Maurodus maculatus (Broun, 1893) Leschen & Reid & Nadein, 2020

Leschen, Richard A. B., Reid, Chris A. M. & Nadein, Konstantin S., 2020, Generic Review of New Zealand Chrysomelinae (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), Zootaxa 4740 (1), pp. 1-66 : 39-40

Maurodus maculatus (Broun, 1893) , comb. nov.

( Figs 5 F–H, 12C,D, 18C; map Fig. 19A )

Caccomolpus maculatus Broun, 1893b:1309 . Type locality: Mount Arthur.

Diagnosis. Body spherical and bicoloured; pronotum bicoloured. Antennal grooved not delimited by ridges. Prosternal lines in front of procoxae parallel to anteriorly convergent. Elytra with midbasal stria or puncture present; maculae broad with outer edges sinuate and contacting broadly at midline; microsculpture strongly impressed. Ventrites dark-coloured and infuscate, with hypomera and epipleura uniformly pale-coloured; male ventrite 5 vaulted at middle. Legs bicoloured with femora and tibiae infuscate or yellow; tarsomere 1 of male greatly enlarged.

Description. Length 3.3–3.9 mm (greatest depth 1.80–2.00 mm). Body spherical and bicoloured with most of the head, most of the pronotum, elytral macula, and middle portions of the ventral surfaces black; anterior portion of the clypeus, margins of the pronotum and elytra, mouthparts, antennae, hypomera, and epipleura yellow to pale-coloured; elytral maculae sinuate along lateral edge. Microsculpture distinct, present on pronotum and elytra. Clypeus finley punctate, semicircular, anterior margin straight; frontoclypeal suture present with medial and lateral postclypeal lines weakly impressed or absent; vertex weakly punctate but may be slightly stronger than those on clypeus. Ratio of antennomere lengths: 1.4/.9/1.4/1.2/1.0/1.0/1.0/1.2/1.2/1.4/1.9. Antennal groove not delimited by ridges. Pronotum transverse (2.18–2.75 x wider than long), lateral margins at base not subparallel-sided and sides converging anteriorly, not strongly convex; punctures tend to be non-uniform, sometimes more coarse or wellimpressed at base and not usually progressively diffuse anteriorly, stronger than much of the dorsum, apart from the latero-apical striae of the elytra. Prosternal lines or carinae in front of procoxae parallel or convergent with the anterior width 0.66x narrower than procoxal width; intercarinal space flat. Elytra widest at basal 1/4 with a nearly convex outline (1.11–1.50x the greatest elytral width), 3.82–3.87x longer than pronotal length and broad; punctation striate, not strongly impressed; midbasal stria present and weakly developed and shallow. Male ventrite 5 vaulted at middle. Median lobe of aedeagus in lateral view narrowing from basal 1/3 to apex and acute; in dorsal view, parallel-sided with a ligulate apex; flagellum present. Tarsomere 1 of male greatly enlarged.

Comments. Broun described Caccomolpus maculatus from a single specimen that we located in the BMNH. This species is transferred from Caccomolpus to Maurodus because the subcoxal lines on abdominal venrite 1 are parallel to coxal cavities forming a narrow bead. Maurodus maculatus can be distinguished from most species of the genus by the presence of a process or vaulted abdominal ventrite 5 in the male, which is shared with M. arcus and can be distinguished from it based on the shape of the body where the elytra are widest at the basal ¼, the elytral macula is narrowed towards the base, and the hypomeron is pale or yellow.

Distribution. South Island: NN, MB.

Type examined. Holotype ( BMNH): re-mounted on point with aedeagus glued to margin of card, “2965. [in Broun’s hand] // Mount Arthur // New Zealand. [red underline] Broun Coll. Brit. Mus. 1922-482. // Caccomolpus maculatus . [in Broun’s hand] // Aotearoanus maculatus (Broun) [handwritten] det. M. Daccordi [printed] 1987 [in Daccordi’s hand]”.

Additional material examined. South Island. NN: Mt Arthur Tk Ridge , above Mt Arthur Hut, 1347m, 41.197843S, 172.711686E, sifting tussock litter TB362, 01.03.2010 , T. Buckley , R. Leschen, L. Dunning (1, NZAC); L. Peel, on moss at night, 1340m, 19.iv.1987 , R. M. Emberson (2, LUNZ); L. Sylvester , 10.ii.1985 , RM. Emberson , tussock and subalpine scrub , LCNZ 85 /1 (1, LUNZ); Mt Arthur Tableland , Balloon Hut, 41.168895S, 172.622347E, 21.01.1943 , C.E. Clarke, C.E. Clarke Collection (4, AMNZ; 3 BMNH) . MB: Mt Stokes , 41.088012S, 174.104473E, under rocks in tussock, 12.10.1967 , J.I. Townsend (1, NZAC). WD: Arthurs Pass NP, Kellys Creek , 460m, 11.xi.1985 , R. M. Emberson & P. Syrett, mossy rocks and trees at night (1, LUNZ) .

Figures

FIGURES 5A–H. Habiti and structures of Maurodus spp.; A, Maurodus impressus, dorsal view of holotype, length 3.1 mm; B, Maurodus cinctiger, frontal view of head; C, Maurodus cinctiger, dorsal view of head and pronotum; D, Maurodus lepidus, dorsal; E, Maurodus lepidus, dorsal; F, Maurodus maculatus, dorsal; G, Maurodus maculatus, lateral; H, Maurodus maculatus, oblique lateral.

FIGURES 19A–B. A and B, South Island.