Mecodema manaia Seldon & Leschen 2011
Creators: name: Seldon, David S.
name: Buckley, Thomas R.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Carabidae
Mecodema
Mecodema manaia

description: Mecodema manaia Seldon & Leschen, 2011.
Figures 12A, 15B, 16C and 37.
Diagnosis: Distinguished from other North Island Mecodema species by having: 1, the pronotal carina with 3–4 setae along each side (curvidens species group); 2, pronotum overall shape squared, midline poorly defined, medial impressions and microsculpture absent; 3, elytral interval 7 curved inwardly to parallel humeral angle; 4, ventrites 3 and 4 without setose punctures, ventrite 5 with 1 setose puncture each side of midline.
Description: Length 24.5–28.7 mm, pronotal width 6.5–7.7 mm, elytral width 7.8–9.2 mm. Colour of entire body matte to glossy black.
Head: Broad and convex (Fig. 14B). Vertex smooth; vertexal groove narrow, well-defined the entire length, curved posterad at midpoint; small supraorbital puncture bearing 3 setae; 3 moderately impressed supraorbital grooves; frons with a large and shallow depression each side of midline; frontoclypeal suture (Fig. 9) well-defined, tentorial pits large; anterior area of clypeus with broad and shallow grooves, 1 setose puncture each side bearing 2 setae (Fig. 37). Labrum rounded, anterior edge outwardly curved with 2 proximate central setae, 2 setae each side evenly spaced. Mentum lobes rounded (Fig. 12F), median process narrow and short, slightly angled upward (15°), moderately indentate (Fig. 12B); mentum setae present. Submentum sclerite constriction narrow with 4–6 evenly spaced setae. Stipes with 2 basal setae. Gula pits large, suture indistinct, gula flat with transverse lines present. Gena (Fig. 8) with very fine lines forming an isodiametric pattern across entire area.
Prothorax: Prothoracic carina narrow the entire length, slightly crenulated with 3–4 setae each side (Fig. 37), extended to anterior angle; posterior lateral sinuation indistinctly carinate, parallel; pronotum broad and laterally deflected, overall shape squared; midline poorly defined, medial impressions and microsculpture absent; pronotal foveae deep and narrow; anterior edge (Fig. 11) inwardly curved, posterior edge curved, emarginated medially. Prosternum flat with fine transverse lines; proepisternum without microsculpture. Procoxal setae absent; protibia distally expanded and shovel-like (Fig. 10B).
Elytra: Broad and moderately deflected; humeral angle evenly convex (Fig. 6B); basal margin moderately curved and bevelled to base, interval 1 extended to margin; lateral carina narrow the entire length, extended to humeral angle; humerus with 2–3 setose punctures (Fig. 37); suture poorly impressed; striae with small, regularly distributed, asetose punctures that slightly increased in size laterally; intervals 1–4 weakly convex, intervals 5–9 moderately convex, interval 7 curved inwardly to parallel humeral angle; interval microsculpture absent; 7 th strial setal pattern with 2 setose punctures in anterior ½, 5 setose punctures in posterior ½ (Fig. 37), setose punctures large.
Ventral surface: Mesepisternum and metepisternum (Fig. 2) without microsculpture; setose punctures present on mesocoxa (1) and metacoxa (1). All abdominal ventrites finely lineate laterally, ventrites 3 and 4 without setose punctures, ventrite 5 (Fig. 2) with 1 setose puncture each side of midline; ventrite 6 setae present: ♂ with 2 evenly spaced setose punctures each side, most lateral pair at junction of straight apical edge and curve anterad, ♀ with 2–3 setose punctures proximate, but distantly separated on bluntly rounded apical edge; lateral foveae absent. Anterior metaventrite process (Fig. 2) a bluntly rounded triangle with a well-defined, narrow carina the entire length.
Male genitalia: Apical portion of penis lobe symmetrically rounded (Fig. 37 PL) with a distinct deflection to right of vertical axis (VV) (Fig. 15A); shaft of penis lobe straight and relatively broad entire (VV), overall lenght of penis lobe without curve ventrally (LV). 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 short and narrow; relative extent of setae (scales) of the apical plate sparse (1–25%); size of left setose flange small; size of right setose flange large. Left paramere basal lobe narrowly rectangular, short slope to arm; arm long and relatively broad, gradually narrowed to terminal lobe; terminal lobe indistinct from arm, apical tuft of long setae; medium-lengthed setae continued along apical ¾ of ventral edge (Fig. 37 LP); ventral edge slightly curved. Right paramere narrowly rectangular, gradually narrowed apically with medium to long setae extended along apical ¾ ventral edge (Fig. 37 RP).
Female genitalia: Basal gonocoxite 1 (Fig. 5) long and broad, flattened apically, internal dorso-lateral carina with 2 relatively long setae, ventral surface smooth. Gonocoxite 2 bluntly rounded and triangular. Ramus short and narrow.
Comments: Mecodema manaia shares similar morphological characters with M. tenaki (Cape Reinga) and M. regulus (Three Kings Islands), and although there is suitable forest habitat along the eastern coastline to the north, no specimens have been collected from these areas.
Distribution: New Zealand, North Island, Northland, Whangarei Head’s area.
Holotype: NZAC male labelled. NEW ZEALAND ND Whangarei Heads Mt Lion 2005 F. Brook / HOLOTYPE Mecodema manaia n. sp. design. by Seldon & Leschen 2010 [red label].
Paratypes: (see Seldon & Leschen 2011).
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 69-71, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4598.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/2668063