Caledonica luiggiorum, Kudrna, 2016

Kudrna, Arnošt, 2016, Revision of the genusCaledonica (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 56 (2), pp. 567-628 : 588-590

Caledonica luiggiorum sp. nov.

( Figs 9–13 , 86 )

Type locality. New Caledonia, Province Nord, 10 km SE of Koumac, 20°37′S, 164°20′E, 0–50 m a.s.l.

Type material. HOLOTYPE: J, ‘ New Caledonia, Pr.Nord, 10 km SE Koumac , S 20°37´, E 164°20´, 1.- 7.01.2012, 0-50 m., A.Kudrna jr.lgt.’ [white/printed] ( MNHN) . ALLOTYPE: ♀, ‘ New Caledonia, Pr.Nord, 10 km SE Koumac , S 20°37´, E 164°20´, 25.- 28.01.2012, 0-50 m., A. Kudrna jr. lgt.’ [white/printed] ( AKCB) . PARATYPES (49 specimens): 15 JJ, 15 ♀♀ ( AKCB): ‘ New Caledonia, Pr. Nord, 10 km SE Koumac , S 20°37´, E 164°20´, 0-50 m., 25.- 28.01.2012, A. Kudrna jr. lgt.’ [white/printed] ; 7 JJ, 4 ♀♀ ( AKCB): ‘ New Caledonia, Pr. Nord, 10 km SE Koumac , S 20°37´, E 164°20´, 1.- 7.1.2012, 0-50 m., A. Kudrna jr. lgt.’ [white/printed] ; 2 JJ, 2 ♀♀ ( SRFP), 2 JJ, 2 ♀♀ ( IRDN): ‘ New Caledonia, Pr. Nord, Karembe , 10 km SE Koumac, 13.1.2016, 20°37´S, 164°20´E, A. Kudrna jr. lgt.’ [white/print- ed]. All type specimens provided with additional red printed label : ‘ Holotype [Allotype or Paratype, respectively], Caledonica luiggiorum sp. nov., A.Kudrna det. 2014’.

Description. Body small, in male ( Fig. 9 ) length 8.30–9.90 (holotype: 9.40) mm, width 2.65– 3.15 (holotype: 3.00) mm; in female ( Fig. 11 ) length 8.30–10.10 mm, width 2.75–3.45 mm.

Head with large eyes, slightly narrower than elytra, dorsal coloration varies from dark green or olivaceous to dark bronze, always with metallic lustre; clypeus and supraantennal plates in both sexes and frons in male shiny green to blue-green, in female metallic colour much less distinct and often limited; frons moderately to rather distinctly convex (more markedly in female); surface irregularly rugulose, rugae often more regularly longitudinal and parallel on lateral areas; clypeus coriaceous, separated from frons by indistinct suture; vertex with variably developed, deep to shallow posterior impression, rarely also with impression on anterior area, surface of vertex and orbital plates rather regularly longitudinally parallel-striate, rugae often becoming more irregular on central areas of vertex; orbital plates with two setae on each side; occipital area irregularly wavy to vermicular-rugulose; genae glabrous, parallel-striate, metallic green to blue.

Labrum in both sexes with four setae and acute anterolateral teeth; in male ( Fig. 10 ) testaceous except for usually somewhat darkened apices of anterolateral teeth, shorter than wide, length 0.95–1.15 mm, width 1.20–1.30 mm, median lobe variably short to rather prominent with indistinct or effaced anterior teeth and effaced or blunt and wide median tooth; female labrum ( Fig. 12 ) longer, slightly shorter than wide, length 1.10–1.40 mm, width 1.30–1.55 mm, testaceous with darkened teeth, more rarely with distinctly darkened lateral margins, with prominent, tridentate median lobe.

Mandibles symmetrical to subsymmetrical; dark testaceous except for their paler basolateral areas and smaller black patch in lateromedian area; each mandible with three teeth and basal molar, third tooth in right mandible usually slightly smaller than the third tooth in left mandible.

Labial and maxillary palpi in male testaceous except for darkened apices of terminal palpomeres; in female testaceous with terminal and in maxillary palpi also penultimate palpomeres brown to black.

Antennae. In male generally paler and markedly longer, reaching half of elytra, testaceous except for often partly darkened scape, pedicel and antennomeres III–IV and last one or two antennomeres black; in female antennal length reaching only one elytral third; scape, pedicel and antennomeres III–IV testaceous to black (scape usually somewhat paler), V–XI yellowtestaceous except for last two, rarely three antennomeres black.

Thorax. All thoracic parts glabrous. Pronotum in male 1.45–1.85 mm long, 1.85–2.25 mm wide (on average 1.29 times wider than long), in female 1.50–1.80 mm long, 2.00– 2.40 mm wide (on average 1.30 times wider than long), anterior and posterior sulci well pronounced, anterior lobe only slightly wider than posterior one; lateral margins of disc rounded, notopleural sutures simple, lacking elevated costae; pronotal surface dark green or olivaceous to dark bronze with metallic lustre, lateral margins iridescent, often with blue, green or red reflections; surface irregularly, mostly vermicularly rugulose, rugae along developed median line more regularly transverse, usually shallow, but sometimes deeper; lateral sterna metallic, green, blue or bronze, smooth to rather deeply striated (more markedly in male), striae on proepisterna finer; female mesepisternal coupling sulci usually in form of long distinct furrow, this furrow is exceptionally supplemented by small pit; metepisterna with deep impression at posterior suture; prosternum, mesosternum and metasternum dark testaceous, with strong green or blue metallic reflections; metasternum with variably deep impression placed at dorsolateral corner.

Elytra oval-shaped, length 5.25–6.45 mm in male, 5.30–6.45 mm in female, anteapical angles rounded, apices slightly to distinctly emarginate towards short sutural spine; juxtahumeral impressions shallow to moderate; basodiscal convexity and apical impressions indistinct; each elytron with two longitudinal costae: moderately developed discal costa and faint to entirely effaced sublateral costa running between the basodiscal convexity and apical impression; interspace between costae and suture only indistinctly impressed; entire elytral surface densely punctate, punctures shiny green (depending on angle of view), juxtahumeral impression punctate only sporadically, punctures on anterior elytral area larger, those towards apex becoming smaller and shallower; punctures on anterior area with sparse rather long, white, hairlike setae; elytral coloration dark bronze to black with bronze to olivaceous metallic lustre; elytral maculation ochre-ivory, in both sexes consisting of three rather distinct maculae: short yellowish humeral macula which is visible in dorsal view, well pronounced ivory median macula which is long and often wide, approaching or reaching discal costa, and of ivory anteapical macula of irregularly circular shape.

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

Legs. Darker in female; coxae and trochanters testaceous in both sexes; in male femora and tibiae testaceous often with darkened apices (more markedly in metafemora, pro- and metatibiae); protarsi black, often with paler last two tarsomeres, mesotarsi testaceous except for their apices and last tarsomere that are darkened; metatarsi black with partly paler first two tarsomeres; in female femora and tibiae testaceous to black, tarsi black occasionally with paler areas or testaceous with darkened apices; claws black with lightened apices.

Aedeagus ( Fig. 13 ) 2.50–2.65 mm long, 0.60–0.65 mm wide; laterally moderately arcuate and dilated in middle, narrowing into rounded apex.

Differential diagnosis. Resembling C. myrmidon , but differs in the following characters: slightly smaller body size (8.30–10.10 mm in C. luiggiorum sp. nov., 8.90–10.40 mm in C. myrmidon ), terminal antennomere in both sexes entirely black, median macula not cranked upwards, and the entire elytral surface densely punctate (punctures gradually becoming shallower towards apex). Moreover aedeagus of C. myrmidon is longer (3.00– 3.25 mm in C. myrmidon , 2.50–2.65 mm in C. luiggiorum sp. nov.) and more regularly laterally arcuate. From C. pulchella it is distinguishable by its smaller body-size (11.20 mm in C. pulchella , 8.30–10.10 in C. luiggiorum sp. nov.) and wider elytral median band.

Etymology. This species is dedicated with love and deep respect to all members of the large Luiggi family who made themselves my second family, and thus New Caledonia my second home.

Biology and distribution. The new species was discovered in January 2012 in Northern Province, 10 km southeast of Koumac. The biotope is a big open garden with grassy places and trees in a sparsely settled lowland area. The locality is situated on the western leeward and drier side of Grande Terre about two kilometres from the ocean coast. The population in the locality was composed of dozens of adults with diurnal activity. They were observed during numerous visits from January to March (until the final departure from New Caledonia) on narrow trunks of low young trees called by natives ‘Gaïac’ ( Acacia spirorbis (Labill.)) . The adult specimens, when disturbed, instead of flying away, often run to hide in grass surrounding the trees. Adults of Myriochila (s. str.) semicincta were observed on the neighbouring path.

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.

Figs 83–86. Habitats and adults. 83 – Province Sud, Sarramea, Plato de Dogny, a path through forest with saplings of Coffea arabica, a biotope of Caledonica mniszechii (Thomson, 1856) and C. bavayi Fauvel, 1882; 84 – Province Sud, Mt. Koghis, a biotope of C. mniszechii, C. acentra Chaudoir, 1869, C. rivalieri Deuve, 1981 and C. bavayi; 85 – a mating pair of C. mniszechii, Plato de Dogny; 86 – C. luiggiorum sp. nov. on the trunk of young Acacia spirorbis tree in a garden, Province Nord.