Chelagyrtodes davidi Seago & Leschen, new species
Creators: name: Seago, Ainsley E.
name: Leschen, Richard A. B.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2011
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Leiodidae
Chelagyrtodes
Chelagyrtodes davidi

description: Chelagyrtodes davidi Seago & Leschen, new species
(Figs. 1 a, 4b, 5b, 7)
Type material. Holotype: Male, labeled: NEW ZEALAND, BR, Rahu Saddle, 670 m, 16 Oct 1984, J W Early, in moss, Nothofagus forest (LUNZ). Paratypes: NEW ZEALAND: NN: 2, Harwoods Tr, Canaan, 4 Feb 1965, L P Marchant, litter (NZAC); 1, Abel Tasman NP, Canaan Saddle, 850 m, 2 Jan 1985, A Newton M Thayer, Nothofagus -podocarp-hdwd. for. on limestone, berl. leaf litter, forest floor (FMNH); 1, Takaka Hill, 1000 m, 22 Nov 1977, B M May, Sphagnum bog moss (NZAC); 1, Karamea area, 12 June 1967, F Alack, litter (NZAC); 1, Hope, 3 Mar 1915, T Broun A E Brookes (NZAC); KA: 1, Oaro, 29 Aug 1979, R M Emberson, podocarp broadleaf forest litter (LUNZ); BR: 2, Nelson Lks NP, Lake Rotoroa, Braeburn Track, 470 m, 16 Dec 1984 – 7 Jan 1985, A Newton & M Thayer, Nothofagus spp forest, berl. leaf & log litter, forest floor (FMNH); 3, Nelson Lakes NP, N slope Mt Robert, 860 m, 23 Mar 1980 – 26 Mar 1980, A Newton & M Thayer, Nothofagus spp., berl. forest leaf & log litter (FMNH); 2, 1.8 km N Punakaiki, 80 m, 19 Dec 1984 – 20 Jan 1985, A Newton & M Thayer, Hdwd. forest with nikau, berl. leaf & log litter, forest floor (FMNH); 1, Punakaiki Scen. Res, Pororari R., 20 m, 9 June 1985, J W Early, in moss & litter (LUNZ); 1, W. Inangahua SF, Fletchers Ck, 19 Sep 1972, J S Dugdale, moss & litter (NZAC); 1, Ahaura, Callaghans Ridge, 21 Apr 1971, J S Dugdale, litter (NZAC); 1, Mawhera SF, 10 Nov 1971, J McBurney, litter (NZAC); 1, Tawhai SF, Big Red Rd 3 km S of Reefton, 28 Jan 1972, J McBurney, litter (NZAC); 1, Italian Ck, N Capleston, 12 Jan 1973, J C Watt, litter moss (NZAC); 1, Redmans Ck, Capleston, 4.5 km SE of Cronadun, 8 Nov 1972, J C Watt, litter (NZAC); 1, NZ, BR, Redmans Ck, Capleston Beetle Res, 243 m, 6 Apr 1973, J C Watt, litter (NZAC); 2, NZ, BR, Maruia Springs, Lewis Pass, 853 m, Sep 1948, A E Brookes, leafmould (NZAC); 1, Lewis Pass, 22 Feb 1953, A E B (Brookes), leafmould (NZAC); 2, Lewis Pass Nat. Res. 13.2 km S Lewis Pass, 650 m, 17 Dec 1984, 21 Jan 1985, A Newton & M Thayer, Nothofagus spp. forest, berl. leaf & log litter, forest floor (FMNH); 6, Lewis Pass Nat Res, 0.6 km S Lewis Pass, 870 m, 17 Dec 1984 – 21 Jan 1985, A Newton M Thayer, Nothofagus spp. forest, berl. leaf & log litter, forest floor (FMNH); 2, NZ, BR, Lewis Pass Nat. Res., 11.9 km ESE Springs Jctn, 540 m, 17 Dec 1984, 21 Jan 1985, A Newton & M Thayer, Nothofagus spp. forest, berl. leaf & log litter, forest floor (FMNH); 3, Boatmans Ck, 4 Oct 1971, G Kuschel, litter (NZAC); 1, Boatmans Ck, 4.5 km SE of Cronadun, Nov. 1971. J. McBurney, litter, 71 / 140, Beech Forest Utilization Project (NZAC); 2, Inangahua, 25 Nov 1961, J I Townsend, litter (NZAC); 1, Shenandoah Sdle, 12 Feb 1981, J W Early, moss (LUNZ); 5, 14 km SE Reefton, 250 m, 29 May 1982, S & J Peck, beech forest litter (FMNH); 1, 3.5 km N Rapahoe, 25 m, 12 Jan 1998, R Leschen & C Carlton, Nothofagus truncata leaf litter (NZAC); 1, NZ, BR, Greymouth, Fairburn, A E Brookes Collection (NZAC); 1, N of Charleston, 23 Dec 1992, F M Climo, Sphagnum under regrowth rimu (NZAC); 1, Maruia Sdle, Murchison district, 2 June 1965, J I Townsend, moss, (NZAC); 2, Hochstetter, 9 Nov 1972, J S Dugdale, litter (NZAC); 5, Upper Grey V., 370 m, 7 June 1982, J W Early, moss on forest floor (LUNZ); 2, Rahu Saddle, 670 m, 16 Oct 1984, J W Early, in moss, Nothofagus forest (LUNZ); 1, Paparoa NP, 2 km NE Punakaiki, Bullock Ck. Rd, 50 m, 12 Jan 1998, R. Leschen, C. Carlton, Metrosideros robusta leaf litter; Bullock Creek, Punakaiki, rata 1, ground litter, 26 July 2004, K. Affeld (NZAC); WD: 1 Otira, Arthurs Pass, 21 Feb 1962, G F Woods, litter (NZAC); 1, Aickens, Arthurs Pass, 370 m, 12 May 1965, R Harvey & J I Townsend, litter (NZAC); 2, Okuku Scenic Reserve, 9.2 km SSE Kumara, 120 m, 8 Jan 1985 – 19 Jan 1985, A Newton M Thayer, podocarp-hdwd. forest, berl. leaf & log litter (FMNH); 1, Mahinapua SF, 9 Mar 1972, J C Watt, litter (NZAC).
Diagnosis. Male protibia chelate. Body form broad and rounded anteriorly, sharply tapering posteriorly; hind margin of pronotum scarcely wider than elytral base. Epistomal suture present. Elytra with sides curved and converging sharply at apex; transverse strigae absent, dorsum glabrous and shining. Metaventrite short, strongly compressed medially, without conspicuous punctation. Abdominal ventrite 6 medially divided, pleural pieces broadly truncate. Apex of median lobe simple; parameres slender and straight.
Description. Length 2.0 mm (n = 4). Body about 1.6 X as long as wide (BL / EW = 1.63), and greatest depth 0.6 X as great as elytral width (GD / EW = 0.603). Body form compact and oval, sharply tapering posteriorly, with sides of elytra converging apically from basal ½. Color of body deep rufous; mouthparts, tarsi, and clypeus light brown, with femora paler brown than tibiae; pronotal vestiture of extremely fine, sparse golden setae. Dorsum glabrous with large, scattered punctures.
Antennomere ratios: 13:13:9:9:10:8:10:7:10:10:16; segment 6 longer than wide, segment 8 subquadrate, not transverse. Eyes small, weakly protuberant, emarginate posteriorly. Eyes not coarsely facetted (edges of ommatidia smooth), greatest length 5 facets, greatest height 8 facets. Epistomal suture present, without stem, clypeus subquadrate to transverse. Mandibles with single apical tooth, subapical spine cluster, small prostheca and mola present. Maxillae with slender galea, broad lacinia with non-articulated apical brush of minute, curved spines; maxillary palp with penultimate segment longer and wider than other segments, terminal segment apically attenuate. Labial palpi slender, three-segmented, each segment wider than long. Pronotum about half as long as wide (PL / PW = 0.52). Rim of procoxal fossae weakly developed anteriorly, not contiguous with anterior margin of prosternum. Elytra about 1.3 X as long as wide (EL / EW = 1.29) and about 2.2 X as long as pronotum (EL / PL = 2.16), widest at base; sides curved and converging apically from base (not parallel-sided and curving apically at middle); transverse strigae absent; punctures uniseriate; width of epipleuron at level of metacoxa subequal to width of metanepisternum. Mesepisternum completely fused to mesoventrite. Metaventrite extremely short, narrowly separating meso- and metacoxae medially. Metanepisternal clamp moderately well-developed. Mesothoracic, metathoracic and abdominal ventrites glabrous, with sparse, fine punctures. Abdominal ventrites 1–4 each with single transverse row of minute setae; abdominal ventrite 5 longer than 4 or 6. Ventrite 6 completely divided, broadly truncate along midline.
Tibia with 6–7 large blunt spines at apex, protarsi with segments 1–3 compressed, not expanded, segment 1 half as wide as tibial apex; males with protibia chelate, tenent setae present on protarsomeres 1–3 and mesotarsomeres 1–2. Male genital segment elongate, narrow, parallel-sided; tergite 9 bluntly pointed and bearing long, robust setae at apices, anterior apophysis reduced to small stub; sternite 9 longer than wide, with membranous apical region covered with minute, densely-packed spines; tergite 10 (= proctiger) with distinct apical notch. Aedeagus (Fig. 5 b) elongate, slender, with median lobe> 2 X longer than wide; apex of median lobe simple, tapered distally, not constricted at base. Membranous extension of phallobase (basal piece) enclosing anterior portion of median lobe; parameres extending well beyond apex of median lobe, slender and flattened, with single apical row of setae on internal face. Endophallus membranous, with minute setae, cluster of large, tightly-packed teeth, and single long, curving, pigmented sclerite. Spermatheca present, unsclerotized and irregular-shaped; gonocoxite with 4 long setae, stylus approximately ¼ as long and ½ as wide as gonocoxite, bearing one minute subapical seta and one elongate, robust seta equal in length to both styli segments combined.
Remarks. This species is the only member of the genus that lacks the transverse strigae and well-developed vestiture of setae on the elytra. Specimens were mainly collected in leaf litter, in podocarp, broadleaf and Nothofagus forests, while others have have been collected from Sphagnum moss.
Distribution. New Zealand: South Island, Northwest Nelson (NN), Buller (BR), Kaikoura (KA), and Westland (WD) regions.
Etymology. Named for the principal author’s father.
description: Published as part of Seago, Ainsley E. & Leschen, Richard A. B., 2011, Revision and phylogeny of Chelagyrtodes Szymczakowski (Coleoptera: Leiodidae: Camiarinae: Agyrtodini), pp. 1-20 in Zootaxa 3090 on pages 7-10, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.201677