Oopterus mohiensis, Larochelle & Larivière & Larochelle & Larivière, 2017

Larochelle, Larivière, Marie-Claude, Larochelle & Larivière, 2017, Synopsis of the tribe Zolini in New Zealand (Coleoptera: Carabidae), Insecta Mundi 2017 (594), pp. 1-110 : 39-40

Oopterus mohiensis new species

Fig. 41 , 87 , 134

Holotype: male ( NZAC) labeled: “ NEW ZEALAND HB Mohi Bush Sce. Res. [= Scenic Reserve ] 300m 21.I.1998 Larochelle and Larivière (typed) / Dry Tawa forest. Under fallen branches. (typed) / [male symbol] / HOLOTYPE [male symbol] Oopterus mohiensis Larochelle & Larivière, 2017 (red label; typed).” Paratypes: two males (CMNH, NZAC) from the same locality as the holotype, bearing blue paratype labels.

Description. Body length 5.0– 6.1 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; antennal segments 1+2 yellow; femora infuscated. Microsculpture mostly absent on head (isodiametric basally), obsolete and very transverse (with microlines) on pronotum and elytra. Iridescence absent on head, feeble 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 moderately convex; two setiferous punctures on inner side of each eye. Tempora not inflated. Mentum: medial tooth entire, subtruncate apically, moderately shorter than lateral lobes. Paraglossae membranous, prominent, slightly longer than ligula. Thorax. Pronotum moderately convex, coarsely punctate across base, unwrinkled, 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 rectangular; posterolateral carinae blunt, very long (about as long as adjoining foveae); laterobasal foveae well defined, coarsely punctate, very deep and wide, subrectangular, not 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. Striae incomplete; stria 1 deep; 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 subdepressed. 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. 87 ): strongly arcuate, not narrowed in apical half; base strongly biconvex dorsally; middle rather straight dorsally, moderately convex ventrally, with dorsal membranous area moderately wide and very long; apex subtriangular, rather straight dorsally, straight ventrally, with extreme tip wide and rather long. Dorsal view: narrow, asymmetrical (ostium of membranous area deflected to right); apex straight; basal orifice narrow, closed anteriorly, moderately distant from membranous area. Parameres with four to six apical setae.

Material examined. 38 specimens ( AMNZ, CMNH, MONZ, NZAC).

Geographic distribution ( Fig. 134 ). North Island: HB, TK, WA, WN.

Ecology. Lowland, montane, subalpine, alpine. Epigean. Wet or dry forests (beech, broadleaf); alpine tussock grasslands. Shaded or open ground. Nocturnal; hides during the day in leaf litter and moss, under stones and fallen branches. Gregarious.

Biology. Seasonality: December–March. Predacious (based on mouthpart morphology).

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

Collecting techniques. Sifting leaf litter and moss; lifting stones and fallen branches; pitfall trapping.

Remarks. This species is named after the type locality Mohi Bush Scenic Reserve (HB) and the Latin suffix - ensis, denoting a place, locality, or country. Oopterus mohiensis is morphologically close to O. frontalis and O. punctatus . In addition to diagnostic characters of the male genitalia, O. mohiensis has the following distinguishing features: microsculpture obsolete on pronotum and elytra; eyes moderately convex; pronotum with posterolateral angles rectangular and laterobasal foveae coarsely punctate. Oopterus mohiensis and O. frontalis occur in southern areas of the North Island, while O. punctatus is known only from Banks Peninsula and the Port Hills in Christchurch (South Island).

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 130–135. Species distribution maps. 130) Oopterus laeviventris. 131) O. lewisi. 132) O. marrineri. 133) O. marrisi new species. 134) O. mohiensis new species. 135) O. monticola new species.