Prosphodrus occultus Britton, 1960

Larochelle & Larivière, Marie-Claude, 2021, Synopsis of the tribe Platynini in New Zealand (Coleoptera: Carabidae), Insecta Mundi 2021 (864), pp. 1-96 : 17-18

Prosphodrus occultus Britton, 1960

Fig. 46 , 89 , 161

Prosphodrus occultus Britton, 1960: 123 . Holotype: male (NZAC) labeled “ Type (circular red-bordered label; typed) / in debris 400 yrds from the entrance in Simpsons Cave Wairoa [GB] Hawkes Bay Sept. 1959 A. Norgrove (hand-written) / HOLOTYPE [male symbol] Prosphodrus occultus mihi E.B. Britton det. 1959 (hand-written).” Paratype: one female (BMNH) from the same locality as the holotype, bearing a blue paratype label.

Description. Body length 16.3–19.0 mm. Head, pronotum, elytra black; abdomen dark brown; antennae and palpi reddish brown; legs dark brown. Microsculpture moderately transverse on head, pronotum, and elytra. Very shiny, without metallic luster. Head. Mandibles slightly curved anteriorly. Labrum moderately transverse, slightly to moderately emarginate anteriorly. Antennae very long. Eyes small, strongly convex. Tempora moderately inflated and long (about half as long as eyes). Mentum with two setae. Submentum with four setae. Palpi with terminal segment truncate apically. Thorax. Pronotum moderately convex, impunctate, deeply wrinkled throughout, wide, trapezoid, widest before middle; apex subtruncate or slightly emarginate; anterolateral angles moderately developed, rounded; anterior bead incomplete, obsolete medially; sides moderately rounded anteriorly, not sinuate posteriorly; lateral beads complete, widened basally; lateral depressions narrow anteriorly, widened posteriorly; posterolateral angles subrectangular; laterobasal foveae very deep and wide, rounded, not prolonged forward; posterior bead obsolete medially; base emarginate. Legs. Very long. Protibiae with dorsal longitudinal groove obsolete. Elytra. Moderately convex, sloping down toward apex, subovate, widest behind middle. Basal margin incomplete, reaching about stria 4. Shoulders angulate. Sides slightly rounded. Scutellar striole moderately long or very long, impunctate. Striae deep (although shallower at base), finely punctate. Intervals depressed; interval 3 with or without one or two obsolete setiferous punctures. Umbilicate series with 19–21 setiferous punctures. Subapical sinuations absent. Apices obtuse or obtusely rounded. Abdomen. Sternum VII (last visible sternum): male with two long apical ambulatory setae; female with four long apical ambulatory setae. Aedeagus. Lateral view ( Fig. 89 ): strongly arcuate medially, transversely wrinkled in apical third; base slightly convex dorsally, with basal lobe very wide; middle strongly convex dorsally, moderately concave ventrally, with dorsal membranous area moderately wide and long; apex slender, sinuate dorsally, slightly concave ventrally, with extreme tip narrow and very long. Dorsal view: moderately wide, asymmetrical (ostium of membranous area deflected to the left).

Material examined. 85 specimens ( AMNZ, BMNH, JNNZ, LUNZ, NZAC).

Geographic distribution ( Fig. 161 ). North Island: GB, HB, RI.

Ecology. Lowland, montane. Fossorial, amphibious. Margins of rills (about 1–2 m wide) and seepages crossing dense wet forests (broadleaf, podocarp); caves (occasionally). Associated with gullies and ravines. Shaded ground; wet stony soil. Nocturnal; hides during the day under embedded stones. Gregarious.

Biology. Seasonality: October–May. Tenerals: January–February. Predacious (based on mouthpart morphology). Defense mechanism: when alarmed, the adult escapes by running and diving into the water.

Dispersal power. Subapterous (incapable of flight). Swift runner. Excellent swimmer.

Collecting technique. Turning embedded stones.

References. Larochelle and Larivière 2001: 139 (catalogue; biology, dispersal power, ecology, geographic distribution, references), 2007: 114 (list), 2016: 38 (list).

Figures

Figures 45–48. Dorsal habitus. 45) Prosphodrus waimana new species. 46) P. occultus. 47) Maoriplatynus marrisi new species. 48) Kiwiplatynus bidens. Scale line = 1 mm.

Figures 87–93. Aedeagus, lateral. 87) Prosphodrus sirvidi new species.88) P.waimana new species.89) P. occultus. 90) Maoriplatynus marrisi new species. 91) Kiwiplatynus bidens. 92) K. taranaki new species. 93) Kupeplatynus sulcitarsis.

Figures 160–164. Species distribution maps. 160) Prosphodrus mangamuka new species. 161) P. occultus. 162) P. sirvidi new species. 163) P. waimana new species. 164) P. waltoni.