Ctenognathus marieclaudiae Larochelle, 2021

Larochelle & Larivière, Marie-Claude, 2021, Synopsis of the tribe Platynini in New Zealand (Coleoptera: Carabidae), Insecta Mundi 2021 (864), pp. 1-96 : 46-47

Ctenognathus marieclaudiae Larochelle , new species

Fig. 67 , 110 , 137

Ctenognathus marieclaudiae Larochelle , new species. Holotype: male (NZAC) labeled “ NEW ZEALAND OL (typed) Makarora 3 Feb 1984 JC Watt (hand-written) / on mossy trunks at night (hand-written) / HOLOTYPE [male symbol] Ctenognathus marieclaudiae Larochelle, 2021 (red label; typed).” Paratypes: one female (NZAC) and one male (AMNZ) from the same locality as the holotype, bearing blue paratype labels.

Description. Body length 12.6–13.3 mm. Head, pronotum, elytra, and abdomen black; antennae and palpi dark rufous; legs black. Microsculpture isodiametric on head, moderately transverse on pronotum, and isodiametric (almost granulate) on elytra. Iridescence absent. Head, pronotum, and elytra very shiny. Forebody very wide in comparison to elytra. Head. Moderately wide. Mandibles moderately long and curved anteriorly. Labrum strongly transverse, moderately emarginate anteriorly. Eyes moderately convex; two setiferous punctures on inner side of each eye. Tempora not inflated. Neck constriction absent dorsolaterally. Mentum: medial tooth slightly emarginate apically; two setae. Submentum with six setae. Palpi with terminal segment obtuse apically. Thorax. Pronotum slightly convex, impunctate, unwrinkled, wide, moderately cordate, widest before middle; apex subtruncate; anterolateral angles poorly developed, narrowly rounded; anterior bead complete; sides moderately rounded, slightly sinuate posteriorly; lateral beads complete; lateral depressions wide; two setiferous punctures (anterior and posterior) on each side; posterolateral angles rectangular; laterobasal foveae moderately deep and wide, prolonged forward; posterior bead incomplete, obsolete medially; base subtruncate. Legs. Moderately long. Metafemora with two posteroventral setae. Meso- and metatarsomeres 1–4 well developed, tricarinate dorsally, deeply bisulcate laterally. Metatarsomeres 4 moderately bilobed, symmetrical apically. Metatarsomeres 5 glabrous ventrally. Elytra. Slightly convex, sloping toward apex, oblong, widest behind middle. Shoulders moderately rounded. Sides slightly rounded. Scutellar setiferous pore visible. Scutellar striole moderately long, impunctate. Striae deep, impunctate. Intervals depressed; interval 3 with three or four moderately deep, large (foveate) setiferous punctures. Umbilicate series with 17–20 setiferous punctures. Subapical sinuations moderate. Apices obtuse. Abdomen. Sterna IV–VI: both sexes with two long apical ambulatory setae. Sternum VII (last visible sternum): male with four long apical ambulatory setae; female with ten long apical ambulatory setae. Aedeagus. Lateral view ( Fig. 110 ): moderately arcuate, slender; base strongly convex dorsally, with basal lobe moderately wide; middle moderately convex, then rather straight toward apex dorsally, moderately concave ventrally, with dorsal membranous area moderately wide and long; apex slender, strongly convex dorsally, almost straight ventrally, with extreme tip narrow and moderately long. Dorsal view: moderately wide, asymmetrical (ostium of membranous area deflected to the left); basal bulb moderately distant from membranous area.

Material examined. 63 specimens ( AMNZ, BMNH, MONZ, NZAC).

Geographic distribution ( Fig. 137 ). South Island: BR, OL, WD.

Ecology. Lowland, montane. Epigean, arboreal. Wet forests (beech, podocarp, broadleaf). Shaded ground; wet soil. Nocturnal; hides during the day under logs, fallen branches, and stones; active at night on mossy tree trunks and logs.

Biology. Seasonality: November–April. Predacious (based on mouthpart morphology).

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

Collecting techniques. Pitfall trapping; turning logs, fallen branches, and stones; examining mossy tree trunks and logs at night.

Remarks. The species is named after Marie-Claude Larivière, the love of my life. Ctenognathus marieclaudiae Larochelle is morphologically close to C. edwardsii . In addition to diagnostic characters of the male genitalia, C. marieclaudiae has the following distinguishing features: pronotum unwrinkled and moderately cordate, laterobasal foveae moderately wide, not meeting toward pronotal midline; elytra very shiny, slightly convex, interval 3 with three or four large (foveate) setiferous punctures. C. marieclaudiae is found in western areas of the South Island (BR, WD, OL), while C. edwardsii occurs in the southern South Island (MC to FD–SL) and Stewart Island.

Figures

Figures 65–68. Dorsal habitus. 65) Ctenognathus takahe new species. 66) C. arnaudensis. 67) C. marieclaudiae new species. 68) C. edwardsii. Scale line = 1 mm.

Figures 108–114. Aedeagus, lateral. 108) Ctenognathus takahe new species. 109) C. arnaudensis. 110) C. marieclaudiae new species. 111) C. edwardsii. 112) C. kaikoura new species. 113) C. sandageri. 114) C. helmsi.

Figures 136–141. Species distribution maps. 136) Ctenognathus kaikoura new species. 137) C. marieclaudiae new species. 138) C. novaezelandiae. 139) C. oreobius. 140) C. otagoensis. 141) C. perumalae new species.