Prosphodrus Britton 1959
Creators: name: Larochelle
name: Larivière, Marie-Claude
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2021
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Carabidae
Prosphodrus

description: Genus Prosphodrus Britton, 1959   
Fig. 42–46, 85–89, 160–164  
 Prosphodrus Britton, 1959: 106.   
 Type species. Prosphodrus waltoni Britton, 1959, by monotypy.   
 Description. Body length 14.0– 26.2 mm. Color mostly dark. Metallic luster present or absent. Dorsal surface mostly glabrous. Forebody very wide in comparison to elytra. Head. Very wide. Mandibles very long. Labrum emarginate anteriorly (biconcave in P. waltoni). Eyes strongly convex (moderately convex in P. mangamuka), separated from buccal fissures; two setiferous punctures on inner side of each eye. Tempora inflated. Neck constriction deep dorsolaterally. Mentum tooth bifid apically (as in Maoriplatynus); two large circular foveae; two, four, or six long setae. Submentum with four, six, or eight long setae. Palpi with terminal segment truncate apically (obtuse in P. mangamuka). Ligula with two setae. Paraglossae pubescent (glabrous in other genera). Thorax. Pronotum subquadrate, trapezoid, or cordate; two setiferous punctures (anterior and posterior) on each side. Prosternum glabrous apically, compressed into a vertical ridge (not compressed in other genera). Legs. Very long (moderately long in P. mangamuka). Metacoxae with two posteroventral setae. Metafemora with three posteroventral setae. Protibiae with or without dorsal longitudinal groove; cleaning organ with three clip setae. Meso- and metatarsomeres 1–4 poorly developed, not carinate dorsally, obsoletely bisulcate laterally. Metatarsomeres 4 strongly bilobed and asymmetrical apically. Metatarsomeres 5 glabrous ventrally. Elytra. Subovate (oblong in P. mangamuka). Fused along suture (hindwings vestigial). Basal margin incomplete, reaching about stria 3 or 4 (complete, reaching about scutellum in P. waltoni). Shoulders narrow, rounded or angulate. Sides widest about or behind middle. Scutellar setiferous pore visible. Scutellar striole short to very long. Striae complete, consisting of impressed lines. Interval 3 without or with one to three obsolete setiferous punctures. Umbilicate series with 17–24 setiferous punctures. Apices rounded or obtuse (truncate-emarginate in P. mangamuka). Abdomen. Sterna IV–VI: both sexes with two long apical ambulatory setae. Sternum VII (last visible sternum): male with two long apical ambulatory setae; female usually with four long apical ambulatory setae (two long apical ambulatory setae in P. waltoni). Aedeagus. Lateral view: moderately or strongly arcuate; basal lobe of basal bulb present; internal sac without scale-like sclerites. Dorsal view: narrow or moderately wide, symmetrical (ostium of membranous area dorsal) or asymmetrical (ostium deflected to the left); basal bulb moderately distant from membranous area.   
 References. Larochelle and Larivière 2001: 139 (catalogue), 2007: 82 (description, ecology, geographic distribution, references), 2016: 38 (list).   
 Remarks. This genus was transferred by Casale (1988: 919) from the tribe Prosphodrini to the tribe Platynini. Prosphodrus species occur throughout the North Island although they were considered rare and thought to be cave-dwellers before their ecological requirements became better known. The species live in colonies in dense forests gullies and ravines, along rills and seepages, and hide under embedded stones during the day. They are quick to dive into nearby water when disturbed.
description: Published as part of Larochelle & Larivière, Marie-Claude, 2021, Synopsis of the tribe Platynini in New Zealand (Coleoptera: Carabidae), pp. 1-96 in Insecta Mundi 2021 (864) on pages 12-13, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.5041813