Neoaulacoryssus cupripennis (Gory)

Shpeley, Danny, Hunting, Wesley & Ball, George E., 2017, A taxonomic review of the Selenophori group (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Harpalini) in the West Indies, with descriptions of new species and notes about classification and biogeography, ZooKeys 690, pp. 1-195 : 11

Neoaulacoryssus cupripennis (Gory) Figs 1A, 2 A–C, 3A, 4

Selenophorus cupripennis Gory, 1833: 239. TYPE MATERIAL: not seen by present authors; only a single specimen from “Cayenne”; sex unspecified.- Gemminger and Harold 1868: 266.- Csiki 1932: 1197.- Blackwelder 1944: 49.

Neoaulacoryssus cupripennis ; Noonan 1985a: 38.- Ball 1992: 85.- Lorenz 1998: 355.- Lorenz 2005: 376.

Taxonomic note.

Noonan (1985a: 38) suggested that N. cupripennis and N. speciosus (Dejean) may be conspecific. The everted endophallus of both N. cupripennis and N. speciosus was examined, as the form of the phallic median lobe was nearly identical. The three spine fields were similar in placement on the surface of the everted endophallus and length of spines, but differed in size and shape of the field. We believe that both of these are valid species.

Type area.

Cayenne.

Diagnosis.

The elytral macrosculpture, consisting of elongate punctures in places confluent and chain-like, readily separates this species from other West Indian selenophorine species. Specimens of N. cupripennis have the entire dorsum metallic cupreous, whereas specimens of N. speciosus have a greenish-bluish-violaceous head, greenish pronotum and reddish elytra.

Descriptive notes.

Data for SBL in Table 1. Habitus as in Fig. 1A. Labrum with anterior margin shallowly concave; clypeus with anterior margin moderately concave. Antennae and mouthparts rufo-brunneous to dark brunneous; antennal scape paler than remaining antennomeres. Legs rufo-brunneous; ventral surface rufo-brunneous to rufo-piceous. Entire dorsal surface with metallic cupreous luster. Pronotum with posteriolateral angles more or less obtuse; densely and more or less uniformly punctate, some punctures near lateral and posterior margins each with a very short seta. Elytral intervals densely punctate with elongate punctures, some of which are confluent and chain-like; each puncture with a very short seta near edge; setae longer in outer intervals. Males with fore- and mid-tarsi with biseriate adhesive vestiture. Both males and females with two terminal setae near the posterior margin on sternum VII.

Male genitalia. Fig. 2 A–C. Apical portion of phallic median lobe long, narrowly tapered, symmetrically rounded in dorsal/ventral aspect, with 2 small ventral hooks; endophallus with three fields of short fine spines, a longer and wider field in dorsal aspect, a shorter and narrow field in left lateral aspect, and a small field near the ostium; without lamina. Ventral surface of shaft with two rows of basad directed sharp saw-toothed ridges.

Ovipositor and female reproductive tract. Very similar to those of N. speciosus , which is illustrated, Fig. 3A. Gonocoxite 2 (gc2) moderately thick, nearly straight. Moderately large bursa copulatrix (bc); long curved inflated spermatheca (sp) originating near base of common oviduct (co); spermatheca terminated with two sausage-like extensions; spermathecal gland duct originating near base of spermatheca. Spermathecal gland duct moderately long, gland triramous (spg), with bulb-like swelling of duct basad gland.

Geographical distribution.

Fig. 4. This is an eastern South American species, known from Cayenne on the mainland, the islands of the Dutch Antilles, and the islands of St. Lucia, Mustique and Grenada in the Lesser Antilles.

Chorological affinities and relationships.

The putative adelphotaxon of the eastern South American N. speciosus , this is the only species of Neoaulacoryssus currently recorded from the West Indies.

Material examined.

We have seen a total of 17 specimens (6 males, 11 females). See Appendix for details.