Epuraea antarctica ( White, 1846 )

Jelínek, Josef, Leschen, Richard A. B. & Hájek, Jiří, 2017, Revision of Epuraea of New Zealand (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae (Acta. Ent. Mus. Natl. Pragae) 57 (2), pp. 617-644 : 620-626

Epuraea antarctica ( White, 1846)

( Figs 1–2 , 13–18 )

Nitidula antarctica White, 1846: 8 (original description). Epuraea antarctica: SHARP (1878) : 48 (new combination).

Type locality. ‘ New Zealand (Port Nicholson)’.

Type material. Not studied, depository unknown (see notes below).

Additional material examined. NEW ZEALAND: NORTH ISLAND: AK: Kare Kare, ii. [19]16, A.E. Brookes coll., 2 spec. ( NZAC) ; Takapuna , x.1942, A.E. Brookes coll., 1 spec. ( NZAC) ; Waikatere Ranges, Mt. Donald McLean , 37°00.9′S, 174°32.3′E, 330–390 m, sifting in coastal forest, 1.ii.2016, J. Hájek & P. Hlaváč lgt., 1 spec. ( NMPC) ; Waitakere Ranges, Karekare-Whaitipu Reserve, 37°00.0–00.6′S, 174°28.6–29.0′E, 12 m, 2.i.2016, sand dunes with coastal vegetation, J. Hájek & P. Hlaváč lgt., 1 spec. ( NMPC). BP: Opotiki , 1.ii.1937, A.E. Brookes coll., 6 spec. ( NZAC). CL: Mercury Isls , Green Isl. , sifted litter, 23.xii.1987, G. Hall lgt., 3 spec. ( NZAC). GB: Te Urewera NP, Lake Waikaremoana Motorcamp , 38°45.3′S, 177°09.4′E, 600 m, 22.–26.xi.2012, A. Becker, M. Fikáček & J. Hájek lgt., 1 spec. ( NMPC). HB: Bell Rock, 5.ix.1912, T. Broun coll., 1 spec. ( NZAC) ; Napier, 1927, A.E. Brookes coll., 1 spec. ( NZAC). ND: Maungaturoto, T. Broun coll., 1 spec. ( NZAC). WA: Tuhitarata , litter, 19.xii.1983, H. P.McColl lgt., 1 spec. ( NZAC). WN: Tinakori Hill, Wellington, in lawn clippings, 2.x.1991, J. Nunn, 6 spec. ( NZAC). WO: Okauia, 19.xii.[19]20, A.E. Brookes coll., 1 spec. ( NZAC) ; same but, 6.ii.[19]21, 1 spec. ( NZAC). SOUTH ISLAND: BR: Buller Gorge , Westland, A.E. Brookes coll., 1 spec. ( NZAC) ; Gorge, Westland, A.E. Brookes coll., 1 spec. ( NZAC) ; Moa Basin, T. Broun coll., 1 spec. ( NZAC). DN: Otago, T. Broun coll., 1 spec. ( NZAC). MB: Pelorus Reserve, litter, 15.ix.[19]64, J.I. Townsend lgt., 1 spec. ( NZAC). MC: Mt. Hutt , 15.ii.[19]13, T. Broun coll., 1 spec. ( NZAC) ; Spreydon, 10.i.[19]39, 2 spec. ( NZAC) ; Arthurs P., Alpine Club Hut, litter under Nothofagus, 2420 ft., 10.xi.[19]66, A.K. Walker lgt., 1 spec. ( NZAC) ; Pareora Gorge, Shag Nest, ii.[19]51, L.J. Dumbleton lgt., 3 spec. ( NZAC) ; Banks Peninsula , 4 km E of Little River, Okuti Valley, 43°47.2′S, 172°49.7′E, 85 m, compost sifting, 20.ii.2016, M. Fikáček, J. Hájek & P. Hlaváč lgt., 12 spec. ( NMPC). NN: Nelson, 20.iv.[19]43, E.E. Walker lgt., 1 spec. ( NZAC) ; Rotoiti, 12.viii.[19]15, T. Broun coll., 2 spec. ( NZAC) ; Rotoiti, 10.iii.[19]16, 1 spec. ( NZAC). SD: Stephenʼs Isl. , 14.–28.i.[19]33, E.S. Gourlay lgt., 10 spec. ( NZAC) ; Middle Trio Isl., Cook strait, 13.i.[19]52, B.A. Holloway lgt., 2 spec. ( NZAC). SI: Big S. Cape Isl., SW Stewart I., Moor, 120–200 m, xi.[19]68, J.S. Dugdale lgt., 1 spec. ( NZAC). SL: West Plains , 1 spec. ( NZAC) ; Dunedin, on cabbage, 3.ii.[19]32, G.M. Thomson lgt., 1 spec. ( NZAC). OFFSHORE ISLAND : CH: Pitt Isl. , 16.–26.i.[19]44, E.S. Gourlay lgt., 1 spec. ( NZAC) ; Limestone Quarry, litter, 11.ii.[19]67, G. Kuschel lgt., 4 spec. ( NZAC) ; South East Isl. , 3.xi.1970, J.I. Townsend lgt., 2 spec. ( NZAC) ; Pitt Isl. , Flower Pot., 24.ii.67, G. Kuschel lgt., 1 spec. ( NZAC). Unknown: 68–106, Antarctica, A. Murray coll., 2 spec. ( BMNH) .

Redescription. Male. Body oblong oval, moderately convex ( Fig. 1 ). Black, elytra with small brown-yellow round spots adjacent to scutellar shield. Explanate sides of pronotum sometimes brown. Antennae black, basal antennomeres lighter, brown. Legs yellow-brown, basal portion of femora as well as meso- and metatibiae black. Pubescence dense, yellowish, thin and recumbent; setae reaching over base of following ones.

Head transverse, temples converging posteriorly, ventral edge obtusely rounded. Frons moderately convex, depressed beside eyes, shallowly impressed at antennal insertions. Punctures smaller than eye-facets, separated by <1 diameter, interspaces smooth. Antennae slightly longer than width of head across eyes, antennal club oval, occupying almost one third of antennal length, approximately 1.5× longer than wide ( Fig. 3 ).

Pronotum transverse (ratio WPR2/LEPR: 1.85–2.00), widest at basal third, narrowed both posteriorly and more strongly so anteriorly, ratio WPR1/WPR2: 0.89–0.93, WPR1/WPR3: 1.36–1.41, WPR2/WPR3: 1.45–1.58. Anterior margin broadly arcuately emarginate, nearly as deep as eye width, anterior angles prominent. Lateral margins in anterior half flat, in posterior half more strongly arcuate; explanate sides at midlength nearly as wide as anterior tibia, becoming wider posteriorly. Basal margin truncate in middle, shallowly emarginate beside posterior angles. Posterior angles obtuse, not prominent. Pronotal disc flat, laterally delimited by raised longitudinal blunt keels, accentuated in posterior half by deep groove along outer side. Anterior portion of disc with three shallow impressions along anterior margin. Punctation and pubescence as on frons, punctures in basal portion somewhat rasp-like. Scutellar shield subtriangular with somewhat arcuate lateral margins; punctation similar to pronotum.

Elytra oval, widest at basal third, moderately narrowed towards base and strongly so towards apex, reaching maximum length near suture, narrowly separately rounded apically. Surface somewhat flattened along suture, convex laterally, sides not explanate. Ratio LELY/WELY: 1.07–1.09. Punctures more distinct than on pronotum, separated by one diameter or less.

Pygidium broadly rounded, almost subtruncate apically, surface densely granulate and reticulate, dull. Major part of tergite VIII exposed, semicircular.

Ventral part. Prosternum strongly transversely convex, indistinctly punctate, interspaces with micropunctures, dull. Hypomera flat, separated from lateral portions of prosternum by longitudinal arcuate furrow, densely punctate with intermixed raised granules. Prosternal process strongly longitudinally convex (in lateral view), narrow, posterior to procoxae almost semicircular ( Fig. 4 ). Mesoventrite transversely convex, somewhat flattened in middle, impunctate, densely microscopically reticulate, dull; prepectus occupying anterior third of mesoventrite, with sparser micropunctures, more shining, posterior border medially interrupted – interruption as wide as distance between mesocoxae. Metaventrite flattened in middle with fine discrimen present along entire length. Median portion (between metacoxae) with punctures somewhat smaller than eye-facets and separated by one diameter or less, interspaces microscopically punctate, lateral portions densely punctate with indistinct shallow punctures. Mesocoxal lines fine, running close to mesocoxal cavities to anterolateral corner of metaventrite, outer recurrent portion not developed. Punctation of abdominal ventrites similar to metaventrite, punctures generally shallower and sparser.

Legs slender, simple in both sexes. Protibia four times longer than wide, outer apical angle rectangular, projecting into minute spine. Protarsomeres I–III bilobed, 0.75× width of tibia. Tarsomere V longer than I–IV combined, tarsal claws simple.

Male genitalia long. Tegmen parallel-sided, lateral lobes gently curved inwards at apex and bluntly pointed ( Fig. 15 ). Median lobe weakly sclerotized, apex truncate ( Fig. 16 ); armature of endophallus as in Fig. 17 .

Female. Similar to male, but tips of elytra prolonged and acutely pointed ( Fig. 2 ), ratio LELY/WELY: 1.21–1.30. Pygidium narrowly rounded apically. Ovipositor as in Fig. 18 .

Measurements. Body length 2.4–3.6 mm; width 1.4–1.6 mm.

Notes. The two specimens in the BMNH are those mentioned by SHARP (1878: 48): ‘Whiteʼs Nitidula antarctica is, I have no doubt, another species of Epuraea [than E. zealandica Sharp ]; I have specimens agreeing with his insufficient description; the species has the peculiarity that in the female the apices of elytra are prolonged and acuminate’. The latter trait, though conspicuous, is not mentioned in WHITEʼs (1846) description and, because the original number of the specimens was not given, we hypothesize that WHITE (1846) examined only male specimen(s) from the collection of Capt. Parry, who was specified as collector in the description of Nitidula antarctica . According to HORN et al. (1990), the Parry collection was sold in 1885, so the specimens studied by Sharp in 1878 may be different from the original syntype (s). HORN et al. (1990), however, did not specify the exact history of the Nitidulidae from the Parry collection and the actual depository of the type specimen(s) of N. antarctica remains unknown. Furthermore, there were no Epuraea specimens in the National Museum of Natural History, Paris (A. Taghavian, pers. comm. 2016) or in the BMNH that could be attributed to Parry material.

Both specimens from BMNH correspond to the brief description by WHITE (1846) as well as to the current concept of E. antarctica and differ from both E. lateralis and E. zealandica . The synonymy of E. antarctica and E. lateralis proposed by REITTER (1880) and accepted by GROUVELLE (1913) is incorrect. Thus, it is not necessary to designate a neotype for Nitidula antarctica White, 1846 .

This widespread species has been taken mainly by sifting leaf litter, but has also been collected in window, light, and pitfall traps.

Geographic distribution. North Island: AK, BP, CL, GB, HB, ND, WA, WN, WO. South Island: BR, DN, MB, MC, NN, SD, SI, SL. Offshore Island: CH.

Figures

Figs 1–4. Dorsal habitus of New Zealand Epuraea species. 1 – E. antarctica (White, 1846) J, Buller Gorge (3.2 mm); 2 – E. antarctica ♀, Mt. Hutt (3.2 mm); 3 – E. glabrata sp. nov. J, Richmond Forest Park (3.3 mm); 4 – E. glabrata sp. nov. ♀, Okauia (3.6 mm).

Figs 13–18. Details of Epuraea antarctica (White, 1846). 13 – antenna; 14 – prosternal process; 15 – tegmen; 16 – median lobe of aedeagus; 17 – armature of endophallus; 18 – ovipositor. Scale bar = 0.5 mm.