Nesamblyops nunni Sokolov, 2025, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Sokolov, Igor M.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Carabidae
Nesamblyops
Nesamblyops nunni

description: Nesamblyops nunni, sp. nov.
Figures. 1A, 2A, 3A–C, 4
HOLOTYPE, 1 male, in NZAC, labeled: \ New Zealand CO Shingle Rd. Old Man Range 15 Mar 1975 \ litter 75/127 \ Entomology Division D.S.I.R. New Zealand \ Zeanillus pallidus Broun det. B.P.Moore ‘74 \ NZ Arthropod Collection NZAC04002740
PARATYPES (2 specimens), 1 male labeled: \ New Zealand CO Old Man Rng nr summit 31 Dec 98 \ 2289 \; 1 male labeled: \ New Zealand: CO, Snow Farm, Pisa Range, 1520 m, moss and soil sample, subalpine tussock land, F41/001852 J.Nunn 17 Jan 2008 \ Molecular voucher # 90 Sokolov I.M. 2009 \.
Additional material: 1 female labeled: \ New Zealand CO Waikaia Forest Whitecoomb Rd 4km N of Post Office Ck / Washed soil sample 25 Apr 07 Beech Forest \; 3 females labeled: \ New Zealand CO Old Woman Range 1389m 20 Nov 1974 J.S.Dugdale \ litter 74/100 \ Entomology Division D.S.I.R. New Zealand \ Zeanillus pallidus Broun det. B.P. Moore \ NZ Arthropod Collection, NZAC, Private Bag 92170 AUCKLAND New Zealand \.
Etymology. The specific epithet is a Latinized eponym in the genitive case and is based on the surname of John T. Nunn, one of the collectors of this species.
Type locality. New Zealand, South Island, CO, Central Otago, Old Man Range.
Recognition. Adults of this species (Fig. 1A) can be distinguished from the adults of other blind Nesamblyops species described in this revision by the absence of microsculpture on the frons of the head and disc of the pronotum, and by the structure of the male genitalia.
Description. Large for genus (SBL range 1.71–1.99 mm, mean 1.86± 0.11 mm, n=6).
Habitus. Body form (Fig. 1A) slightly convex, elongate ovoid, general proportions moderately narrow (WE/ SBL 0.38±0.011), head moderately wide relative to pronotum (WH/WPm 0.76±0.017), elytra slightly wide relative to pronotum in comparison with other blind species of genus (WPm/WE 0.73±0.021).
Color. Body color brunneorufous, appendages testaceous.
Microsculpture. Mesh pattern of irregularly isodiametric sculpticells distinctly present over dorsal surface of labrum, clypeal area and vertex of head. Frons and disc of pronotum smooth (without evident microsculpture).
Prothorax. Pronotum (Fig. 2A) moderately long in comparison to elytra (LP/LE 0.40±0.01) and moderately transverse (WPm/LP 1.19±0.03), with lateral margins rectilinear and markedly constricted posteriorly (WPm/WPp 1.45±0.08). Anterior angles indistinct, posterior angles strongly obtuse (136–144°), almost completely rounded. Width between anterior angles slightly greater than between posterior angles (WPa/WPp 1.09±0.07). Basal margin rectilinear.
Elytra. Slightly ovoid, widely depressed along suture, comparatively long (LE/SBL 0.59±0.01) and moderately narrow (WE/LE 0.64±0.02). Humeri completely rounded. Lateral margins slightly divergent at basal fourth, subparallel at middle and evenly rounded to apex in apical third.
Male genitalia. Median lobe of aedeagus (Fig. 3C) moderately arcuate and slightly twisted. Shaft subparallel, abruptly tapering in apically. Apex small, triangular, with narrowly rounded tip. Apical orifice of moderate length, occupies apical third of the shaft length. Ventral margin of median lobe almost straight. Walls of shaft without of poriferous canals. Copulatory sclerites united in one moderately sclerotized plate, occupying basal third of the shaft length. Presumably, sclerotized parts of dorsal V-contour and medial rC-sclerite merged together to form a sclerotized contour bordering the plate basally and slightly protruding from basal orifice. Left paramere (Fig. 3A) short, with non-attenuated apex, bearing one long and one short setae. Right paramere (Fig. 3B) short, of moderate width, bearing two long setae, which are shorter the length of paramere. Ring sclerite not examined.
Female internal genitalia. Spermatheca not examined.
Geographical distribution. The range of the species is the southern part of the South Island, where it is restricted to the ridges of Central Otago adjacent to the west of the Clutha River in its middle course (Fig. 4, orange circles).
Habitat. Specimens were collected using a washing technique from moss and soil samples, some specimens bear label “litter” without details (as plant communities labels mention beech forest and subalpine tussock land).
Relationships. The merged copulatory sclerites of peculiar shape of the male genitalia suggest an isolated position of N. nunni within the genus and only remote relatedness to the other species of Nesamblyops. The same details of the configuration of copulative sclerites indicate that N. nunni belongs to a separate lineage in comparison with the other blind representatives of Nesamblyops described below.
description: Published as part of Sokolov, Igor M., 2025, Three new blind species of the genus Nesamblyops Jeannel, 1937 (Anillini: Carabidae: Coleoptera) from New Zealand, pp. 52-60 in Zootaxa 5566 (1) on pages 53-56, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5566.1.2, http://zenodo.org/record/14612921