Uloma isoceroides (Fauvel, 1904)

Soldati, Laurent, Kergoat, Gael J., Clamens, Anne-Laure, Jourdan, Herve, Jabbour-Zahab, Roula & Condamine, Fabien L., 2014, Integrative taxonomy of New Caledonian beetles: species delimitation and definition of the Uloma isoceroides species group (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae, Ulomini), with the description of four new species, ZooKeys 415, pp. 133-167 : 145

Uloma isoceroides (Fauvel, 1904) Figs 2B, 3 G–H

Melasia isoceroides Fauvel, Revue d’Entomologie 23: 180, 182.

Uloma isoceroides Fauvel, Gebien H. 1911, Tenebrionidae III. In: Schenkling S (Ed) Coleopterorum Catalogus. Vol. 18: 402.

Type locality.

Baie du Prony, Mont Mou, Ourail, Kanala.

Type specimens.

Lectotype male and paralectotypes (designated by Kaszab 1982) males and females of Melasia isoceroides Fauvel (IRSNB), none examined.

Diagnosis.

Uloma isoceroides is one of the four species of the group in which the mentum of the male is completely glabrous and flat. It can be separated from Uloma caledonica by the shorter metaventrite, (between meso- and metacoxae hardly longer than half of the length of a mesocoxa) and the humeri not developed. It differs from Uloma jourdani by the outer margin of terminal ventrite (anal sternite) regularly arcuate, without lateral sinuosities, the mentum as long as broad or longer, not cordate. Moreover, all the male antenomeres are shining and the aedeagus is different. It differs also from Uloma kergoati by the elytral striae of punctures normally marked and developed to the apex, the pronotum quite densely and sharp punctate, and the different aedeagus. Its size is also smaller in average (7.0-8.8 mm). Aedeagus (Fig. 3G, H) similar to the one of Uloma caledonica (with the parameres bottleneck-shaped) but truncate (not notched) at the apex.

Distribution.

Kaszab (1982: 86) cited this species from the following localities: Baie du Prony, Mt Mou, Ourail, Mt Rembai, Mt Do, Kanala [Canala], Plaine des Lacs, Pic du Pin, Rivière Bleue, Mt Koghi, Nouméa. "Neukaledonien (Grande Terre, Zentral Massiv und SW".

Additional localities.

Monts Koghis (22°10.63'S, 166°30.49'E, ca 460 m) 4.III.2008, L. Soldati, G.J. Kergoat & H. Jourdan rec. (CBGP); Réserve Botanique de Bois du Sud (22°10.41'S, 166°45.83'E, ca 210 m) 8.III.2008, L. Soldati, G.J. Kergoat & H. Jourdan rec. (CBGP); Plateau de Dogny (21°37.03'S, 165°53.05'E, ca 920 m) 29.X.2008, L. Soldati, G.J. Kergoat & F.L. Condamine rec. (CBGP); Massif forestier de la Tchamba (21°00.71'S, 165°15.58'E, ca 200 m) 8.IV.2009, L. Soldati, G.J. Kergoat, H. Jourdan & F.L. Condamine rec. (CBGP).

Discussion:

As underlined by the results of the PTP molecular species delimitation analyses, there is potentially some level of cryptic diversity for this species. One putative species corresponds to the material collected in the Plateau de Dogny, whereas the other putative species corresponds to material collected in the Tchamba forest mountain range. Further studies based on a larger sampling from additional localities should clarify this finding and possibly discern one or more cryptic species.