Cerabilia (Cerabilia) rugosa Larochelle and Larivière, 2024

Larochelle, Andre & Larivière, Marie-Claude, 2024, Synopsis of the genus Cerabilia Laporte de Castelnau in New Zealand (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Abacetini), Insecta Mundi 2024 (36), pp. 1-31 : 13

Cerabilia (Cerabilia) rugosa Larochelle and Larivière , new species

Fig. 14 , 35 , 51

Cerabilia (Cerabilia) rugosa Larochelle and Larivière , new species. Holotype: male (NZAC) labeled “ New Zealand WA Putangirua Stm [= Stream] [Cape] Palliser 26-Oct-96 (typed) / Under stone in Karaka grove (typed) / John Nunn Collection (typed) / HOLOTYPE [male symbol] Cerabilia (Cerabilia) rugosa Larochelle & Larivière, 2024 (red label; typed).” Paratype: one female (NZAC) from the same locality as the holotype, bearing a blue paratype label.

Description. Body length 7.4–8.0 mm; stout. Head, pronotum, and elytra black, lateral margins of elytra rufopiceous in apical half; abdomen rufopiceous; antennae and palpi rufotestaceous; femora rufopiceous; tibiae and tarsi rufotestaceous. Microsculpture isodiametric, strong on head, obsolete on pronotum, strong on elytra. Iridescence absent. Dull on head, pronotum, and elytra. Head. Eyes moderately large, moderately convex. Tempora not inflated. Frons wrinkled (with oblique strioles). Mentum with median tooth subtruncate apically. Palpi with terminal segment obtuse apically. Thorax. Pronotum moderately convex, wrinkled throughout, subquadrate, very wide compared to elytra, widest before middle; apex moderately emarginate; anterolateral angles well developed, obtuse; sides moderately rounded anteriorly, very slightly sinuate posteriorly; lateral beads narrow throughout; two setiferous punctures on each side (anteriorly and posteriorly), each anterior setiferous puncture close to lateral bead, distant by about one puncture width; median line incomplete apically and basally; posterolateral angles rectangular; laterobasal foveae single, shallow, parallel; posterior bead obsolete; base strongly emarginate, about as wide as apex. Tip of scutellum strongly projected behind elytral base. Prosternum wrinkled anteriorly. Elytra. Oblong, widest about middle, strongly convex. Basal margin slightly arcuate, complete, reaching scutellum. Shoulder tooth well developed, obtuse. Sides slightly rounded. Scutellar setiferous pore absent. Striae shallow, deepening apically, incomplete basally (at least three or four striae obsolete). Intervals depressed, becoming convex apically; interval 3 without setiferous puncture. Umbilicate series with 15 setiferous punctures separated into two major groups (7+8). Subapical sinuations feeble. Apices obtuse. Abdomen. Sternum VII of male with dense coarse punctures medially. Aedeagus. Lateral view ( Fig. 14 ): strongly arcuate, moderately wide; base slightly concave dorsally, with basal bead; middle moderately convex dorsally, slightly concave ventrally; apex strongly concave dorsally, rather straight ventrally, with extreme tip narrow, very long, not curved downward. Dorsal view: apex very wide, rounded, not deflected to the left.

Material examined. 30 specimens ( NZAC).

Geographic distribution ( Fig. 51 ). North Island: WA–Putangirua Stream, [Cape] Palliser. WN–Cross Creek, west of Lake Wairarapa. Karori Stream. Lyall Bay. Red Rocks and Sinclair [Head] (between). Wainuiomata. South Island: MB–Taylor Pass, Blenheim. NC–Lake Taylor.

Ecology. Lowland. Epigean, silvicolous. Moist or dry forests (broadleaf, beech). Shaded ground. Nocturnal; hides during the day under stones.

Biology. Seasonality: October–November, January–May, July. Tenerals: December. Predacious (based on mouthpart morphology).

Dispersal power. Subapterous. Moderate runner.

Collecting technique. Turning stones.

Remarks. The name of this species is derived from the Latin adjective rugosus (rugose), referring to the wrinkled surface of the pronotum. Cerabilia rugosa is morphologically close to C. laevis . In addition to diagnostic characters of the male genitalia, C. rugosa has the following distinguishing features: stout; body length 7.4–8.0 mm; head, pronotum, and elytra black; lateral margins of elytra rufopiceous in apical half; pronotum subquadrate, moderately convex, wrinkled throughout, very wide compared to elytra, with base about as wide as apex; elytra strongly convex; tip of scutellum strongly projected behind elytral base. Cerabilia rugosa occurs in southern areas of the North Island (WA, WN) and northeastern areas of the South Island (MB, NC), while C. laevis is known only from the Marlborough region (MB).

Figures

Figures 14–27.Aedeagus, lateral. 14) Cerabilia rugosa new species. 15) C. laevis new species. 16) C. rufipes. 17) C. aphela. 18) C. striatula. 19) C. oblonga. Aedeagus, dorsal view of apex.20) C.kaihoka new species.21) C. laevisnew species. 22) C. takaka new species. 23) C. rufipes. 24) C. aphela. 25) C. willi new species. 26) C. maori. 27) C. cordata new species.

Figures 32–35. Dorsal habitus. 32) Cerabilia willi new species. 33) C. major. 34) C. motunau new species (holotype). 35) C. rugosa new species. Scale line = 1 mm.

Figures 48–53. Species distribution maps. 48) Cerabilia motunau new species. 49) C. oblonga. 50) C. rufipes. 51) C. rugosa new species. 52) C. striatula. 53) C. takaka new species.