Caledonica tuberculata Fauvel, 1882

Kudrna, Arnošt, 2016, Revision of the genusCaledonica (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 56 (2), pp. 567-628 : 622-625

Caledonica tuberculata Fauvel, 1882 , stat. restit.

( Figs 71–75 )

Caledonica mniszechii [misidentification]: FAUVEL (1862): 129 (redescription); FAUVEL (1882): 224 (= C. tuberculata ).

Caledonica tuberculata Fauvel, 1882: 223 (key), 224 (original description). FLEUTIAUX 1892: 31 (catalogue); FAUVEL (1903): 212 (key), 213 (noted); HEYNE & TASCHENBERG (1908): 8 (noted; incl. Fig. 52 , pl. 1); HORN (1910): 180 (noted), 181 (catalogue); HORN (1926): 104 (catalogue); HORN (1936): 5 (catalogue); DEUVE (1981): 189 (as synonym of C. arrogans ).

Oxycheila arrogans Montrouzier, 1860: 233 (unavailable name; described in synonymy of Distipsidera Mniszechii Thomson, 1856 ).

Caledonica arrogans: FAUVEL (1882) :224 (ex parte as synonym of C. mniszechii and C. tuberculata ); DEUVE (1981): 182 (key), 189 (restored species status, redescription); WIESNER (1992):76 (catalogue), DEUVE (2015): 83 (noted).

Type localities. Caledonica tuberculata : ‘Ile des Pins, Yahoué, Tonghoué, Païta, Kanala’. Oxycheila arrogans : ‘Nouvelle-Calédonie’ (after the title of the original publication ( MONTROUZIER 1860)).

Type material examined. Caledonica tuberculata : SYNTYPES (7 specimens): 1 ♀, ‘Coll. R. I. Sc. N. B., Nouvelle Calédonie, Ile des Pins, rec Deplanche, ex coll. Fauvel’ [pink/white, printed/handwritten]; ‘ Caledonica tuberculata, Fvl. ’ [white, handwritten]; ‘Syntype’ [white, red print]; ‘Cf.: Rev. Ent. 1882, 1:224’ [white, handwritten] ( IRSNB); 1 J, ‘Coll. R. I. Sc. N. B., Nouvelle Calédonie, Ile des Pins, rec Deplanche, ex coll.Fauvel’ [pink, printed/handwritten]; ‘Coll. et det.A. Fauvel, Caledonica tuberculata n. sp., R. I. Sc. N. B. 17.479’ [white, handwritten/printed]; ‘Syntype’ [white, red print] ( IRSNB); 1 ♀, ‘Coll. R. I. Sc. N. B., Nouvelle Calédonie, Ile des Pins, rec Deplanche, ex coll. Fauvel’ [pink, printed/handwritten]; ‘ Caledonica tuberculata Fvl. , f.:Rev. Ent., Syntype’ [white, handwritten/printed] ( IRSNB); 1 J, ‘Coll. R. I. Sc. N. B., Nouvelle Calédonie, Yahoué, rec Savés, ex coll. Fauvel’ [pink/white, printed/ handwritten]; ‘Coll. et det. A. Fauvel, Caledonica tuberculata n. sp., R. I. Sc. N. B. 17.479’ [white, handwritten/ printed] ( IRSNB); ‘Syntype’ [white, red print]; 1 ♀, ‘Coll. R. I. Sc. N. B., Nouvelle Calédonie, Païta, rec Godard, ex coll. Fauvel’ [pink/white, printed/handwritten]; ‘Coll. et det.A. Fauvel, Caledonica tuberculata n. sp., R. I. Sc. N. B. 17.479’ [white, handwritten/printed]; ‘Syntype’ [white, red print] ( IRSNB); 1 ♀, ‘Coll. R. I. Sc. N. B., Nouvelle Calédonie, Tonghoué, janvier, rec Savés, ex coll. Fauvel’ [pink/white, printed/handwritten]; ‘Coll. et det. A. Fauvel, Caledonica tuberculata n. sp., R. I. Sc. N. B. 17.479’ [white, handwritten/printed]; ‘Syntype’ [white, red print] ( IRSNB); 1 ♀, ‘Coll. R. I. Sc. N. B., Nouvelle Calédonie, Kanala, rec Coste, ex coll. Fauvel’ [pink/white, printed/ handwritten]; ‘Coll. et det. A. Fauvel, Caledonica tuberculata n. sp., R. I. Sc. N. B. 17.479’ [white, handwritten/ printed]; ‘Syntype’ [white, red print] ( IRSNB).

Caledonica arrogans: Not located, most probably lost ( DEUVE 1981). See also note in Material and methods.

Additional material examined (15 specimens). NEW CALEDONIA: Nouvelle Calédonie, 3 JJ ( IRSNB). PRO- VINCE NORD: Kanala, 4 ♀♀ ( MNHN). PROVINCE SUD: Ile des Pins , 1 ♀, f. Faustien, coll. A. Fauvel ( IRSNB) ; Ile des Pins , 1 ♀ ( MNHN) ; Bourail , 2 JJ 4 ♀♀ ( MNHN) .

Redescription. Body very large (more robust in female), length 15.60–17.20 mm, width 5.00– 5.60 mm in male ( Fig. 71 ); in female ( Fig. 73 ) length 17.50–19.60 mm, width 6.10–6.65 mm.

Head with large eyes, but slightly narrower than elytra, dorsally markedly dark bronze to dark cupreous or black with metallic reflections, in male supraantennal plates and lateral areas of frons often with limited shiny green or cupreous reflections, frons distinctly to moderately convex, separated from clypeus by distinct suture; central area mostly irregularly vermicular-rugulose, area adjacent to clypeus more regularly longitudinally or oblique-longitudinally rugulose; vertex moderately to distinctly convex with posterior impression, longitudinally or irregularly striate; orbital plates longitudinally parallel-striated with two setae on each side; occipital area irregularly wavy to vermicular-rugulose; genae glabrous, finely parallel-striate, metallic dark cupreous with occasional shiny green reflections (mostly on lateral areas); clypeus coriaceous, in female dark cupreous to black with metallic reflections, in male slightly paler and usually with limited green areas.

Labrum with four setae (one female specimen with only two setae developed) in both sexes approximately as long as wide, with acute anterolateral teeth, testaceous except for often darkened teeth and lateral margins with variably developed darkened stripe mostly restricted to basal third, in some females the darkened area reaches anterolateral teeth, whereas in some males the labrum is almost entirely testaceous; male labrum ( Fig. 72 ) 2.20–2.50 mm long, 2.15–2.55 mm wide, median lobe long, with sharp or blunt anterior teeth and indistinct blunt median tooth; female labrum ( Fig. 74 ) longer, 2.45–3.15 mm long, 2.45–3.00 mm wide, with prominent, sharply tridentate median lobe of acute teeth which are bent downwards, so their acute shape is not obvious in dorsal view.

Mandibles dark testaceous to black except for testaceous basal margins.

Labial and maxillary palpi in male entirely testaceous or with black terminal palpomeres; palpi in female testaceous to dark testaceous except for black terminal palpomeres and often darkened penultimate palpomeres of maxillary palpi.

Antennae slightly longer in male (mostly exceeding half, rarely three quarters of elytral length in male, one third or half in female), scape in male testaceous or with darkened apical area, pedicel and antennomeres III–IV either entirely black with only indistinctly paler apices or testaceous with limited dark areas, antennomeres V–XI testaceous or with darkened terminal antennomere; in female scape dorsally testaceous, usually with darkened apices and black ventral area, pedicel and antennomeres III–IV dorsally dark testaceous to black, occasionally with limited paler lateral areas, antennomeres V–XI as in male.

Thorax. All portions glabrous. Pronotum in male 2.75–3.10 mm long, 4.20–4.70 mm wide (on the average 1.54 times wider than long); in female 2.90–3.40 mm long, 4.55–5.55 mm wide (on the average 1.57 times wider than long), anterior and posterior sulci well pronounced, anterior lobe only slightly wider than posterior; disc with convex lateral margins and elevated notopleural sutures which are obvious in dorsal view in form of thin and long spines which are in some specimens distinctly shorter; colouration very dark bronze to dark cupreous or black with metallic reflections, surface mostly irregularly coarsely transversewavy rugulose, rugae becoming more regularly transverse-wavy along developed median line; proepisterna, mesepisterna and metepisterna in both sexes metallic black or very dark blue changing to shiny cupreous or bronze depending on angle of view; shallowly striate or nearly smooth; female mesepisternal coupling sulci in form of a deep and large pit placed in dorsal mesepisternal half; metepisterna with rather deep impression at posterior suture; pro-, meso-, and metasternum dark cupreous to bronze with metallic lustre, metasternum with deep fovea-like impression placed at dorsolateral corner.

Elytra elongate, length 10.30–11.40 mm in male, 11.30–13.10 mm in female, only slightly narrowing towards rounded anteapical angles, apices rounded or slightly emarginate; sutural spines short to indistinct, juxtahumeral impressions and basodiscal convexity moderate, apical impressions indistinct; each elytron between basodiscal convexity and apical impression with two longitudinal (discal and sublateral) costae which are usually mutually connected by additional short transverse costa in area adjacent to median macula; interspace between costae and suture impressed; whole elytral surface distinctly covered with dense and deep punctures except for impressed interspaces between costae and suture where punctures are usually less distinct and rarely nearly effaced (apical area of a few specimens also with less distinct punctures, juxtahumeral impressions punctate only sporadically; punctures on basodiscal convexity often with wide interspaces forming elevated irregular chains; sparse setigerous punctures with rather long white hairlike setae distributed on anterior area; elytral colouration notably dark bronze to dark cupreous or nearly black with metallic lustre; interspaces between costae and also along the suture distinctly iridescent silvery-bronze to silvery-cupreous, iridescence changing to dull depending on angle of illumination; elytral maculation ochre-white, in both sexes consisting of three maculae: elongate curved humeral macula visible in dorsal view, transverse-oblong median macula that is rather variable in its shape and length, reaching or markedly exceeding sublateral costa and cranked frontwards and of irregularly circular or reniform anteapical macula.

Abdomen. Ventrites glabrous, usually dark testaceous with cupreous and greenish metallic lustre.

Legs. Coxae and trochanters testaceous; femora testaceous with variably extended black stripes, or black with dark testaceous areas; tibiae mostly testaceous with darkened apices; tarsi in male testaceous with more or less darkened joints, terminal tarsomeres sometimes black; tarsomeres in female testaceous with darkened apices to entirely black; claws testaceous.

Aedeagus ( Fig. 75 ) markedly voluminous, basal portion notably narrow, apical portion narrowed into short and blunt apex, 5.85–6.05 mm long and 0.50–0.60 mm wide.

Differential diagnosis. Similar to C. mniszechii in its large body, but distinguished by its labrum which has predominantly fully developed four setae, lateral margins of pronotum usually with fairly narrow and long spines, transverse elytral costa that connects longitudinal costae in their median area, and by distinctly and deeply punctate whole elytral surface except for flat and smooth interspaces between the costae and suture. Moreover the body is significantly darker.

Biology and distribution. Caledonica tuberculata is rather commonly represented in collections among historical specimens from various localities, with approximately similar numbers of specimens as C. mniszechii . In the MNHN collection there are about fifty specimens of each species deposited; the IRSNB collection possesses 16 specimens of C. mniszechii and 11 specimens of C. tuberculata . Thus, it is quite surprising that among hundreds of adults of C. mniszechii collected or observed during my three trips to New Caledonia, I have not found any specimen of C. tuberculata . It seems that this species has disappeared from biotopes for an unknown reason.

Remarks. MONTROUZIER (1860) described C. arrogans , however, already in the original description he noted that the newly described C. arrogans was already described as C. mniszechii . Therefore according to ICZN (1999: Articles 11.6 and 11.6.1), the description of C. arrogans is invalid as it was described in synonymy with Distipsidera mniszechii . FAUVEL (1862) redescribed C. mniszechii . FAUVEL (1882) described C. tuberculata and noted that the material published by him in 1862 belongs to this new species and was wrongly identified. He also stated that C. arrogans is invalid and is a mixture of two different species based on the original description of MONTROUZIER (1860) and therefore listed it as a synonym of both, C. mniszechii and C. tuberculata . Subsequent authors accepted this act ( FLEUTIAUX 1892; FAUVEL 1903; HORN 1910, 1936). DEUVE (1981) restored the species status of C. arrogans and synonymized C. tuberculata with it, ommiting the fact that C. arrogans was described in synonymy.

Six specimens of C. tuberculata in the MNHN collection are placed under the unpublished provisional name ‘ propingua ’. Obviously when the specimens were examined by Rivalier, he tentatively separated them as a new species ‘ Caledonica propingua ’ due to the difference in the elytral maculation possessing enlarged median band. Nevertheless, later Rivalier most likely found this character to be only intraspecific variability of C. tuberculata and never described this taxon.

Figures

Figs 66–75. 66–70 – Caledonica mniszechii (Thomson, 1856): 66 – habitus, J, neotype, 18 mm (MNHN); 67 – frontal view, ibid.; 68 – habitus, ♀, Sarramea, 20.8 mm (AKCB); 69 – frontal view, ibid.; 70 – aedeagus, Bouirou (AKCB). 71–75 – C. tuberculata Fauvel, 1882: 71 – habitus, J,syntype, Yahoué, 17.4 mm (IRSNB); 72 – frontal view, ibid.; 73 – habitus, ♀, syntype, Ile des Pins, 20.5 mm (IRSNB); 74 – frontal view, ibid.; 75 – aedeagus, no locality data (MNHN). Scale bars = 1 mm.

Figs 46–55. 46–50 – Caledonica mediolineata (Lucas, 1862): 46 – habitus, J, neotype, Port Boisé, 13.1 mm (MNHN); 47 – frontal view, ibid.; 48 – habitus, ♀, Nyamié creek, 13.8 mm (AKCB); 49 – frontal view, ibid.; 50 – aedeagus, Nouméa (MNHN). 51–55 – C. affinis (Montrouzier, 1860): 51 – habitus,J, SE Koumac, 14 mm (AKCB); 52 – frontal view, ibid.; 53 – habitus, ♀, SW Ouegoa, 15 mm (AKCB); 54 – frontal view, ibid.; 55 – aedeagus, SE Koumac (AKCB). Scale bars = 1 mm.