Caledonica rubicondosa Deuve, 2006

Kudrna, Arnošt, 2016, Revision of the genusCaledonica (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 56 (2), pp. 567-628 : 601-603

Caledonica rubicondosa Deuve, 2006

( Figs 36–40 )

Caledonica viridicollis rubicondosa Deuve, 2006: 2 (original description). Caledonica rubicondosa: DEUVE (2015) : 69 (elevated to species rank), 77 (noted), 78 (figure).

Type locality. ‘ New Caledonia, Touho TV tower, 20°39´S, 165°13´E, 400 m, a.s.l.’.

Type material examined. HOLOTYPE: ♀, ‘ New Caledonia , 11485, 20°39´S x 165°13´E., Touho TV tower, 400 m., 28Nov2003 - 30Jan2004., G.Monteith. flight int. trap.’ [printed]; ‘ Queensland, museum loan, Date: March 2005, No. LE 05.09’ [green, printed]; ‘ Holotype’ [red, printed] ( MNHN) . PARATYPES: 2 ♀♀, ‘ New Caledonia , 8905, 20°58´Sx 165°17´E. 500 m, Pic d´Amoa, N slopes, 24 Nov 01-31Jan2002, BurwellMonteith. Malaise. ’ [printed] ; ‘ Queensland , museum loan, Date: March 2005, No. LE 05.09’ [green, printed] ( QMBA) ; 1 ♀, ‘ New Caledonia , 8603, 20°58´Sx 165°17´E. 500 m, Pic d ʼAmoa,N slopes, 10-24Nov2001, C.Burwell & Monteith.Malaise trap’ [printed] ; ‘ Queensland , museum loan, Date: March 2005, No. LE 05.09’ [green, printed] ( QMBA) ; 1 ♀, ‘ New Caledonia , 11488, 20°24´Sx 164°31´E. 550 m, Mandjelia, lower creek, 29Nov2003 - 31Jan2004, G.Monteith. Malaise. ’ [printed] ; ‘ Queensland , museum loan, Date: March 2005, No. LE 05.09’ [green, printed] ( QMBA) ; 2 ♀♀, ‘ New Caledonia 11506, 20°39´Sx 165°13´E. Touho TV tower, 400 m. 30Jan2004, G.Monteith. handcoll. rainforest.’ [printed] ; ‘ Queensland , museum loan, Date: March 2005, No. LE 05.09’ [green, printed] ( QMBA). All paratypes are temporarily on loan in MNHN . Additional material examined (3 specimens). NEW CALEDONIA: PROVINCE NORD: Antenna Forest , 2 km S of Touho, 450 m, 20°47′S, 165°14′E, 7.10. ii.2012, 2 J, A. Kudrna jr. lgt ( AKCB) ; Mt. Colnett , 0–350 m, 20°30′S, 164°45′E, 17.–23.i.2012, 1 J, A. Kudrna jr. lgt. ( AKCB) .

Redescription. Body small, length 11.30–12.20 mm, width 3.50–3.90 mm in male ( Fig. 36 ); 10.70–12.00 (holotype: 12.00) mm long, 3.90–4.05 (holotype: 4.05) mm wide in female ( Fig. 38 ).

Head with large eyes, slightly narrower than elytra, dorsally bronze to cupreous with metallic reflections; frons and supraantennal plates shiny green and cupreous; frons moderately convex, separated from clypeus by distinct suture, irregularly vermicular-rugulose; vertex moderately to rather distinctly convex, with moderate to shallow posterior impression, mostly longitudinally striate; orbital plates longitudinally parallel-striate with two setae on each side; occipital area irregularly vermicular-rugulose; genae glabrous, green to cupreous, finely parallel-striate with strong metallic reflections; clypeus coriaceous, metallic green to cupreous.

Labrum in both sexes with four setae and acute anterolateral teeth, in male ( Fig. 37 ) testaceous with darkened margins of anterolateral teeth (in one male entirely testaceous) shorter than wide, length 0.95–1.10 mm, width 1.50–1.55 mm, median lobe short, truncate; female labrum ( Fig. 39 ) longer, length 1.25–1.45 mm, width 1.40–1.50 mm, testaceous, with widely and distinctly darkened lateral margins, the darker area occasionally mesad-expanded; prominent tridentate median lobe of acute teeth which are bent downwards, so their acute shape is not obvious in dorsal view.

Mandibles subsymmetrical; brownish-testaceous with paler basolateral part, paler area occasionally more expanding; each mandible with three teeth and basal molar; the third tooth in right mandible only indistinctly smaller than the third in left mandible.

Labial and maxillary palpi in male entirely testaceous, or with darkened apices of terminal palpomeres; in female palpi testaceous with terminal (and in maxillary palpi also penultimate) palpomeres black.

Antennae longer and paler in male, reaching two elytral thirds while in female only elytral third to half; scape in male testaceous or with only limited black apical area, pedicel and antennomeres III–IV dark-testaceous with variably extended black stripes, antennomere IV occasionally nearly entirely testaceous, antennomeres V–XI testaceous, progressively darkened with terminal or also penultimate antennomere black; scape in female testaceous, pedicel and antennomeres III–IV black with paler apical areas, antennomeres V–XI dark brown, progressively black-darkened.

Thorax. All thoracic portions glabrous. Pronotum in male 1.95–2.10 mm long, 2.60–2.80 mm wide (on the average 1.32 times wider than long); in female 1.80–2.00 mm long, 2.50–2.75 mm wide (on the average1.20 times wider than long), anterior and posterior sulci well pronounced, anterior and posterior lobe of about the same width, median line indistinct to rather distinct, lateral margins of disc convex with elevated notopleural sutures obvious in dorsal view in form of very short, but distinctly wide, flat lateral ribs that are gradually effaced towards anterior and posterior sulci; pronotal surface bronze to cupreous with metallic reflections, irregularly vermicular-rugulose, rugae shallow to nearly effaced; lateral sterna in male shiny green to cupreous with metallic reflections; in female predominantly dark ochreous as the metallic lustre is less strong, smooth to very finely wrinkled (smoother in female) except for finely to more coarsely wrinkled male mesepisterna; female mesepisternal coupling sulci absent; metepisterna with deep fovea-like impression at posterior suture; ventral sterna metallic green, in females occasionally ochreous, more markedly on metasternum which also possesses much less distinct impression at dorsolateral corner.

Elytra elongate, length 7.20–8.00 mm in male, 7.10–7.90 mm in female, slightly narrowing towards rounded anteapical angles, apices rounded, only indistincty emarginate towards short sutural spine; juxtahumeral impressions shallow to moderate, basodiscal convexity moderate to distinct, apical impressions indistinct; each elytron between basodiscal convexity and apical impression with two longitudinal costae: markedly elevated discal costa generating distinct edge, and sublateral costa in form of much less distinct elevation, area between costae and suture impressed; elytral surface anteriorly densely and deeply punctate, juxtahumeral impressions with several punctures; punctures towards apex becoming smaller and shallower becoming very indistinct to effaced on apical area and on flat interspaces between the costae and also between suture; sparse setigerous punctures with white, rather long hairlike setae are distributed on anterior area; elytral coloration bronze to cupreous with lustre; interspaces between costae and also along the suture notably iridescently bronze, silvery-bronze or cupreous, the iridescence changing to dull depending on angle of illumination; elytral maculation orange and distinct, in both sexes consisting of short humeral macula, wide, transverse-oblong median band that is always widely reaching discal costa, and anteapical macula which is large, irregularly circular or oblong.

Abdomen. Ventrites glabrous, in male entirely shiny green or green with cupreous areas; in female ochreous with green to blue-green metallic lustre.

Legs. All leg segments including coxae and trochanters orange-testaceous (femora and tibiae with indistinctly darkened apices), tarsi in male with first three protarsomeres dark brown to black, protarsomeres 4–5 and mesotarsi testaceous with darkened apices, metatarsi dark testaceous to black; tarsi in female dark testaceous to black, often with somewhat paler basal tarsomere; claws testaceous.

Aedeagus ( Fig. 40 ) 3.30–3.55 mm long and 0.65–0.75 mm wide; with notably short base, rather wide in middle and arcuately curved, apex notably wide and rounded.

Differential diagnosis. Resembling the nominotypical subspecies, but distinguished by the wider and orange coloured elytral maculation.

Biology and distribution. The description of this subspecies (DEUVE 2006) was based on seven females, the male was unknown. The three males treated here are the only males known to science. In the primary forest close to Touho two specimens were caught during a rainy day on tree trunks overgrown with rather dense vegetation.

Remarks. Caledonica rubicondosa was recently elevated to species rank ( DEUVE 2015). However the situation in the C. rivalieri - viridicollis species complex is confusing and unclear. All taxa included in the complex ( C. viridicollis viridicollis , C. viridicollis laevioricollis , C. rubicondosa , and C. rivalieri ) are unfortunately known from only a few specimens or a single specimen. Additional material, particularly adult specimens of C. viridicollis , is needed to clarify the identity of taxa in this group.

All taxa in the complex are, among others, characterised by absence of the female mesepisternal coupling sulci, a unique character (except for the very different C. pulchella ) in the genus.

Figures

Figs 36–45. 36–40 – Caledonica rubicondosa Deuve, 2006: 36 – habitus, J, Mt. Colnett, 12.2 mm (AKCB); 37 – frontal view, ibid.; 38 – habitus, ♀, Touho, 11.4 mm (QMBA); 39 – frontal view, ibid.; 40 – aedeagus, Mt. Colnett (AKCB). 41–45 – C. fleutiauxi Deuve, 1981: 41 – habitus, J, holotype, 13.9 mm (MNHN); 42 – labrum, ibid.; 43 – habitus,♀, paratype, no locality data, 14 mm (MNHN); 44 – labrum, ibid.; 45 – aedeagus, holotype (MNHN). Scale bars = 1 mm.