Maurodus ornatus Leschen & Reid & Nadein 2020, comb. nov.
Creators: name: Leschen, Richard A. B.
name: Reid, Chris A. M.
name: Nadein, Konstantin S.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2020
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Chrysomelidae
Maurodus
Maurodus ornatus

description: Maurodus ornatus (Broun, 1910), comb. nov.
(Figs 6D, 7 A–E, H,I, 13E; map Fig. 21)
Caccomolpus ornatus Broun, 1910:77. Type locality: Waimarino.
Diagnosis. Body broadly oval and tricoloured; pronotum mostly black. Antennal groove well-developed with or without inner ridge; internal surface glabrous. Prosternal lines in front of procoxae parallel. Elytra with midbasal stria or puncture present; three maculae present with the anterior one and lighter and broader posterior one contacting at midline; microsculpture absent. Ventrites dark-coloured, with hypomera and epipleura bicoloured; male ventrite 5 not vaulted at middle. Legs light coloured to infuscate or black; tarsomere 1 of male not greatly enlarged.
Description. Length 3.2–3.8 mm (greatest depth 1.60–2.00 mm). Body broadly oval and tricoloured with head, most of the pronotum and part of the elytral macula and ventral surfaces light red to black; anterior edge of pronotum and hypomeron, most of the elytra and epipleura, mouthparts, antennae, hypomera, and abdominal ventrite 5 yellow, red to pale-coloured; elytra with three maculae, two darker ones anteriorly and laterally that may be solid black, and a larger lighter and broader one occupying the apical 2/3rds. Microsculpture absent. Clypeus finely or apunctate, trapezoidal, anterior margin nearly straight; frontoclypeal suture present, sometimes not meeting at midline, or absent, with lateral postclypeal lines present and well developed, medial weakly impressed or absent; vertex weakly or apunctate, sometimes stronger than clypeal punctures. Ratio of antennomere lengths: 1.1/.9/.9/1.0 /0.8/0.7/1.0/1.0/1.0/1.0/1.6. Antennal groove well-developed with or without inner ridge; internal surface glabrous. Pronotum transverse (2.00–2.20x wider than long), lateral margins at base not subparallel-sided and converging anteriorly; punctures non-uniform, coarse at base and progressively diffuse anteriorly, sometimes very weak to glabrous anteriorly and those at base stronger than elsewhere on the body. Prosternal lines or carinae in front of procoxae parallel; intercarinal space weakly convex. Elytra widest at basal 1/4 and broad (1.04–1.04x the greatest elytral width), 2.55–2.80 x longer than pronotal length; punctation absent to sparse and not striate and not impressed towards midline; midbasal stria or puncture present and often shallow. Male ventrite 5 not vaulted at middle. Spermatheca annulate, u-shaped and narrowed basally with a distinct duct and small basal gland; collum absent. Median lobe of aedeagus in lateral view gradually widening from basal ¼ to apex and broadly acute; in dorsal view, wider at base and subparallel-sided with a subacute apex; flagellum present. Tarsomere 1 of male not greatly enlarged.
Comments. Broun described Caccomolpus ornatus from a single specimen that we located in the BMNH. Despite his “exertions”, Broun collected two additional specimens that were also in the BMNH collected during January 1910. This species is transferred from Caccomolpus to Maurodus because the metaventrite has the subcoxal lines parallel to coxal cavity forming a narrow bead. Maurodus ornatus can be distinguished from most species of the genus by the presence of three distinctive-looking maculae on the elytra. It is also the only member of the genus present in the North Island and there are two collections from the South Island. The collections from the Ahuroa Forest Reserve north of Auckland and from Mt Te Aroha in the Bay of Plenty indicates that species may be more widely distributed.
Distribution. North Island: AK, WO, BP, TK, TO, RI, WA, WN. South Island: NN, SD.
Type examined. Holotype (BMNH): re-mounted on card with extracted aedeagus glued to front edge of card, “3154. [in Broun’s hand] // New Zealand. [red underline] Broun Coll. Brit. Mus. 1922-482. // Waimarino. Jany. 1909. [in Broun’s hand] // Caccomolpus ornatus—[in Broun’s hand] // Aotearoanus ornatus (Broun) det. M. Daccordi [printed] 1987 [in Daccordi’s hand]”.
Additional material examined. North Island: AK: Ahuroa Forest Reserve, 36.480157S, 174.601948E, 15.11.1983 (2, BMNH). WO: Whareorino Forest, Mangatoa Tk, 4 March 2012, M. Gimmel, R. Leschen, sifting lit- ter and rotten wood, 38.24.985S, 174.43,312E, RL1673 (1, NZAC). BP: Mt Te Aroha, below summit, 37.534585S, 175.741289E, Nothofagus menziesii, 24.11.1991, R.C. Henderson (1, NZAC); Mt Te Aroha, summit, 37.533479S, 175.742380E, Litter 92/6, 27.02.1992, J.S. Dugdale (1, NZAC); Mt Te Aroha, 600–800m, 37.533479S, 175.742380E, leaf litter, 12–13/11/1983 (2, BMNH); Mt Te Aroha, smt, 950m, 37.533479S, 175.742380E, 20.03.2002, S.E. Thorpe (1, AMNZ). TO: Turangi, Ponanga Sdle, 39.004993S, 175.746596E, in forest litter, 13.07.1996 J. Nunn (2, NZAC); Waituhi Saddle, 38.863625S, 175.546509E, leaf litter moss and rotten wood 83/112, 16.11.1983, C.F. Butcher (1, NZAC). TK: Egmont NP, Dawson Falls, 950m, 39.322609S, 174.105127E, forest litter, 06.12.1983 (1, BMNH); Mt Taranaki, 710m, 39.322609S, 174.105127E, pitfall trap, 14 Jan–11 Feb 2004, I.A.N. Stringer (1, AMNZ); same except Dawson Falls 760m (1, AMNZ); Egmont NP, Stratford Mountain House, 850m, 25.xii, 1994, R. M. Emberson & P. Syrett, on mossy logs and trees at night, kamahi/totara forest (2, LUNZ). RI: Mataroa, Paengaroa SR, 540m, 39.647239S, 175.721338E, RL1106, 30.03.2006, T. R. Buckley, M. Seldon, R. Hoare (1, NZAC); Waimarino, 39.438167S, 175.128888E, 00/1/1910, 3154 Broun Collection, (2, BMNH). WA: Aorangi Ra, Sutherland Vehicle Tk, 41.411346S, 175.362242E, secondary forest on former grazing land KM245, sifted wood and leaf litter, 24.01.2008, K. Marske, R. Leschen, T. Buckley (1, NZAC); S.E. Puketoi Ra, Castlehill, Huanui area, 40.720401S, 175.960162E, 01.03.2010, J. Nunn (1, NZAC). WN: Tararua Ra, Dundas Hut Ridge, 1010m, 40.714403S, 175.464441E, Litter and moss 84/80, 29.11.1984, J.S. Dugdale (1, NZAC); Tararua Ra, Logan, 1490, 40.720329S, 175.456846E, swards, moss plants, 84/91 02.12.1984, J.S. Dugdale (1, NZAC); Tararua Ra, E. Basin Logan, 1300m, 40.720329S, 175.456846E, turf plants 84/96, 06.12.1984, R. C. Craw (2, NZAC); Tararua Ra, Mt Dundas, 1500m, 40.716396S, 175.465994E, Litter and mixed swards 85/8, 09.02.1985, G.W. Ramsay (3, NZAC); Tararua Ra, Mt Dome, 40.712526S, 175.474256E, Moss liverworts and mixed plants 85/10, 10.02.1985, G.W. Ramsay (6, NZAC); Tararua Ra, Dundas Ridge, 1430m, 40.714403S, 175.464441E, mixed swards 85/23, 13.02.1985, C.F. Butcher (5, NZAC); Tararua Ra, Mt Pukemoremore, 1474m, 40.710552S, 175.467613E, mixed swards 85/30, 12.02.1985, C.F. Butcher (1, NZAC); Tararua FP, Waiotauru, 40.938835S, 175.184549E, 02.06.2000 E. Spurr (1, NZAC); same except 08.08.2000 (1, NZAC); Tararua FP, Akatarawa Sdle, 40.948363S, 175.108237E, 9/84 Litter, 17.01.1984, H.P. McColl (1, NZAC); Karori Wildlife Sanctuary, 41.306153S, 174.740593E, KR09, 26 Nov–13 Dec 1998, C.H. Watts (2, NZAC); same except 1–27 Mar 2007 (1, NZAC); same except 14 Dec 2004 – 20 Jan 2005 (1, NZAC); same except KR10, 1–27 Mar 2007 (2, NZAC); Karori Reservoir, 41.305419S, 174.750368E, 30.06.1997, [J. Nunn] (3, NZAC); same except 30.03.1997 (3, NZAC); Karori Reservoir, 41.305419S, 174.750368E, in thick moss on fallen pine, 17.10.1994 [J. Nunn] (1, NZAC); same except 10.04.1997 (2, NZAC); same except in wet forest litter, 13.04.1997 (1, NZAC); same except 14.04.1997 (2, NZAC); same except Base of sedge, 31.03.1997 (1, NZAC); same except in sedge litter, 06.04.1997 (1, NZAC); same except in hinau litter, 07.04.1997 (1, NZAC); same except in moss and humus on tree trunk, 30.03.1997 (2, NZAC); Khandallah Domain, 41.246147S, 174.794493E, Leaf litter, 05.04.1994, [J.Nunn] (1, NZAC); same except in streamside gravel, 06.09.1994 (1, NZAC); same except in woodmould base of kohekohe, 25.04.1995 (1, NZAC); Tararua FP, Field Hut, 40.907866S, 175.256189E, leaf litter, 01.01.1993 [J. Nunn] (1, NZAC); Tararua FP, Kakanui, 40.964517S, 175.135904E, 21.08.1978 [J. Nunn] (1, NZAC); Kaitoke Regional Park, Pakuratahi Forks, 41.056386S, 175.191350E, leaf litter RL985, 15.04.2005, R. Leschen, C. McGuiness (1, NZAC); same except 24.07.1993 [J. Nunn] (1, NZAC); Tararua FP, 4km along Waiotauru Rd, 40.885396S, 175.214182E, 16.11.1991 [J. Nunn] (1, NZAC); Akatarawa Rd, Smt, 40.948319S, 175.108176E, leaf litter, 27.03.1983 [J. Nunn] (1, NZAC); same except 12.05.1995 (1, NZAC); Tararua FP, Waitewaewae Tk, 40.874474S, 175.240992E, in moss at Otaki River Bridge, 29.11.2005 [J.Nunn] (1, NZAC); Featherston, 41.107568S, 175.321306E, 19.09.1916, 3154 Broun Collection (1, BMNH); Wadestown 41.262907S, 174.773763E, 21.03.1916 (1, BMNH); Rona Bay, 41.288245S, 174.904495E, 20.04.1937, G. V. Hudson (1, BMNH). No locality: Sharp Collection 1905, 313 (1, BMNH). South Island: NN: Kaituna Tk, 4 Dec 2018, 40 42.807S, 172 34.434E, sifting moss, R Leschen, V. Sykora, RL 2060 (1, NZAC). SD: Mt Stokes Track, podocarp-beech (large-leafed) forest, 11 Dec 2007, K. Marske, J. Allwood, sifted leaf litter, S 41.05.215’, E 174.08.130’, 587m, KM106 (2, NZAC).
description: Published as part of Leschen, Richard A. B., Reid, Chris A. M. & Nadein, Konstantin S., 2020, Generic Review of New Zealand Chrysomelinae (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), pp. 1-66 in Zootaxa 4740 (1) on page 43, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4740.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/3672681