Tropopterus montagnei Solier

Liebherr, James K., 2019, Revision of Tropopterus Solier: A disjunct South American component of the Australo-Pacific Moriomorphini (Coleoptera, Carabidae), Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift 66 (2), pp. 147-177 : 147

1. Tropopterus montagnei Solier Figures 1A , 7A , 8A , 9A , 10

Tropopterus montagnei Solier 1849: 214; Reed 1874: 58.

Tropidopterus montagnei Gemminger and Harold 1868: 385 (unjustified emendation).

Merizodus catapileanus Jeannel 1962: 606 (New synonymy).

Diagnosis

(n = 3). These somber-colored, small-bodied beetles - standardized body length 5.7-6.2 mm - can be recognized by the isodiametric elytral microsculpture that gives the surface a granulate appearance. The legs are dark, with the femora and tibial apices as dark as the piceous head, pronotum, and elytra. The pronotum is moderately transverse (MPW/PL = 1.21-1.27) with the pronotal hind angle obtuse, the lateral margin straight anterad the hind angle. The elytral striae 1-4 are obsolete, only traceable on the disc and without punctation. Only the first, sutural stria is ± traceable on the elytral apex. The eyes are small (ocular ratio = 1.32-1.36) with about 18 ommatidia crossed along a horizontal diameter of the eye. The vertex is glossy, contrasted with the transverse mesh microsculpture of the pronotum, and the granulate isodiametric microsculpture of the elytra. Ventrally the prosternum is broadly flattened to moderately depressed medially from the prosternal process anterad to 2/3 of the prosternal length, and the mesepisternum is smooth, with 2-3 irregular punctures dorsoventrally arranged on its concave surface.

Female reproductive tract (n = 1). Bursa copulatrix columnar, length twice breadth, compressed under microslide cover slip ( Fig. 7A ), bursal walls relatively thick, translucent; spermatheca globose (separated in single dissection); basal gonocoxite 1 with apical fringe of two setae ( Fig. 8A ); apical gonocoxite 2 broadly triangular, base extended laterally, with two moderate lateral ensiform setae and one dorsal ensiform seta; apical sensory fossa with two nematiform setae.

Type information.

T. montagnei lectotype female (MNHN) hereby designated: S. Iago (handwritten on blue label) // MUSEUM PARIS / CHILI / Cl. Gay 1845 (grey label) // 9 45 (round blue label) // TYPE (red label) // Tropopterus / montagnei / Sol. Sn. Iago (handwritten white label) // Tropopterus / Measured / Specimen #1 / det. J.K. Liebherr 2019 // LECTOTYPE / Tropopterus / montagnei / Solier / des. Liebherr 2019 (black-margined red label). PARALECTOTYPE female (MNHN): MUSEUM PARIS / CHILI / Cl. Gay 1845 (grey label) // 9 45 (round blue label) // Tropopterus / Measured / Specimen #2 / det. J.K. Liebherr 2019 // PARALECTOTYPE (as above).

Merizodus catapileanus holotype female (MNHN): Catapilco // 459 // Chili / Aconcagua / Catapilco // Catapilcanus / P. G. (ined.) / 459 // Merizodus // catapileanus / m. (hand written cursive) // Tropidopterus / catapileanus / det. P. M. Johns // 163 // Tropopterus / Measured / Specimen #3 / det. J.K. Liebherr 2019 // HOLOTYPE / Merizodus / catapileanus / Jeannel 1962 (black-margined red label) // Tropopterus / montagnei / Solier / det. J.K. Liebherr 2019. Because Jeannel (1962) stated this species name was based on "une femelle," he designated a holotype by monotypy. This female was card-mounted with the abdomen missing. As Jeannel routinely mounted dissected genitalia on separate pins (see the Tropopterus giraudyi paralectotype) it appears this species was dissected with the abdomen plus genitalia mounted separately, the latter subsequently disassociated. The data on the specimen agree with those provided in Jeannel’s (1962: 606) description. Also, Jeannel’s textual description fits the specimen with regard to size, wing configuration, general habitus, and absence of dorsal elytral setae. However, the illustration accompanying the text deviates significantly from the specimen by showing the penultimate palpomere as setose, and the elytra with eight lateral elytral setae (arranged as 4 + 4). In fact the penultimate palpomere is glabrous, and the lateral elytral setae are arranged as 6 + 1 + 6; i.e. a single seta separated from the anterior and posterior series of six setae each. Admittedly, there was excessive mucilage filling the elytral marginal depression, and so the setae were apparently missed. The consequence of these mistakes was Jeannel’s placement of this species in a genus of the Zolini .

Date locality information for all specimens. Chile: Petorca Prov. (labelled “Aconcagua”), Catapilco, 32°34.10'S, 71°16.52'W, Germain (MNHN, 1); Q. Tigre Zapallar (= Catapilco), 13-vii-1966, Pena (MNHN, 1). Santiago Prov., Santiago (lectotype and paralectotype), 33°26.75'S, 70°40.12'W, Solier (MNHN, 2).

Distribution and habitat.

No habitat data are associated with the types of either names representing this species. This species is restricted to the Santiagan entomofaunal region ( Fig. 9A; O 'Brien 1971).

Figures

Figure 1. Tropopterus spp., dorsal view; range of standardized body lengths in mm. A. T. montagnei female; Petorca Prov., Q. Tigre Zapallar, Catapilco (MNHN). B. T. giraudyi female; Valdivia Prov., Chaihuin (EMEC). C. T. peckorum male; Quillota Prov., P. N. La Campana (FMNH). D. T. robustus female; Malleco Prov., M. N. Contulmo (FMNH). E. T. canaliculus female; Malleco Prov., P. N. Nahuelbuta (FMNH). F. T. duponchelii male; Arauco Prov., Caramavida (MCZ).

Figure 7. Female reproductive tract and gonocoxae of abdominal segment IX, ventral view. A. T. montagnei; Petorca Prov., Q. Tigre Zapallar, Catapilco (MNHN). Spermatheca disassociated from bursal assemblage. B. T. giraudyi; Llanquihue Prov., P. N. Vicente Perez Rosales (FMNH). C. T. robustus; Malleco Prov., M. N. Contulmo (FMNH). D. T. canaliculus; Malleco Prov., P. N. Nahuelbuta (FMNH). E. T. duponchelii; Arauco Prov., Caramavida (MCZ). F. T. minimucro; Valdivia Prov., P. N. Oncol (EMEC). For abbreviations used to label structures see Table 1. Vertical scale bars: 0.5 mm.

Figure 8. Left gonocoxa (except where noted), ventral view, for Tropopterus spp. Specimen information is parallel to that in Figure 7 A-F. For abbreviations used to label structures see Table 1. A. T. montagnei. B. T. giraudyi. C. T. robustus. D. T. canaliculus. E. T. duponchelii. F. T. minimucro (right gonocoxa).

Figure 9. A-I. Geographic distributions of Tropopterus spp. A. T. montagnei. B. T. giraudyi. C. T. peckorum. D. T. robustus. E. T. canaliculus. F. T. duponchelii. G. T. trisinuatus. H. T. minimucro. I. T. fieldianus. J. Geographical distributions of Tropopterus spp., labeled as per figures above, hierarchically arranged by phylogenetic relationships of the taxon cladogram, Fig. 10.

Figure 10. Cladogram returned under all cladistic protocols described in text; tree length = 97, CI = 57, RI = 47, fast character optimization shown. Outgroup choice of Pharetis thayerae based on results in Liebherr (2020). Geographic region abbreviations after taxon name include: eastern Australia (EOZ); Santiagan entomofaunal province (San); Northern Valdivian entomofaunal province (NV); Southern Valdivian Entomofaunal province (SV).