Oparara marskeae Leschen and Lord, 2017

Leschen, Richard A. B. & Lord, Nathan P., 2017, Three New Genera of New Zealand Synchitini (Coleoptera: Zopheridae: Colydiinae), The Coleopterists Bulletin 71 (4), pp. 733-745 : 736-740

Oparara marskeae Leschen and Lord , new species

( Fig. 1a–c )

Type Material. Holotype: sex unknown, “ NEW ZEALAND: NN, Oparara Basin , Oparara Arches Track , mixed Nothofagus and podocarp forest, 27 Feb 2007, K. Marske, sifted wood and leaf litter, S 41.09 .075 ʹ, E 172.11 .455 ʹ, 171 m, KM026 ”.

Description. Cuticle dark reddish brown; legs and mouthparts light red-brown. Vestiture very sparse, small, silver scales, present on edges of pronotum and elytra, very sparse on ventral surfaces [seen under high magnification]. Surfaces rugose to verrucate, glabrous; head with dorsal punctures impressed, separated by 1–2X puncture width, ventrally punctate with irregular impressed punctures of various widths; pronotum verrucate, dorsally with 4 suboval and 2 longitudinal verrucae; mesoventrite verrucate, with 2 rows of tubercles forming longitudinal carinae; metaventrite irregularly verrucate, with premetacoxal impressions; abdomen irregularly verrucate, ventrites II–III smooth; elytral punctures large, deeply impressed, forming 6 rows separated by less than 0.5X puncture width. Ratios among antennomere lengths: 2.5/1.5/ 2.5/.90/.70/.80/.80/.90/1.2/1.5/2.5. Elytral disc with middle striae polished and sharp, outer striae verrucate and or partially verrucate.

Comments. Despite four attempts to re-collect this species at the type locality, O. marskeae may be one of New Zealand’ s most elusive beetles. The type specimen was collected from secondary forest adjacent to extensive primary forest by sifting a mix of leaf litter and rotten branches in a location near a cave system; we do not believe that this species is a troglophile because it was not sampled proximal to the cave entrance. We recommend that O. marskeae be placed on the Department of Conservation Threatened Species List ( Leschen et al. 2012) and treated as “range-restricted” and “sparse” using the criteria of Stringer and Hitchmough (2012). This formality will facilitate further collecting activity to discover more about the biology and distribution of O. marskeae .

Etymology. The species is named for Katie Marske to acknowledge her “Midas touch” at collecting this and other rare species, as well as her contribution towards understanding the evolution of New Zealand’ s biota.

Tarphionivea Leschen and Lord , new genus ( Figs. 2a–c , 3a–n )

Type Species. Tarphionivea lindsayae Leschen and Lord , new species.

Diagnosis. Surfaces scalate, agglutinate, encrustations weakly present. Head not strongly dorsoventrally flattened; temples relatively short. Antenna 11-segmented with 2-segmented club. Antennal groove well-developed, extending to posterior margin of eye. Labial palpi absent. Pronotum weakly explanate, anterior margin not deflected dorsally; lateral margin with a broad lobe extending from anterior 1/4 to posterior 1/3, with rounded anterior angles that do not extend forward to level of anterior pronotal margin. Prothorax without distinct antennal cavities. Abdominal ventrites well separated by transverse grooves, ventrite V with preapical groove. Scutellary shield present, well-developed. Elytron lacking strongly developed costae; epipleuron present to level of edge of metaventrite. Metacoxal cavity open laterally. Legs generally weakly flattened in crosssection. Tarsal formula 4-4-4; tarsi filiform, not strongly lobed below.

Description. Length 3.7–4.7 mm, greatest depth 1.0– 1.4 mm. Dorsal and ventral surfaces agglutinate ( Fig. 2a, b ), scalate, rugose-punctate, densely tuberculate, with scales arising from tubercles that are generally grouped into raised areas dorsally or singular and well separated ventrally; weakly encrusted. Head not flattened ( Fig. 2c ), strongly constricted behind eyes; temples not strongly produced laterally ( Fig. 3a ), length in dorsal view about length of eye; frons depressed at middle with sides distinctly raised above antennal insertions; supraorbital carina absent. Antennal groove welldeveloped, deep, extending to posterior margin of eye; subgena expanded laterally to form ventral shelf of antennal groove. Eyes well-developed ( Fig. 3c ), weakly protruding, convex, interfacetal setae present. Antenna short, inserted below frons, extending to level just beyond midline of pronotum, 11-segmented with 2-segmented club ( Fig. 3e ); setation of antennal segments 2–9 sparse, consisting of a single row of short, hair-like setae at apical 1/3 of segment; club segments more densely setose, setae not arranged in rows; scape subcylindrical, same width as pedicel; pedicel subovate, slightly longer than wide, shorter than 1 and equal to 3; antennomeres 3–9 of subequal width, becoming gradually shorter, more transverse; antennomere 3 distinctly longer than 4; antennal club not flattened, strong and abrupt with segments transverse, of equal lengths, well-separated. Labrum short, transverse, anterior margin straight, apicolateral angles somewhat rounded, fringed with sparse setae ( Fig. 3h ). Mandibles ( Fig. 3b ) hidden in repose [not dissected]. Maxillary palpus 4-segmented, last maxillary palpomere digitiform, about 3X as long as wide ( Fig. 3d ); galea narrowest at base, expanded apically, apical margin truncate, fringed with setae; lacinia narrower, with single, curved spine at apex, apical margin fringed with setae. Mentum somewhat transverse, with shallow median impression, bearing several short setae, anterior margin arcuate; labial palpus present and inserted ventrally, 3-segmented, terminal palpomere fusiform, about 2.5X as long as wide ( Fig. 3c ); submentum somewhat trapezoidal, slightly longer than wide, lacking median carina. Gular region with convergent sutures and deep tentorial pits, not broadly vaulted at middle. Prothorax constricted at base, with a narrow cowling fitting dorsally into and ventrally over the mesothorax ( Fig. 3g ). Pronotum about 0.8X wider than long, widest at apical third, narrowest at base, with base narrower than combined width of elytra; lateral margins explanate, with a broad lateral lobe extending from anterior 1/4 to posterior 1/3, lobes with rounded anterior angles that do not extend forward to level of anterior pronotal margin; anterior margin produced at middle into a hood covering a portion of the head while in repose, not deflected dorsally; posterior angles rounded, without a tooth; lateral carina not sharp-edged; surface of disc uneven, with weak depressions and elevations, lacking well-developed tubercles and carinae, depressed sublaterally above anterior lobe. Prothoracic venter without distinct antennal cavities, though weakly excavate. Notosternal suture present. Prosternum not produced anteriorly into a chin-piece, anterior margin evenly curved, medially not raised above level of procoxae; prosternum long in front of procoxae, about 2X as long as prosternal process; prosternal process wider than coxal cavity, slightly expanded subapically, narrowing at apex, apex subacute and slightly expanded apically or laterally. Procoxal cavities externally separated by about 1 coxal diameter, narrowly separated internally; externally narrowly open, postcoxal process extending to about mid-length of coxae. Lateral portions of elytra not explanate. Scutellary shield present, visible externally. Elytra 1.9X as long as combined width, 1.6X as long as pronotum; parallel-sided; scutellary striole present, punctation obscured by rugose, carinate surface; disc tuberculate, with 3 or more low costae that are more prominent apically, 3 rd costa terminating apically at a tubercle; costa present at humeral angle, with a large tubercle that may be more or less transverse, located subapically; apex subrounded, in dorsal view declivate, with 3 tubercles; epipleuron oblique, visible in lateral view, incomplete, present to level of about edge of metaventrite. Hindwings present ( Fig. 3l ). Mesoventrite ecarinate; mesocoxae narrowly separated by less than 1/2 width of coxal cavity ( Fig. 3i ); mesocoxal cavity laterally closed. Metaventrite 2X as long as abdominal ventrite I; metacoxae separated by about 1/5 width of coxal cavity ( Fig. 3i ); metacoxal cavity laterally open. Legs generally weakly flattened in cross-section; outer apical angle of protibia not expanded; edge of protibia simple, without teeth or spines ( Fig. 3f ). Tarsal formula 4-4-4; tarsi filiform and not strongly lobed below; tarsomeres I–III about equal in length, their combined length equal to tarsomere IV. Abdominal ventrites well separated by transverse grooves, intercoxal process of ventrite I acute ( Fig. 3j ); ventrite V with preapical groove. Male sternite VIII with baculae, well-separated, not meeting at midline; sternite IX with slender and acute spiculum gastrale ( Fig. 3m ). Aedeagus with tegmen dorsal to penis ( Fig. 3n ).

Comments. Tarphionivea resembles no other genus in New Zealand and its only species can be distinguished from all other species by the elongate and relatively large body with an anteriorly widened prothorax. Tarphionivea keys to couplet 40 in Ślipiński and Lawrence (1997), leading to Trachypholis Erichson , a widespread genus found in Africa, Asia, and New Guinea, which contains species with a broader body form, a broad intercoxal process, and an antennal groove on the head that extends beyond the eyes, features separating it from Tarphionivea . Outside of the Australo-Pacific region, Tarphionivea resembles the Malagasy genus Trigonophloeus Dajoz, 1980 , with the main difference in the structure of the tarsi (tarsomere IV over twice the length of tarsomeres I–III combined). It is conceivable that Tarphionivea may eventually be synonymized with Trigonophloeus , a geographic distribution that is rare (present in the cleroid family Chaetosomatidae ); but the generic issue is complicated by the inclusion of Trigonophloeus -like forms from the African region in Bitoma .

Etymology. The name combines the prefix “ tarphio ” used in the zopherid literature and the suffix “ nivea ” (G., = snow), which refers to the near-alpine habitat of the genus.

Figures

Fig. 1. Oparara marskeae. a) Dorsal habitus, b) Ventral habitus, c) Lateral habitus. Scale bar = 1 mm.

Fig. 2. Tarphionivea lindsayae. a) Dorsal habitus, b) Ventral habitus, c) Lateral habitus. Scale bar = 1 mm.

Fig. 3. Tarphionivea lindsayae. a) Head, ventral view, b) Mandible, ventral view, c) Labium, ventral view, d) Maxilla, ventral view, e) Antenna, f) Fore leg, g) Prothorax, ventral view, h) Labrum, dorsal view, i) Pterothorax, ventral view, j) Abdominal ventrites I–V, ventral view, k) Metendosternite, ventral view, l) Metathoracic wing, dorsal view, m) Spiculum gastrale, dorsal view, n) Aedeagus, ventral view.