Maurodus plagiatus ( Sharp, 1886 ) Leschen & Reid & Nadein, 2020

Leschen, Richard A. B., Reid, Chris A. M. & Nadein, Konstantin S., 2020, Generic Review of New Zealand Chrysomelinae (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), Zootaxa 4740 (1), pp. 1-66 : 45-46

Maurodus plagiatus ( Sharp, 1886) , comb. nov.

( Figs 8 C–F; map Fig. 19B )

Caccomolpus plagiatus Sharp, 1886:448 . Type locality: Greymouth.

Diagnosis. Body oval and bicoloured; pronotum unicoloured. Antennal groove weakly developed with inner ridge scarcely indicated; inner surface weakly glabrous. Prosternal lines in front of procoxae parallel. Elytra with midbasal stria present; maculae present in basal 2/3 with outer edges sinuate and contacting at midline and not extending to tip of elytra; microsculpture strongly impressed. Ventrites mostly light coloured and weakly infuscate, with anterior portion of hypomera and entire epipleura pale-coloured; male ventrite 5 not vaulted at middle. Legs bicoloured with femora and tibiae infuscate; tarsomere 1 of male greatly enlarged.

Description. Length 3.3–3.5 mm (greatest depth 1.70 mm). Body oval and bicoloured with head, elytral macula, and middle portions of the prosternal process, meso-, and metaventrite black or dark-coloured the rest of the body orange, yellow or pale-coloured; elytral maculae sinuate along lateral edge. Microsculpture distinct, present on pronotum and elytra. Clypeus very weakly punctate or apunctate, more or less trapezoidal, anterior margin straight; frontoclypeal suture present and not meeting at midline or absent, lateral postclypeal lines present and well developed, medial line absent; vertex apunctate. Ratio of antennomere lengths: 0.8/0.4/0.6/0.7/0.6/0.5/0.6/0.5/1. 0/0.8/1.1. Antennal groove weakly developed with inner ridge scarcely indicated; inner surface weakly glabrous. Pronotum transverse (2.22–2.50 x wider than long), lateral margins at base not parallel-sided and sides converging anteriorly, not strongly convex; punctures non-uniform, coarse at base and progressively diffuse anteriorly, those at base stronger than elsewhere on the body or about as course as they are at the posterolateral disc of the elytron. Prosternal lines or carinae in front of procoxae parallel; intercarinal space flat. Elytra widest at basal 1/3 and broad (1.08x the greatest elytral width), 2.89–3.12 x longer than pronotal length; punctation very weakly striate and not impressed towards midline or moderately striate; midbasal stria present and shallow. Tarsomere 1 of male greatly enlarged. Male ventrite 5 not vaulted at middle.

Comments. Sharp received one specimen of this species from Reitter, which we located in the BMNH and confirmed its status as the holotype ( Fig. 8F ). This species is transferred from Caccomolpus to Maurodus because the subcoxal lines on abdominal ventrite 1 are parallel to coxal cavities. Maurodus plagiatus can be distinguished from most species of the genus by the unicoloured pronotum and epipleura and the presence of elytyral maculae that are present in the basal 2/3 of the elytra that distinguishes this species from M. supernus .

Type examined. Holotype ( BMNH): remounted on point with removed abdomen and female terminalia on acetate card, “ Caccomolpus plagiatus Type D. S. Greymouth, N. Zd [in Sharp’s hand; top of original card trimmed] // Type H. T. [round label with red border] // Sharp Coll. 1905-313. // Aotearoanus plagiatus (Sharp) [handwritten] det. M. Daccordi [printed] 1987 [in Daccordi’s hand]”.

Additional material examined. South Island. NN: Oparara Basin , Oparara Arches Track, mixed Nothofagus and podocarp forest, 30 Jan 2012 , R. Leschen , sifted rotten wood, 41.149821S, 172.189917E, RL1642 (1, NZAC) . BR: Fletcher Creek , 6 km SW Rotokohu, 41.982710S, 171.846460E, litter 71/125, 09.11.1971, J.S. Dugdale (1, NZAC); Nile River valley, moss berlesate, 1.ix.1971 , R.M. Emberson (1, LUNZ).

Figures

FIGURES 8A–F. Habitus of Maurodus spp.; A, Maurodus owenensis, dorsal; B, Maurodus owenensis, ventral; C, Maurodus plagiatus, dorsal; D, Maurodus plagiatus, ventral; E, Maurodus plagiatus, lateral; F, Maurodus plagiatus, dorsal holotype.

FIGURES 19A–B. A and B, South Island.