Oopterus laevicollis Bates, 1871

Larochelle, Larivière, Marie-Claude, Larochelle & Larivière, 2017, Synopsis of the tribe Zolini in New Zealand (Coleoptera: Carabidae), Insecta Mundi 2017 (594), pp. 1-110 : 21-22

Oopterus laevicollis Bates, 1871

Fig. 25 , 72 , 129

Oopterus laevicollis Bates, 1871: 14 . Holotype: male (MNHN) labeled: “ New Zealand (hand-written) /

Oopterus laevicollis Bates (hand-written) / Ex Musaeo H. W. Bates 1892 (typed) / Museum Paris ex. Coll. R. Oberthur (typed).” Oöpterus puncticeps Broun, 1893: 1399 ([MC] Port Hills , Christchurch). Holotype: male (BMNH) labeled:

“ Type (circular red-bordered label; typed) / 2440. (hand-written) / Canterbury (typed) / New Zeal .

Broun Coll. Brit. Mus. 1922–482. (white label with red horizontal line; typed) / Oöpterus puncticeps

(hand-written).” New synonym Pseudoopterus laevicollis: Csiki 1928: 225 . Pseudoopterus puncticeps: Csiki 1928: 225 . Oopterus laevicollis: Hudson 1934: 177 . Oopterus puncticeps: Hudson 1934: 177 .

Description. Body length 5.9–6.4 mm. Head, pronotum, elytra, and abdomen mostly reddish piceous; lateral margins and suture of elytra reddish; abdomen reddish piceous, yellow laterally and apically; antennae, palpi, and legs reddish; femora pale yellow. Microsculpture obsolete and isodiametric on head, strong, moderately transverse on pronotum, very transverse (with microlines) on elytra. Iridescence absent on head and pronotum, very strong on elytra. Very shiny, with metallic luster (aeneous) on elytra. 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, shallow, convergent. Eyes moderately convex; two setiferous punctures on inner side of each eye. Tempora not inflated. Mentum: medial tooth entire, acute apically, moderately shorter than lateral lobes. Paraglossae membranous, prominent, about as long as ligula. Thorax. Pronotum moderately convex, finely punctate across base, wrinkled discally, subquadrate, widest about middle; apex subtruncate; anterolateral angles poorly developed, rounded; anterior bead complete; sides moderately rounded, not 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, finely punctate, very deep and wide, square, prolonged forward, double; posterior bead absent; base emarginate, about as wide as pronotal apex, slightly narrower than 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; stria 3 with three setiferous punctures. Recurrent stria long, sharp, directed apically toward stria 5. Subapical seta present. Intervals subdepressed. Sutural apices obtusely rounded. Abdomen. Last visible sternum (sternum VII): male with two apical ambulatory setae; female with four apical ambulatory setae. Aedeagus. Lateral view ( Fig. 72 ): strongly arcuate, narrowed in apical half; base strongly convex dorsally; middle strongly sinuate dorsally, moderately convex ventrally, with dorsal membranous area moderately wide and long; apex slender, slightly convex dorsally, moderately concave ventrally, with extreme tip unusually slender. Dorsal view: moderately wide, asymmetrical (ostium of membranous area deflected to left); apex deflected to left; basal orifice narrow, closed anteriorly, moderately distant from membranous area. Parameres with three apical setae.

Material examined. 85 specimens ( AMNZ, BMNH, CMNZ, JNNZ, LUNZ, MNHN, NZAC). Geographic distribution ( Fig. 129 ). South Island: MC –Banks Peninsula. Port Hills.

Ecology. Lowland (hills). Epigean-arboreal. Wet or dry forests (broadleaf, podocarp, beech) and scrublands. Nocturnal; active on tree-trunks at night; hides during the day under logs and in leaf litter.

Biology. Seasonality: throughout the year, except September, August. Tenerals: November–December, February. Predacious (based on mouthpart morphology).

Dispersal power. Subapterous (incapable of flight). Moderate runner. Occasional climber on trees.

Collecting techniques. Lifting logs; sifting leaf litter; pitfall trapping.

References. Larochelle and Larivière 2001: 74, 76 (as O. laevicollis , O. puncticeps ; catalogue; biology, dispersal power, ecology, geographic distribution, references), 2016: 20–21 (as O. laevicollis , O. puncticeps ; list).

Remarks. Bates’ original description was based on a single male. Three specimens, two males and one female, were obtained from the Bates collection in Paris (MNHN); the male bearing Bates’ handwritten identification label is believed to be the holotype. Examination of the type of Oopterus puncticeps revealed it to be conspecific with O. laevicollis .

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 124–129. Species distribution maps. 124) Oopterus corvinki new species. 125) O. discoideus new species. 126) O. frontalis. 127) O. fulvipes. 128) O. garnerae new species. 129) O. laevicollis.