Mecyclothorax marginatus Perrault, 1978b: 160; 1986: 453

Liebherr, James K., 2013, The Mecyclothorax beetles (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Moriomorphini) of Tahiti, Society Islands, ZooKeys 322, pp. 1-170 : 61-62

51. Mecyclothorax marginatus Perrault, 1978b: 160; 1986: 453

Identification.

The pale rufoflavous head and pronotum, and pale-margined elytra with contrasting dark brunneous intervals 1-6 serve to diagnose this species at first glance (Fig. 29B). The presence of two supraorbital setae, lateral plus basal pronotal setae, and the absence of dorsal elytral setae - setal formula 2201 - serve to separate this species from all other Tahitian species with narrowly constricted pronota, with the sin gle exception of Mecyclothorax kayballae sp. n. (Fig. 32A), a darkly metallic member of the Mecyclothorax viridis group. The frons and vertex of the head are covered with a regular, well-developed transverse mesh. The pronotal disc is similarly microsculptured, though the sculpticells are more elongate; 2 –4× broad as long. The discal elytral intervals bear a regular transverse mesh, sculpticell breadth 2 –4× length, with some isodiametric sculpticells in transverse rows mixed in. The male aedeagal median lobe is bowed dorsally, with the ventral margin straight apicad the parameral articulations, and the tip downturned to a rounded apex (Fig. 30A). The ostium extends almost to the tip, with the ostial canal short and parallel to the dorsal margin. Standardized body length 4.1-4.2 mm.

Distribution and habitat.

The known distribution of this species spans 1750-1900 m elevation on Mont Aorai.