Oopterus quadripunctatus, Larochelle & Larivière & Larochelle & Larivière, 2017

Larochelle, Larivière, Marie-Claude, Larochelle & Larivière, 2017, Synopsis of the tribe Zolini in New Zealand (Coleoptera: Carabidae), Insecta Mundi 2017 (594), pp. 1-110 : 22-23

Oopterus quadripunctatus new species

Fig. 26 , 73 , 142

Holotype: male ( NZAC) labeled: “[ NEW ZEALAND FD] Mt. [= Mount ] Wilmot 1372m (hand-written) / Manapouri Exp. Jan 70 J. McBurney (typed) / [male symbol] / HOLOTYPE [male symbol] Oopterus quadripunctatus Larochelle & Larivière, 2017 (red label; typed).” Paratypes: two females (LUNZ, NZAC) from Percy Saddle (North of), Turret Range (FD), bearing blue paratype labels.

Description. Body length 4.5–5.4 mm. Head, pronotum, and elytra mostly piceous black; abdomen piceous black to rufous; lateral margins and suture of elytra reddish; antennal segments 1–3, palpi, and legs reddish; antennal segments 4–11 infuscated red. Microsculpture obsolete and isodiametric on head, strong, moderately transverse on pronotum, very isodiametric on elytra. Iridescence absent. Very shiny on head, moderately shiny on pronotum and elytra, without metallic luster. Head. Labrum strongly transverse, slightly emarginate anteriorly. Antennae submoniliform, moderately long: segment 1 (scape) short, stout, about 1.5x longer than its maximum width. Frontal furrows wide, deep, convergent. Eyes subdepressed; a single setiferous puncture on inner side of each eye (posteriorly). Tempora moderately inflated (about half as long as eyes). Mentum: medial tooth entire, acute apically, moderately shorter than lateral lobes. Paraglossae membranous, prominent, about as long as ligula. Thorax. Pronotum moderately convex, obsoletely punctate across base, wrinkled discally, subquadrate, moderately cordate, widest before middle; apex truncate; anterolateral angles poorly developed, obtusely rounded; anterior bead complete; sides moderately rounded, moderately sinuate posteriorly; lateral grooves absent; setiferous punctures absent on each side; posterolateral angles obtuse; posterolateral carinae blunt, very long (about as long as adjoining foveae); laterobasal foveae well defined, impunctate, very deep, moderately wide, rounded, not prolonged forward, simple; posterior bead absent; base truncate, much narrower than pronotal apex and elytral base. Legs. Moderately long. Elytra. Moderately convex, subovate, widest about middle. Basal margin complete, reaching about scutellum. Shoulders obtuse. Sides moderately rounded. Scutellar striole obsolete. Striae complete, shallow, finely punctate; interval 3 with four foveate setiferous punctures (without or with 1–5 non-foveate punctures in other Oopterus species ). Recurrent stria long, sharp, directed apically toward stria 5. Subapical seta present. Intervals depressed. Sutural apices rounded. Abdomen. Last visible sternum (sternum VII): male with two apical ambulatory setae; female with four apical ambulatory setae. Aedeagus. Lateral view ( Fig. 73 ): strongly arcuate, moderately widened in apical half; base rather strongly biconvex dorsally; middle moderately concave dorsally, moderately convex ventrally, with dorsal membranous area very wide and long; apex triangular, straight dorsally, slightly concave ventrally, with extreme tip narrow and long. Dorsal view: narrow, asymmetrical (ostium of membranous area deflected to right); apex straight; basal orifice narrow, closed anteriorly, moderately distant from membranous area. Parameres with four or five apical setae.

Material examined. 176 specimens ( AMNZ, JNNZ, LUNZ, NZAC).

Geographic distribution ( Fig. 142 ). South Island: FD, OL.

Ecology. Alpine. Endogean. Grasslands, fellfields, screes. Open ground. Nocturnal; hides during the day under well-embedded stones. Gregarious.

Biology. Seasonality: November–February. Tenerals: February (FD). Predacious (based on mouthpart morphology). Occasionally infested with fungi (Laboulbeniales).

Dispersal power. Subapterous (incapable of flight). Moderate runner.

Collecting technique. Lifting stones.

Remarks. The name of this species is based on the Latin quadri (four) and punctatus (punctate), referring to the four setiferous punctures on elytral interval 3. Oopterus quadripunctatus is morphologically close to O. discoideus and O. marrisi . In addition to diagnostic characters of the male genitalia, O. quadripunctatus has the following distinguishing features: pronotum subquadrate, widest before middle; elytra moderately convex, microsculpture isodiametric, four foveate setiferous punctures on interval 3. All three species occur in southern areas of the South Island.

Figures

Figures 23–26. Dorsal habitus. 23) Zolus wongi new species. 24) Oopterus suavis. 25) O. laevicollis. 26) O. quadripunctatus new species. Scale line = 1 mm.

Figures 66–73. Aedeagi, lateral. 66) Zolus subopacus. 67) Z. kauriensis new species. 68) Z. carinatus. 69) Z. helmsi. 70) Z. wongi new species. 71) Oopterus suavis. 72) O. laevicollis. 73) O. quadripunctatus new species.

Figures 142–147. Species distribution maps. 142) Oopterus quadripunctatus new species. 143) O. sculpturatus. 144) O. sobrinus. 145) O. strenuus. 146) O. suavis. 147) O. taieriensis new species.