Oopterus strenuus Johns, 1974

Larochelle, Larivière, Marie-Claude, Larochelle & Larivière, 2017, Synopsis of the tribe Zolini in New Zealand (Coleoptera: Carabidae), Insecta Mundi 2017 (594), pp. 1-110 : 36-37

Oopterus strenuus Johns, 1974

Fig. 39 , 85 , 145

Oopterus strenuus Johns, 1974: 299 . Type locality: Station Point, SN.

Description. Body length 3.9–4.6 mm. Head, pronotum, elytra, and abdomen mostly reddish brown; lateral margins, suture, and apex of elytra reddish; abdomen reddish laterally and apically; antennae, palpi, and legs reddish; femora yellow. Microsculpture strong and isodiametric on head, strong and moderately transverse on pronotum, obsolete and very transverse (with microlines) on elytra. Iridescence absent on head and pronotum, feeble on elytra. Very shiny, without metallic luster. Head. Labrum strongly transverse, slightly emarginate anteriorly. Antennae submoniliform, short: segment 1 (scape) moderately long, about 2x longer than its maximum width. Frontal furrows wide, shallow, convergent. Eyes slightly convex; a single setiferous puncture on inner side of each eye (posteriorly). Tempora slightly inflated (about one third 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, impunctate, unwrinkled, subquadrate, widest before middle; apex subtruncate; anterolateral angles poorly developed, obtusely rounded; anterior bead incomplete, obsolete medially; sides strongly rounded, slightly sinuate or not sinuate posteriorly; lateral grooves absent; two setiferous punctures present on each side; posterolateral angles subrectangular; posterolateral carinae blunt, very long (about as long as adjoining foveae); laterobasal foveae well defined, impunctate, very deep and wide, oblong, prolonged forward, double; posterior bead absent; base emarginate, slightly narrower than pronotal apex and elytral base. Legs. Short. Elytra. Moderately convex, ovate, widest about middle. Basal margin incomplete, reaching about stria 4. Shoulders obtuse. Sides strongly rounded. Scutellar striole absent. Striae incomplete; stria 1 deep; striae 2–7 obsolete, impunctate; stria 3 with three setiferous punctures. Recurrent stria long, blunt, directed apically toward stria 5. Subapical seta present. Intervals depressed. Sutural apices obtuse. Abdomen. Last visible sternum (sternum VII): male with two apical ambulatory setae; female with four apical ambulatory setae. Aedeagus. Lateral view ( Fig. 85 ): moderately arcuate, not narrowed in apical half; base almost straight dorsally; middle moderately convex dorsally and angulate posteriorly, straight ventrally, with dorsal membranous area very wide and long; apex subtriangular, straight dorsally, slightly concave ventrally, with extreme tip wide 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 apical setae.

Material examined. 107 specimens ( CMNZ, LUNZ, NZAC)

Geographic distribution ( Fig. 145 ). Subantarctic Islands: SN –Penguin Creek. Penguin Rookery. Sinkhole Drain. Sinkhole Flat. Station Point.

Ecology. Lowland. Epigean. Wet peaty forests ( Olearia ); penguin colonies and their vicinity. Shaded or open ground. Nocturnal; hides during the day in leaf litter and bird nests. Gregarious.

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

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

Collecting techniques. Sifting leaf litter; inspecting bird nests.

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

Figures

Figures 39–42. Dorsal habitus. 39) Oopterus strenuus. 40) O. clivinoides. 41) O. mohiensis new species. 42) O. frontalis. Scale line = 1 mm.

Figures 82–89. Aedeagi, lateral. 82) Oopterus corvinki new species. 83) O. palmai new species. 84) O. monticola new species. 85) O. strenuus. 86) O. clivinoides. 87) O. mohiensis new species. 88) O. frontalis. 89) O. punctatus 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.