Oopterus suavis Broun, 1917

Larochelle, Larivière, Marie-Claude, Larochelle & Larivière, 2017, Synopsis of the tribe Zolini in New Zealand (Coleoptera: Carabidae), Insecta Mundi 2017 (594), pp. 1-110 : 19-20

Oopterus suavis Broun, 1917

Fig. 24 , 71 , 146

Oöpterus suavis Broun, 1917: 365 . Holotype: male (BMNH) labeled: “Type (circular red-bordered label; typed) / 3807. [male symbol] (hand-written) / New Zealand. Broun Coll. Brit. Mus. 1922–482. (white label with red horizontal line; typed) / [OL] Routeburn. 13.2.1914 (hand-written) / Oöpterus suavis . [male symbol] (hand-written).”

Pseudoopterus suavis: Csiki 1928: 226 . Oopterus suavis: Hudson 1934: 177 .

Description. Body length 4.9–5.5 mm. Head, pronotum, elytra, and abdomen mostly reddish piceous; base of pronotum reddish; lateral margins, suture, and apex of elytra reddish; abdomen yellowish laterally and apically; antennae, palpi, and legs reddish; palpi with yellowish tinge; femora pale yellowish, reddish basally. Microsculpture absent. Iridescence absent. Very shiny, without metallic luster. Head. Labrum moderately transverse, slightly emarginate anteriorly. Antennae submoniliform, moderately long: segment 1 (scape) moderately long, about 2x longer than its maximum width. Frontal furrows wide, deep, convergent. Eyes moderately convex; setiferous punctures absent on inner side of each eye (present in other zoline species). Tempora not inflated. Mentum: medial tooth entire, acute apically, moderately shorter than lateral lobes. Paraglossae membranous, prominent, about as long as ligula. Thorax. Pronotum strongly convex, coarsely punctate across base, unwrinkled, slightly transverse, moderately cordate, widest before middle; apex subtruncate; anterolateral angles poorly developed, obtusely rounded; anterior bead incomplete, obsolete medially; sides strongly rounded, not sinuate posteriorly; lateral grooves moderately deep, very long (about as long as adjoining foveae); setiferous punctures absent on each side; posterolateral angles acute, projected laterally; posterolateral carinae blunt, very long (about as long as adjoining foveae); laterobasal foveae well defined, coarsely punctate, very deep and wide, rounded, not prolonged forward, simple; posterior bead absent; base emarginate, wider than pronotal apex, about as wide as elytral base. Legs. Moderately long. Elytra. Strongly convex, ovate, widest about middle. Basal margin incomplete, reaching about stria 4. Shoulders obtuse. Sides strongly rounded. Scutellar striole present. Stria 1 complete, deep; striae 2–7 incomplete, shallow, finely punctate; interval 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. 71 ): moderately arcuate, strongly widened in apical half; base moderately biconvex dorsally; middle moderately convex dorsally, moderately concave ventrally, with dorsal membranous area moderately wide and very long; apex subtriangular, strongly concave dorsally, almost straight ventrally, with extreme tip unusually wide and short. Dorsal view: narrow, asymmetrical (ostium of membranous area deflected to right); apex straight; basal orifice moderately wide, closed anteriorly, moderately distant from membranous area. Parameres with five apical setae.

Material examined. 202 specimens ( AMNZ, BMNH, JNNZ, LUNZ, MONZ, NZAC).

Geographic distribution ( Fig. 146 ). South Island: FD, OL, SL.

Ecology. Lowland, montane, subalpine. Epigean-arboreal. Forests (beech). Shaded ground. Nocturnal; active at night on mossy trees and logs; hides during the day under the loose bark of fallen trees. Gregarious.

Biology. Seasonality: October–March, August. Tenerals: December–March. Predacious (based on mouthpart morphology). Defense mechanism: feigns death when disturbed.

Dispersal power. Subapterous (incapable of flight). Moderate runner. Regular climber on trees and logs.

Collecting technique. Lifting loose bark of fallen trees.

References. Larochelle and Larivière 2001: 77 (catalogue; biology, dispersal power, ecology, geographic distribution, references), 2016: 21 (list).

Remark. Oopterus suavis is the only zoline species without setiferous punctures on the inner side of each eye.

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.