Mecodema teroroa Seldon & Buckley 2019, sp. n.
Creators: name: Seldon, David S.
name: Buckley, Thomas R.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Carabidae
Mecodema
Mecodema teroroa

description: Mecodema teroroa sp. n.
Figure 58.
Diagnosis: Distinguishable from other North Island Mecodema by: 1, a raised ridge with corrugose wrinkles anterad vertexal groove, punctures along entire length; 2, humeral angle subangulate; 3, basal margin slightly curved and shortened (½ length), bevelled to base; 4, the unique distribution of setae along the ventral edge of the left paramere (Fig. 58 LP).
Description: Length 28–32.4 mm, pronotal width 6.6–8.9 mm, elytral width 8–10.8 mm. Colour of entire body brown to black, ventrally dark reddish-brown to matte black.
Head: Broad and flat (Fig. 14A). Vertex with very fine lines forming an isodiametric pattern laterally, otherwise smooth; vertexal groove well-defined, broadened laterally, punctured entire length (Fig. 58); corrugate wrinkles anterad groove; large supraorbital puncture bearing 4–6 setae; 3–4 well-defined supraorbital grooves; frons with small, rounded and shallow depressions laterally, grooves may be present antero-laterally; frontoclypeal suture poorly defined, tentorial pits small to indistinct; anterior area of clypeus (Fig. 9) medially convex between punctures, poorly defined grooves, 1 setose puncture each side and 1 medial setose puncture, all bearing 2 setae (Fig. 58). Labrum lobate, anterior edge strongly emarginated medially with 2 proximate central setae, 2 setae each side evenly spaced. Mentum lobes rounded (Fig. 12F), median process short and broad, moderately angled upward (30°), moderately indentate (Fig. 12B); mentum setae (Fig. 8) absent. Submentum sclerite constriction broad with 3 evenly spaced setae each side. Stipes with 2 basal setae. Gula pits small, suture well-defined but not deep the entire length, gula flat with fine transverse lines. Gena (Fig. 8) with fine wrinkles forming an isodiametric pattern across entire area but more impressed laterally.
Prothorax: Prothoracic carina broad the entire length, especially anterior ⅓, crenulations absent with 8–12 setae each side (Fig. 58), extended beyond anterior angle; posterior lateral sinuation (Fig. 11) evidently carinate, slightly angled inward; pronotum broad and flattened, overall shape broadly cordate; midline well-defined, anterior medial triangular depression and posterior medial diamond-shaped impression present, disc covered with very fine transverse wrinkles (Fig. 58), very shallow, small and round depression present each side of midline anterad foveae; pronotal foveae very shallow and broad; anterior edge inwardly curved, posterior edge straight. Prosternum (Fig. 2) flat with very fine, well-spaced transverse lines; proepisternum without microsculpture. Procoxal setae absent; protibia distally expanded and shovel-like (Fig. 10B).
Elytra: Broad and flat, slightly deflected laterally; humeral angle subangulate (Fig. 6C); basal margin slightly curved, truncated (½ length) and bevelled to base, interval 1 extended to margin; lateral carina relatively broad, gradually broadened to meet humerus and apex, extended beyond humeral angle; humerus with 2–3 setose punctures, proximate the angle (Fig. 58); suture moderately impressed; striae 1–4 with indistinct asetose punctures, striae 5–8 with setose punctures more defined, all asetose punctures small and regularly spaced; intervals wide and flat, convexity increased laterally (slightly convex); interval microsculpture present as fine transverse lines; 7 th strial setal pattern with 2–3 setose punctures in anterior ½, 4–5 setose punctures in posterior ½ (Fig. 58), setose punctures small.
Ventral surface: Mesepisternum with a few grooves and obsolescent punctures; metepisternum (Fig. 2) without microsculpture (some specimens very faintly micropunctate); setose punctures present on mesocoxa (2) and metacoxa (2–3). All abdominal ventrites lineate laterally; ventrites 3–5 (Fig. 2) with 1 setose puncture each side of midline, ventrite 6 setae present: ♂ with 1 setose puncture each side located wide at junction of straight apical edge and curve anterad, ♀ with 2 setose punctures each side evenly-spaced along bluntly rounded apical edge; ventrites foveate laterally. Anterior metaventrite process a short triangle with carina apically broad to laterally narrowed.
Male genitalia: Apical portion of penis lobe asymmetrically hooked with distinct deflection to right of vertical axis (VV) (Fig. 15A); ventral process short and pointed (Fig. 58 PL), apex asymmetrically curved upward to form dorsal process (Trounson specimens with ventral portion of asymmetrical curve more pronounced), dorsal process long (slightly longer in Trounson population) and narrow, moderately recurved (more pronounced in Waipoua population), then briefly curved to shaft (Fig. 58 PL); ventral edge of penis lobe straight (VV), shaft of penis lobe narrow the entire length; overall length of penis lobe definitely curved ventrally (LV) (Fig. 16C). Structures of the endophallus (Fig. 4): lateral form of the apex of the central spicule rounded; dorsal form of the apex of the central spicule greatly expanded with projection; setal (scales) coverage of the apical plate moderate (26–75%); size of left setose flange small; size of right setose flange very long. Left paramere basal lobe articulated at right angle to penis lobe, rectangular with moderate dorsal hump forming a steep (60°) slope to arm (Fig. 58 LP); arm short and narrow (ventral edge of arm curved anterad); terminal lobe indistinct from arm with an apical tuft of long setae, comb of long setae in curvature of arm (Fig. 58 LP), ventral edge straight. Right paramere broadly rectangular (Fig. 58 RP) with a double row of long setae extended along apical ½ of ventral edge, apical portion distinctly inwardly curved across penis lobe.
Female genitalia: Basal gonocoxite 1 short and broad, ventral surface smooth, internal dorso-lateral carina with 2 setae. Gonocoxite 2 (Fig. 5) broadly triangular, apical edge recurved upward. Ramus long and broad.
Comments: Mecodema teroroa is found from the Hokianga Harbour to the Tutamoe Range, but does not extend eastward further than foothills of the Parataiko Range.
Distribution: New Zealand, North Island, Northland, Parataiko Range, Waipoua Forest, Trounson Forest.
Holotype: LUNZ male labelled. NEW ZEALAND ND, Trounson Kauri Park, 21.viii.1996, G.L.F. Carlin, pitfall traps in kauri forest / HOLOTYPE Mecodema teroroa n. sp. design. DS Seldon, TR Buckley 2018 [red label].
Paratypes: 1♀, NEW ZEALAND ND, Waipoua F., Yakas tk, 6-11.II.1995, Larivière. Larochelle / pittraps taraire-kauri for., wet soil (NZAC); 1, NEW ZEALAND, ND, Waipoua Forest, 4 Nov 1998, AM Booth / NZMS 260 Q06 653 138, on ground / AMNZ 40703 [green label]; 1, Waimatenui, 22-10-32, E. Fairburn / C.E. Clarke Collection / AMNZ 40752 [green label]; 1, Waimatenui / C.E. Clarke Collection / AMNZ 40749 [green label]; 1, Waimatenui, 11-10-32, C.E. Clarke / C.E. Clarke Collection / AMNZ 40753 [green label]; 1, Waipoua, 2.5 miles S.W. of Waimatenui, Cranfield, RS #97 31.v.69 roadside bush / 2007.163.10894 (CMNZ); 1♂, 2496 Waipoua, Waimatenui, Waioko road, Johns, PM 22.iii.99 logs, etc / 2007.163.10865 (CMNZ); 1♂, Waipoua Forest Sanctuary Kathleen Smith, Oct 1984 pittraps in kauri forest / 2007.163.10892 (CMNZ).
Etymology: Mecodema teroroa is named after Waipoua Forest’s traditional guardians, Te Iwi o Te Roroa.
description: Published as part of Seldon, David S. & Buckley, Thomas R., 2019, The genus Mecodema Blanchard 1853 (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Broscini) from the North Island, New Zealand, pp. 1-148 in Zootaxa 4598 (1) on pages 119-121, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4598.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/2668063