Caledonica myrmidon Fauvel, 1882

Kudrna, Arnošt, 2016, Revision of the genusCaledonica (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 56 (2), pp. 567-628 : 590-592

Caledonica myrmidon Fauvel, 1882

( Figs 14–18 )

Caledonica myrmidon Fauvel, 1882: 223 (key), 226 (original description). FLEUTIAUX (1892): 31 (catalogue); FAUVEL

(1903): 213 (key), 214 (noted); HORN (1910): 180 (noted), 181 (catalogue); HORN (1926): 105 (catalogue); HORN

(1936): 6 (catalogue); DEUVE (1981): 182 (key), 183 (redescription); WIESNER (1992): 76 (catalogue); DEUVE

(2015): 73 (remark), 74 (figure).

Type locality. ‘Kanala’.

Type material examined. LECTOTYPE (designated by DEUVE 1981): J, ‘Coll. R. I. Sc. N. B., Nouvelle Calédonie, Kanala, rec Bougier, ex coll. Fauvel’ [pink, printed/handwritten]; ‘ Caledonica myrmidon Fvl. , cf.: Rev. Ent. , 1882, 1:226’ [white, handwritten] ; ‘ T. Deuve , désign., 1981, Lectotype, cf.: Ann. soc. ent. France,1981, 17.2: 183,4’ [white/ red, printed/handwritten] ( IRSNB). PARALECTOTYPE: ♀, ‘ Coll. R.I. Sc. N. B., Nouvelle Calédonie, Ourail, rec Lecard, ex coll. Fauvel’ [pink, printed/handwritten] ; ‘ Paratype’ [red, printed] ; ‘ Coll. et det. A. Fauvel, Caledonica myrmidon n. sp, R.I.Sc. N.B. 17.479’ [white, printed/handwritten] ( IRSNB) .

Additional material examined (53 specimens). NEW CALEDONIA: PROVINCE SUD: environs of Bouloupari , 09.–16.ii.2009, 1 J, 1 ♀, A. Kudrna jr. lgt. ( AKCB) ; Col de la Pirogue, Mt. Mou , 22°04′S, 166°20′E, 7.–12.i.2005, 400– 600 m, 36 JJ, 8 ♀♀, A. Kudrna Jr. Lgt ( AKCB; 1 J in NMPC; 1 J in BMNH) ; La Foa , 2 JJ ( MNHN) ; Bourail , 1 J ( MNHN) ; Ourail , 2 ♀♀ ( MNHN) .

Redescription. Body small, in male ( Fig. 14 ) length 8.90–10.20 (lectotype: 9.90) mm, width 2.75–3.10 (lectotype: 3.00) mm; in female ( Fig. 16 ) length 9.30–10.40 mm, width 2.95–3.35 mm.

Head with large eyes, slightly narrower than elytra, dorsally dark, bronze, cupreous or black with lustre, in male except for shiny green frons with blue-green to red-gold reflecti- ons; frons moderately convex (more in female) and irregularly rugose; clypeus testaceous, coriaceous with green to orange metallic lustre, separated from frons by well visible suture; vertex moderately convex with distinct posterior impression, in its anterior parts usually irregularly striated, striae becoming more regularly longitudinal and parallel in its posterior and lateral areas; orbital plates longitudinally parallel-striate with two setae on each side; occipital area irregularly wavy to vermicular rugulose; genae glabrous, finely parallel-striate, green with shiny green, occasionally blue-green or bronze reflections except for partly testaceous anterior areas.

Labrum with four setae, in male ( Fig. 15 ) testaceous, usually with darkened apices of anterolateral teeth, shorter than wide, length 0.80–1.00 mm, width 1.15–1.35 mm, median lobe short, truncate, rarely with indistinctly indicated anterior teeth; female labrum ( Fig. 17 ) longer, testaceous generally with darkened lateral margins, slightly shorter than wide, length 1.15–1.30 mm, width 1.35–1.45 mm, with acute anterolateral teeth and prominently tridentate median lobe of acute teeth which are somewhat bent downwards, thus their acute shape is not obvious in dorsal view.

Mandibles subsymmetrical, dark testaceous except for its paler laterobasal area, teeth often with black margins, each mandible with three teeth and basal molar; second tooth in both mandibles larger than third, third tooth in right mandible slightly smaller than third one in left mandible.

Labial and maxillary palpi in male testaceous, terminal palpomeres usually with darkened apices (terminal palpomeres in labial palpi more distinctly darkened and occasionally completely black); palpi in female testaceous with terminal palpomeres black and penultimate palpomere of maxillary palpi brown to black.

Antennae markedly longer and generally paler in male (reaching half of elytra in male, whereas only one third in female); in male scape and pedicel yellow-testaceous often partly darkened, antennomeres III–IV testaceous with variably extended darkened areas which occasionally cover almost whole surface, V–IX yellow to testaceous, X black or only very rarely with paler basal part, XI black, but paler apically; in female scape and pedicel testaceous with darkened areas, antennomeres III–IV black, occasionally paler, V–VIII ochre-testaceous, IX–XI progressively black-darkened, often with yellowish tip of last antennomere.

Thorax. All portions glabrous. Pronotum in male 1.50–1.85 mm long, 1.85–2.20 mm wide (on average 1.18 times wider than long), in female length 1.65–1.90 mm, width 2.10–2.30 mm (on average 1.24 times wider than long), anterior and posterior lobe approximately of the same width and with well pronounced sulci, median line well visible; lateral margins of disc rounded, notopleural sutures simple, not obvious in dorsal view, lacking elevated costae; coloration dorsally shiny dark bronze, cupreous or black (along sulci often with green reflections), lateral areas of disc ochre-testaceous to shiny green; surface of pronotum irregularly vermicular to wavy rugulose, rugae becoming more regularly transversal-wavy along median line; rugae variable, rather deep or very shallow; lateral sterna often with dark testaceous areas (especially on proepisterna), but predominantly with strong green, occasionally also bluish or bronze, metallic reflections; proepisterna very shallowly wrinkled or nearly smooth, mes- and metepisterna shallowly to moderately deep striated (markedly in male); mesepisterna in female with distinct, deeply foveolate coupling sulcus placed rather dorsally; metepisterna with larger usually furrow-like impression at posterior suture; prosternum shallowly to more deeply striated, meso- and metasternum nearly smooth, metasternum with fovea-like impression placed at its dorsolateral corner.

Elytra elongate and narrow, length 5.40–6.55 mm in male, 5.75–6.75 mm in female, nearly parallel, only very slightly narrowed towards apices, anteapical angles arcuate, apices distinctly to indistinctly emarginate towards short sutural spine; elytral surface with distinct juxtahumeral impressions, basodiscal convexity shallow, apical impressions faintly indicated; each elytron between basodiscal convexity and apical impression with two longitudinal costae: elevated discal costa, generating distinct edge and sublateral costa in form of less distinct elevation, occasionally quite faint; area between costae and suture impressed; elytral surface punctate; punctures shiny green, blue-green or cupreous (depending on angle of illumination), anteriorly rather dense and deep (partly effaced in juxtahumeral impressions), becoming gradually smaller and shallower towards apex, punctures on interspaces among costae and suture usually even less distinct; sparse setigerous punctures with rather long, white, hairlike setae are distributed on anterior area; elytral coloration dark bronze to black with lustre; interspaces between costae and also along the suture notably iridescent silvery-bronze to silvery-cupreous, changing to dull depending on angle of illumination; elytral maculation in both sexes consists of three maculae: ivory to ochreous-white humeral macula, ivory-white, rather variable, oblong median macula which is usually slightly cranked upwards and usually reaching discal costa, and ivory-white, irregularly circular anteapical macula.

Abdomen. Ventrites glabrous, dark testaceous with green to blue-green or rarely bronze metallic lustre.

Legs. Generally darker in female; coxae and trochanters testaceous, femora testaceous except for darkened apices (only rarely and indistinctly on profemora, more markedly on metafemora and usually very distinctly on metafemora); tibiae testaceous, darkened apically (particularly on metatibiae), mesotibiae and rarely also protibiae with darkened lateral dorsal area; tarsi in male testaceous with darkened joints except for black or nearly black first three tarsomeres of protarsi and rarely also last three tarsomeres of metatarsi, in female black to dark testaceous with black joints; claws testaceous.

Aedeagus ( Fig. 18 ) 3.00– 3.25 mm long, 0.70– 0.80 mm wide; laterally moderately arcuate and voluminous in middle, apex notably wide, rounded.

Differential diagnosis. Resembling C. luiggiorum sp. nov., but differs in the following characters: terminal antennomere in male and often also in female with a yellowish tip; elytral median macula narrower and usually slightly angled upwards; punctures on the elytral impressed interspaces between costae and suture very indistinct to effaced. Moreover, the body is slightly larger (8.30–10.10 mm in C. luiggiorum sp. nov., 8.90–10.40 mm in C. myrmidon ). From C. rivalieriana sp. nov. it can be distinguished by lacking pronotal lateral ribs and distinctly smaller size (11.10–13.10 mm in C. rivalieriana sp. nov.) and from C. rivalieri by its smaller body size (11.20–11.50 mm in C. rivalieri ), terminal antennomere in male and often also in female with a yellowish tip, and presence of female mesepisternal coupling sulci.

Biology and distribution. Very rare species, probably with small and localised populations. According to historical data ( DEUVE 1981) C. myrmidon occurs on the western coast (Bourail, La Foa) as well as on the eastern coast (Kanala) of the Grande Terre. Fauvel based his description on specimens caught in Kanala and Ourail. Recently, rather abundant adults were observed during rainy weather on tree trunks in the forest at the foot of the Mont Mou. In the last mentioned locality the species occurs sympatrically with another three species: C. mniszechii , C. acentra , and C. lunigera . Another pair was collected in forest remnants near Bouloupari.

Figures

Figs 9–18. 9–13 – Caledonica luiggiorum sp. nov.: 9 – habitus, J, paratype, SE Koumac, 9.8 mm (AKCB); 10 – frontal view, ibid.; 11 – habitus,♀, paratype, SE Koumac, 9.9 mm (AKCB), 12 – frontal view, ibid.; 13 – aedeagus, paratype, SE Koumac (AKCB). 14–18 – C. myrmidon Fauvel, 1882: 14 – habitus, J, Mt. Mou, 9.6 mm (AKCB); 15 – frontal view, ibid.; 16 – habitus, ♀, Boulouparis, 9.6 mm (AKCB), 17 – frontal view, ibid.; 18 – aedeagus, Mt. Mou (AKCB). Scale bars = 1 mm.