. by Seldon & Leschen 2010 ( NZAC); 2, Forest Litter Tawhiti Rahi Poor Knights Is 10.Aug.1970 B.M. May / PARATYPE Mecodema ponaiti design. by Seldon & Leschen 2010 ( NZAC); 1, NEW ZEALAND ND Poor Knights Is Tawhiti Rahi Plateau 200m 3–10 Dec 1980 / J.C. Watt pit trap 80/179 / PARA- TYPE Mecodema ponaiti design. by Seldon & Leschen 2010 ( NZAC); 1, NEW ZEALAND ND Poor Knights Is Tawhiti Rahi Plateau 190m 3–10 Dec 1980 / J.C. Watt pit trap 80/184 / PARATYPE Mecodema ponaiti design. by Seldon & Leschen 2010 ( NZAC); 1, NEW ZEALAND ND Poor Knights Is Tawhiti Rahi Plateau 180m 3–10 Dec 1980 / J.C. Watt pit trap 80/185 / PARATYPE Mecodema ponaiti design. by Seldon & Leschen 2010 ( NZAC); 2, NEW ZEALAND ND Poor Knights Is Tawhiti Rahi 200m 3–10 Dec 1980 / J.C. Watt pit trap 80/177 / PARATYPE Mecodema ponaiti design. by Seldon & Leschen 2010 ( NZAC); 1, NEW ZEALAND ND Poor Knights Is Tawhiti Rahi 2–10 Dec 1980 / J.C. Watt pit trap 80/176 / PARATYPE Mecodema ponaiti design. by Seldon & Leschen 2010 ( NZAC); 2, NEW ZEALAND ND Poor Knights Is Tawhiti Rahi Shag Bay 3–10 Dec 1980 / J.C. Watt pit trap 80/165 / PARATYPE Mecodema ponaiti design. by Seldon & Leschen 2010 ( NZAC); 1, NEW ZEALAND ND Poor Knights Is Tawhiti Rahi Shag Bay 8–12 Dec 1980 / J.C. Watt / PARATYPE Mecodema ponaiti design. by Seldon & Leschen 2010 ( NZAC); 1, Poor Knights Is, N.Z. 31.X.65 – 1.XI.65 K.G. Somerfield / NEW ZEALAND ND Poor Knights Is Tawhiti Rahi / Mecodema sp. Det. P.M. Johns Carabidae / PARATYPE Mecodema ponaiti design. by Seldon & Leschen 2010 ( NZAC); 1, Poor Knights Is, N.Z. 1.XI.65 K.G. Somerfield / PARATYPE Mecodema ponaiti design. by Seldon & Leschen 2010 ( NZAC); 3, NEW ZEALAND ND Poor Knights Is Tawhiti Rahi 9 Sep 1980 J.C. Watt / under stones / PARATYPE Mecodema ponaiti design. by Seldon & Leschen 2010 ( NZAC); 1, NEW ZEALAND ND Poor Knights Is Aorangi Urupa Point 11 Nov 1981 / J.C. Watt / PARATYPE Mecodema ponaiti design. by Seldon & Leschen 2010 ( NZAC); 1, NEW ZEALAND ND Poor Knights Is Aorangi Urupa Point 11Nov 1981 / J.C. Watt ex soil / PARATYPE Mecodema ponaiti design. by Seldon & Leschen 2010 ( NZAC); 1, NEW ZEALAND ND Poor Knights Is Aorangi Puweto Valley 13 Nov 1981 / J.C. Watt under logs / PARATYPE Mecodema ponaiti design. by Seldon & Leschen 2010 ( NZAC); 2, NEW ZEALAND ND Poor Knights Is Tawhiti Rahi Plateau 200m 3–10 Dec 1980 / J.C. Watt pit trap 80/178 / PARATYPE Mecodema ponaiti design. by Seldon & Leschen 2010 ( NZAC); 1, NEW ZEALAND ND Poor Knights Is Aorangi Saddle 100m 16 Nov 1981 / J.S. Dugdale Litter 81/148 / Mecodema ponaiti n. sp. design. by Seldon & Leschen 2010; 1, NEW ZEALAND ND Poor Knights Is Tawhiti Rahi Summit Ridge 3 Dec 1984 / J.C. Watt under logs / PARATYPE Mecodema ponaiti design. by Seldon & Leschen 2010 ( NZAC); 1, Tawhiti Rahi under rock 1-1-56 J.C. Watt / Mecodema sp. n. nr atrox Brit. Det. J.C. Watt 1957 / Collection J.C. Watt / J.I. Townsend Collection / PARATYPE Mecodema ponaiti design. by Seldon & Leschen 2010 ( NZAC); 4, NEW ZEALAND ND Poor Knights Is. Aorangi Is. Jun 2006 D.S. Seldon & T. Buckley / PARATYPE Mecodema ponaiti design. by Seldon & Leschen 2010 ( NZAC); 1, NEW ZEALAND ND Poor Knights Is. Tawhiti Rahi Is. 18th Dec 2009, D.S. Seldon, T. Buckley & R.A.B. Leschen / PARATYPE Mecodema ponaiti design. by Seldon & Leschen 2010 ( NZAC).

Etymology. The Poor Knights Islands are within the Ngatiwai rohe and as Ngatiwai have no collective name for the Poor Knights Islands, they requested that the species be named ponaiti (pona-iti), which is a trans-literation of the name of the islands.