Oparara Leschen and Lord, 2017

Leschen, Richard A. B. & Lord, Nathan P., 2017, Three New Genera of New Zealand Synchitini (Coleoptera: Zopheridae: Colydiinae), The Coleopterists Bulletin 71 (4), pp. 733-745 : 734-736

Oparara Leschen and Lord , new genus ( Fig. 1a–c )

Type Species. Oparara marskeae, Leschen and Lord , new species.

Diagnosis. Surfaces glabrous, encrustations present. Head strongly dorsoventrally flattened. Antenna 11-segmented with 2-segmented club. Antennal groove well-developed, extending beyond posterior margin of eye. Labial palpi absent. Pronotum explanate, anterior margin deflected dorsally, lateral lobes absent, anterior angles extending forward to level of anterior pronotal margin. Prothorax without distinct antennal cavities. Abdominal ventrites well-separated by transverse grooves, ventrite V with preapical groove. Elytron with welldeveloped costae; epipleuron absent. Metacoxal cavity laterally closed by metaventrite and abdominal ventrite I. Legs generally flattened in crosssection. Tarsal formula?-4-4; tarsi filiform, not strongly lobed below.

Description. Length 2.4 mm; depth 0.9 mm. Dorsal and ventral surfaces glabrous, lacking agglutinate scales; cuticle uneven, with irregularly formed verrucae, weakly developed on elytra and more regular ventrally; encrustations present, especially within punctures. Head dorsoventrally compressed, not strongly constricted behind eyes; temples present, subequal to length of eye; vertex and frons depressed at middle, with sides distinctly raised above antennal insertions; supraorbital carina absent. Antennal groove well-developed, extending beyond posterior margin of eye; subgena not expanded laterally. Eye weakly developed, consisting of about 10 facets, interfacetal setae absent. Antenna short, inserted below frons, extending to about midline of pronotum, 11-segmented with 2-segmented club; setation of antennal segments II–IX sparse, consisting of a single row of short setae at middle or base of segment; club segments more densely setose, setae longer, not arranged in rows; scape subcylindrical, wider than pedicel; pedicel narrowed toward base, not expanded distally, slightly longer than wide, shorter than 1, longer than 3; antennomeres 3–9 of subequal width; antennomere 3 longer than all others, as long as 4–6 combined; antennal club slightly flattened, strong, abrupt, with antennomere 11 about 2X as long as 10, with antennomere 10 transverse. Labrum short, not strongly transverse, anterior margin weakly rounded, fringed with sparse setae. Mandibles hidden in repose [not dissected]. Maxillary palpus 4-segmented, last maxillary palpomere digitiform, about 3X as long as wide, concave on inner surface. Mentum strongly transverse, with apical margin straight; labial palpi absent. Submentum rectangular, slightly wider than long, lacking median carina. Gular region with sutures, tentorial pits not discernible [dissection required], broadly and weakly vaulted at middle. Prothorax constricted at base, with a broad cowling fitting dorsally into and ventrally over the mesothorax. Pronotum 1.1X wider than long, explanate, lacking lobes, widest at middle, with base narrower than combined (greatest) width of elytra; anterior margin produced at middle into a hood covering a portion of the head while in repose, deflected apicodorsally; anterior angles strongly extending forward to level of anterior pronotal margin; posterior angles of lateral carina broad, more or less right, without a tooth; lateral carina more or less sharp-edged; surface of disc uneven, longitudinally depressed at sides, with a distinct Π- shaped furrow baso-medially, lacking well-developed tubercles and carinae. Prothoracic venter without distinct antennal cavities, though weakly excavate. Notosternal suture not discernible. Prosternum not produced anteriorly into a chin-piece, anterior margin more or less straight, medially not raised above level of procoxae; prosternum long in front of the procoxae, about 1.3X as long as prosternal process; prosternal process wider than coxal cavity, slightly expanded at middle and weakly emarginate at apex, apex not expanded apically or laterally. Procoxal cavities externally separated by more than 2X coxal cavity diameters; externally open, postcoxal process rounded, not extending posteriad the coxae. Lateral portions of elytra more or less explanate. Scutellary shield absent, not visible externally. Elytra 1.25X as long as combined width and 1.6X as long as pronotum, subparallel-sided; scutellary striole absent, punctation coarse, with large, irregularly-shaped punctures arranged into 5 rows, punctures well-separated; elytral disc with 3 well-defined costae; humeral carinae absent; apex rounded in dorsal view; epipleuron absent. Hindwings absent [elytra solidly fused]. Mesoventrite with pair of tuberculate carinae; mesocoxae separated by about 2/3 width of coxal cavity; mesocoxal cavity laterally closed. Metaventrite about 1/5 shorter than abdominal ventrite I; metacoxae separated by about 2/3 width of coxal cavity; metacoxal cavity laterally closed by metaventrite and abdominal ventrite I. Legs generally flattened in cross-section; posterior surfaces of protibial and meso- and metafemora and tibiae slightly concave; protibia with outer apical angle not expanded and edge with lateral teeth or spines. Tarsal formula?-4-4 [holotype damaged]; tarsi filiform and not strongly lobed below, tarsomeres I–III about equal lengths, their combined length subequal to tarsomere IV. Abdominal ventrites well-separated by transverse grooves, intercoxal process of ventrite I broad; ventrite V with preapical groove.

Comments. Oparara keys to couplet 24 in Ślipiński and Lawrence (1997), leading to Heteragus Sharp, a diverse, endemic New Zealand genus composed of 17 species, that is not easy to characterize and is likely polyphyletic. Like Oparara , members of Heteragus also lack labial palpi and have closed metacoxal cavities. The following characters distinguish Oparara from Heteragus: antennomere 3 longer than antennomeres 2 and 3 combined; general lack of scales on the dorsal surface; pronotum at middle deflected dorsally; and presence of anterior elytral projections. Most Heteragus species are more broadbodied than Oparara , with a transverse pronotum and the elytra about 2X as long as the pronotum. Also, about half of the described species of Heteragus do not have elytral costae, and if they do, the costae are not as sharp and polished and the elytral punctures are not as well separated as in Oparara .

Etymology. A place name epithet, Oparara Arches is a Northwest Nelson locality located near the township of Karamea.

Figures

Fig. 1. Oparara marskeae. a) Dorsal habitus, b) Ventral habitus, c) Lateral habitus. Scale bar = 1 mm.