Caledonica bavayi Fauvel, 1882

Kudrna, Arnošt, 2016, Revision of the genusCaledonica (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 56 (2), pp. 567-628 : 614-617

Caledonica bavayi Fauvel, 1882

( Figs 61–65 , 83, 84 )

Caledonica Bavayi Fauvel, 1882: 223 (key), 225 (original description). FLEUTIAUX (1892): 31 (as synonym of C. acentra ); DEUVE (2015): 79 (restored species status), 81 (figure).

Type locality. ‘Kanala’.

Type material examined. LECTOTYPE (designated by DEUVE 2015): J, ‘ Coll. R. I. Sc. N. B., Nouvele Calédonie , Kanala, rec Coste, ex. coll. Fauvel’ [pink/white, printed/handwritten] ; ‘Coll. et det. A. Fauvel, Caledonica bavayi n. sp., R.I.Sc.N.B. 17.479’ [white, printed/handwritten]; ‘ Syntype’ [white, red print] ( IRSNB). PARALECTOTYPES (4 specimens): 1 J, 1 ♀, ‘ Coll. R. I. Sc. N. B., Nouvele Calédonie , Bourail, rec Lécard, ex. coll. Fauvel’ [pink/white, printed/handwritten] ; ‘Coll. et det. A. Fauvel, Caledonica bavayi n. sp., R.I.Sc.N.B. 17.479’ [white, printed/handwritten]; ‘Syntype’ [white, red print] ( IRSNB); 1 ♀, ‘ Coll. R. I. Sc. N. B., Nouvele Calédonie , Yahoué, rec Savés, ex. coll. Fauvel’ [pink/white, printed/handwritten] ; ‘Coll. et det. A. Fauvel, Caledonica bavayi n. sp., R.I.Sc.N.B. 17.479’ [white, printed/handwritten]; ‘Syntype’ [white, red print] ( IRSNB); 1 ♀, ‘ Coll. R. I. Sc. N. B., Nouvele Calédonie , Noumea, rec Deplanche, ex. coll. Fauvel’ [pink/white, printed/handwritten] ; ‘ Caledonica bavayi Fvl. , [one letter illegible, possibly g, q or p] Rev. Ent., 1882, 1:225, syntype’ [white, red print/handwritten] ( IRSNB).

Additional material examined (138 specimens). NEW CALEDONIA: PROVINCE NORD: 3 km SW of Ouegoa , 20°20′S, 164°23′E, 30.–31.i.2012, 20 m, 11 JJ, 12 ♀♀, A. Kudrna jr. lgt. ( AKCB) ; 15 km NW of Koumac, 25 m, Foret et riviere de Nehoue , 20°25′S, 164°13′E, 6.i.2012, 9 JJ, 3 ♀ ♀, A. Kudrna jr. lgt. ( AKCB) ; Antenna Forest , 2 km S of Touho, 450 m, 20°47′S, 165°14′E, 7.–10.ii.2012, 7 JJ, 1 ♀, A. Kudrna jr. lgt. ( AKCB) ; 3–10 km S Canala , 20–150 m, 21°33′S, 165°59′E, 11.–15.ii.2012, 18 JJ, 7 ♀♀, A. Kudrna jr. lgt. ( AKCB) ; Mt. Colnett , 0–350 m, 20°30′S, 164°45′E, 17.–23.i.2012, 13 JJ, 5♀♀, A. Kudrna jr.lgt. ( AKCB) ; 15 km SE of Pouebo , 20°28′S, 164°39′E, 400–500 m, 1.–5.ii.2012, 1 J, A. Kudrna jr. lgt. ( AKCB) . PROVINCE SUD: 15 km NE of Noumea, forest of Mts. Koghis , 30.i.–4.ii.2005, 3 JJ, A. Kudrna jr. lgt. ( AKCB) ; village Bouirou , cca. 20 km N of Bourail, 9.–10.xii. 2008, 500 m, 9 JJ, 11 ♀♀, A. Kudrna jr. lgt. ( AKCB) ; near Bouirou , cca. 20 km N of Bourail, 27.xii.2004 – 2.i.2005, 7 JJ, 4 ♀♀, A. Kudrna jr. lgt. ( AKCB) ; 3 km NW of Sarramea , 21°37′S, 165°50′E, 23.–30.xii.2011, 250– 550 m, 6 JJ, 2 ♀♀, A. Kudrna jr. lgt. ( AKCB) ; forest of Plato de Dogny, near Sarramea , 24.–27.xii.2004, 2 JJ, 3 ♀♀, A. Kudrna jr. lgt. ( AKCB) ; environs of Sarramea , 5.– 8.ii. and 16.–18.ii. 2009, 2 JJ, 1 ♀, A. Kudrna jr. lgt. ( AKCB) ; environs of Touaourou , 5–10 km SE of Yate, 19.–24.i.2009, 1 J, A. Kudrna jr. lgt. ( AKCB) .

Redescription. Body medium sized (more robust in female), length 10.80–13.50 (lectotype: 13.30 mm, width 3.55–5.15 (lectotype: 4.50) mm in male ( Fig. 61 ); in female ( Fig. 63 ) length 10.90–15.20 mm, width 3.70–5.20 mm.

Head with large eyes, narrower than elytra, dorsally olivaceous-green to bronze or cupreous with metallic reflections, frons and supraantennal plates in male shiny green, with cupreous to reddish margin; frons moderately to distinctly convex, separated from clypeus by distinct suture, surface irregularly rugulose (rugae on lateral areas often more regularly longitudinally parallel); vertex usually rather distinctly convex, with posterior impression, mostly longitudinally or irregularly rugulose; orbital plates distinctly longitudinally parallel-striate with two setae on each side; occipital area irregularly wavy to vermicular-rugulose; genae glabrous, dark testaceous to green, finely parallel-striate with strong green, rarely cupreous reflections; clypeus dark testaceous, coriaceous with strong metallic green, blue-green or partly cupreous reflections in male and mostly green or reddish in female.

Labrum with four setae, in both sexes with acute anterolateral teeth, in male ( Fig. 62 ) testaceous except for lateral margins which are entirely darkened or at least along basal third and often with darkened apices of anterolateral teeth; male labrum shorter than wide, length 1.15–1.55 mm, width 1.45–1.90 mm, median lobe prominent, mostly with reduced (rarely more distinct) anterior teeth and only very rarely and weakly indicated blunt median tooth; female labrum ( Fig. 64 ) longer, testaceous except for distinctly darkened lateral margins, nearly as long as wide (length 1.60–2.35 mm, width 1.65–2.15 mm), with prominent and sharply tridentate median lobe of acute teeth which are bent downwards, thus their acute shape is not obvious in dorsal view.

Mandibles nearly symmetrical, brownish-testaceous with paler basolateral part, often with black margins of teeth; each mandible with three teeth and basal molar, third teeth in left mandible slightly larger than in right mandible.

Labial and maxillary palpi in both sexes testaceous, in male with somewhat darkened apices of terminal palpomeres; in female with darkened terminal and in maxillary palpi occasionally also penultimate palpomeres.

Antennae markedly longer in male, reaching or moderately exceeding two elytral thirds while in female they barely surpass elytral third; scape in male testaceous with darkened apical area which may be variably extended, antennomeres II–IV dark testaceous to black, antennomeres V–XI testaceous, progressively darkened with ultimate or three terminal antennomeres black; antennae in female coloured as in male, alternatively antennomeres II–XI are dark testaceous to black.

Thorax.All parts glabrous. Pronotum in male 1.80–2.55 mm long, 2.60–3.55 mm wide (on average 1.43 times wider than long); in female 1.90–2.55 mm long, 2.60–3.95 mm wide (on average 1.52 times wider than long), anterior and posterior sulci well pronounced, anterior lobe approximately as wide as the posterior; disc with convex lateral margins and elevated notopleural sutures which are obvious in dorsal view forming wide and flat lateral ribs which are extended in middle and gradually effaced towards anterior and posterior sulci, they are variable in size being either only indicated or rather extended; pronotal surface mostly olivaceous-green to bronze or cupreous with metallic reflections, often with shiny-green or bright-cupreous lateral areas, irregularly wavy to vermicular-rugulose, rugae becoming more regularly transverse-wavy along well developed median line and on extended areas of lateral ribs; lateral sterna shiny green to cupreous (in female also bronze), occasionally with dark testaceous areas, finely or more coarsely striate to nearly smooth (often so in female); female mesepisternal coupling sulci in form of deep, rather large pit placed in the dorsal mesepisternal half; metepisterna with deep fovea-like impression at posterior suture; pro-, meso-, and metasternum metallic green or blue, sometimes with orange areas, metasternum with impression placed at dorsolateral corner.

Elytra elongate, length 7.00– 8.90 mm in male, 7.00– 9.80 mm in female, anteapical angles rounded, apices rounded or obtuse, slightly or indistinctly emarginate towards short sutural spines; juxtahumeral impressions shallow, basodiscal convexity moderate, apical impressions indistinct; each elytron between basodiscal convexity and apical impression with two longitudinal (discal and sublateral) costae, which are in basal area of each costa usually mutually connected by additional, short transverse costa; interspace between costae and suture impressed; elytral surface anteriorly densely and deeply punctate (juxtahumeral impression punctate only sporadically); punctures in lateral areas of basodiscal convexity often with wide interspaces forming elevated irregular chains, punctures towards apex becoming smaller and shallower and are very indistinct on apical area, punctures on flat interspaces between costae and also between suture are nearly effaced; sparse setigerous punctures with rather long, white, hairlike setae distributed on anterior area; elytral coloration olivaceous-green to iridescent bronze or cupreous; interspaces between costae and also along suture notably iridescent green, silvery-bronze or silvery-cupreous, changing to dull depending on angle of illumination; elytral maculation ochre-white, in both sexes consisting of three maculae: elongate curved humeral macula visible in dorsal view, rather short transverse median macula which is usually obliquely directed backwards, but rather variable in its length, usually reaching sublateral costa more rarely short and very rarely overlapping it, and irregularly circular anteapical macula.

Abdomen. Ventrites glabrous, dark testaceous with green, rarely partly bright-bluish or cupreous metallic reflection.

Legs. Coxae and trochanters testaceous; profemora testaceous often with darkened stripe in posterior area, meso- and metafemora testaceous with variably sized, sometimes reduced, darkened terminal area; protibiae in both sexes testaceous with darkened terminal joints and often also with narrow dark stripe, in female darker area is usually more extended; mesotibiae testaceous, usually with black inner area; metatibiae testaceous with black apical area often expanding towards base (more markedly so in female); tarsi in male vary from testaceous with black joints to entirely black, metatarsi occasionally distinctly darker than pro- and mesotarsi; tarsi in female generally darker; claws testaceous.

Aedeagus ( Fig. 65 ) 4.05–4.55 mm long and 0.75–0.90 mm wide; moderately voluminous in middle; attenuated into short, but rather thick, dorsally hooked tip.

Differential diagnosis. Distinguished from C. acentra by the coloration of labial and maxillary palpi in female which are testaceous with black terminal palpomeres (in maxillary palpi rarely also penultimate palpomeres black), generally somewhat smaller body size (13.10–15.70 mm in C. acentra , 10.80–15.20 mm in C. bavayi ). Also resembling C. lunigera due to similar pattern of elytral maculation, but distinguished from it by distinctly larger body size (10.60–12.80 mm in C. lunigera ) and labrum with darkened margins. Caledonica acentra also differs from both above-mentioned species in aedeagus with dorsally distinctly hooked tip.

Biology and distribution. Caledonica bavayi is probably the most common and widespread species of the genus, often syntopic with C. mniszechii , occurring together and often in large numbers in various types of biotopes. They live inside primary forests, but also inhabit trees around roads, paths or clearings and particularly large solitary trees a short distance from the forest edge. One adult was observed sitting on a wide and very high stalk of grass in an open grassy area in the vicinity of Païta.

Remarks. Examination of the type specimens has revealed that C. bavayi is a separate species clearly distinguished from C. acentra . Therefore, species status of C. bavayi was recently restored and a lectotype was designated ( DEUVE 2015).

Adults of the populations of C. bavayi from the locality 3 km southwest of Ouegoa are of an exceptionally small size, often smaller than 11 mm, while the usual size of this species is between 12–15 mm.

Figures

Figs 56–65. 56–60 – Caledonica acentra Chaudoir, 1869: 56 – habitus,J, Sarramea, 13.7 mm (AKCB); 57 – frontal view, ibid.; 58 – habitus, ♀, Sarramea, 15 mm (AKCB); 59 – frontal view, ibid.; 60 – aedeagus, Sarramea (AKCB). 61–65 – C.bavayi Fauvel,1882:61 – habitus,J, NW Koumac, 12.5 mm (AKCB); 62 – frontal view,ibid.; 63 – habitus, ♀, N Bourail, 15.4 mm (AKCB); 64 – frontal view, ibid.; 65 – aedeagus, Mt. Colnett (AKCB). Scale bars = 1 mm.

Figs 83–86. Habitats and adults. 83 – Province Sud, Sarramea, Plato de Dogny, a path through forest with saplings of Coffea arabica, a biotope of Caledonica mniszechii (Thomson, 1856) and C. bavayi Fauvel, 1882; 84 – Province Sud, Mt. Koghis, a biotope of C. mniszechii, C. acentra Chaudoir, 1869, C. rivalieri Deuve, 1981 and C. bavayi; 85 – a mating pair of C. mniszechii, Plato de Dogny; 86 – C. luiggiorum sp. nov. on the trunk of young Acacia spirorbis tree in a garden, Province Nord.