Oopterus patulus ( Broun, 1881 )

Larochelle, Larivière, Marie-Claude, Larochelle & Larivière, 2017, Synopsis of the tribe Zolini in New Zealand (Coleoptera: Carabidae), Insecta Mundi 2017 (594), pp. 1-110 : 26-27

Oopterus patulus ( Broun, 1881)

Fig. 30 , 77 , 140

Tropopterus patulus Broun, 1881: 655 . Holotype: female (BMNH) labeled: “ Type (circular red-bordered label; typed) / [female symbol] (hand-written) / 1145 (hand-written) / OTAGO (typed) / New Zealand.

Broun Coll. Brit. Mus. 1922–482. (white label with red horizontal line; typed) / Oöpterus patulus

(hand-written).” Oöpterus patulus: Broun 1886: 755 . Tarastethus patulus: Sharp 1886: 373 . Pseudoopterus patulus: Csiki 1933: 1651 . Oopterus patulus: Johns 1974: 301 .

Description. Body length 5.4–6.2 mm. Head, pronotum, and elytra mostly piceous black; apex and base of head reddish; lateral margins, suture, and apex of elytra reddish; abdomen smoky brown, yellow laterally and apically; antennae, palpi, and legs reddish; femora pale yellow. Microsculpture strong, isodiametric on head, moderately transverse on pronotum and elytra. Iridescence absent. Very shiny, with metallic luster (aeneous) on elytra. Head. Labrum moderately transverse, slightly emarginate anteriorly. Antennae submoniliform, moderately long: segment 1 (scape) short, stout, about 1.5x longer than its maximum width. Frontal furrows wide, shallow, convergent. Eyes moderately convex; a single setiferous puncture on inner side of each eye (posteriorly). Tempora not inflated. Mentum: medial tooth entire, acute apically, moderately shorter than lateral lobes. Paraglossae membranous, prominent, about as long as ligula. Thorax. Pronotum moderately convex, finely punctate across base, wrinkled across apex and base, moderately transverse and cordate, widest about middle; apex truncate; anterolateral angles poorly developed, rounded; anterior bead incomplete, obsolete medially; sides strongly rounded, not sinuate posteriorly; lateral grooves very long (as long as pronotum), moderately deep; setiferous punctures absent on each side; posterolateral angles obtuse; posterolateral carinae blunt, very long (about as long as adjoining foveae); laterobasal foveae well defined, finely punctate, shallow, very wide, subrectangular, somewhat prolonged forward, double; posterior bead absent; base emarginate, about as wide as pronotal apex, slightly narrower than elytral base. Legs. Moderately long. Elytra. Moderately convex, ovate, widest about middle. Basal margin incomplete, reaching about stria 4. Shoulders obtuse. Sides strongly rounded. Scutellar striole obsolete. Striae almost complete, very shallow (almost obsolete), virtually impunctate; interval 3 with three setiferous punctures. Recurrent stria long, sharp, directed apically toward stria 5. Subapical seta present. Intervals subdepressed. Sutural apices obtusely rounded. Abdomen. Last visible sternum (sternum VII): male with two apical ambulatory setae; female with four apical ambulatory setae. Aedeagus. Lateral view ( Fig. 77 ): strongly arcuate, moderately widened in apical half; base slightly convex dorsally; middle slightly concave dorsally, moderately convex ventrally, with dorsal membranous area narrow and very long; apex subtriangular, moderately convex dorsally, moderately concave ventrally, with extreme tip wide, short, and curved downward. Dorsal view: narrow, symmetrical (ostium of membranous area dorsal); apex deflected to left; basal orifice narrow, closed anteriorly, close to membranous area. Parameres with three or four apical setae.

Material examined. 390 specimens ( AMNZ, BMNH, CMNZ, JNNZ, MNHN, MONZ, NZAC).

Geographic distribution ( Fig. 140 ). South Island: CO, DN, FD, OL, SC, SL. Stewart Island.

Ecology. Lowland, montane, subalpine. Epigean-arboreal. Wet forests (beech, broadleaf). Shaded ground. Nocturnal; active at night on trees and moss; hides during the day under the loose bark of fallen trees (beech) and live trees ( Fuchsia ), in fallen rotten branches, under logs and stones. Gregarious.

Biology. Seasonality: throughout the year, except June. Tenerals: January–March. Predacious (based on mouthpart morphology). Defense mechanism: drops from trees when disturbed. Occasionally infested by fungi (Laboulbeniales).

Dispersal power. Subapterous (incapable of flight). Moderate runner. Frequent climber on trees.

Collecting techniques. Lifting loose bark of trees; breaking fallen branches; lifting logs and stones.

References. Larochelle and Larivière 2001: 76 (catalogue; biology, dispersal power, ecology, geographic distribution, references), 2016: 21 (list).

Figures

Figures 27–30. Dorsal habitus. 27) Oopterus discoideus new species. 28) O. marrisi new species. 29) O. lewisi. 30) O. patulus. Scale line = 1 mm.

Figures 74–81. Aedeagi, lateral. 74) Oopterus discoideus new species. 75) O. marrisi new species. 76) O. lewisi. 77) O. patulus. 78) O. fulvipes. 79) O. sobrinus. 80) O. collaris. 81) O. laeviventris.

Figures 136–141. Species distribution maps. 136) Oopterus nanus new species. 137) O. nunni new species. 138) O. ocularius. 139) O. palmai new species. 140) O. patulus. 141) O. punctatus new species.