Tasmanitachoides erwini, Maddison & Porch, 2021

Maddison, David R. & Porch, Nick, 2021, A preliminary phylogeny and review of the genus Tasmanitachoides, with descriptions of two new species (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Bembidarenini), ZooKeys 1044, pp. 153-196 : 153

publication ID

https://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1044.62253

publication LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:pub:A2219253-DB2B-4C59-92D6-77595A6C1438

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/5FF236BF-1E87-4480-8798-230E71470E66

taxon LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:act:5FF236BF-1E87-4480-8798-230E71470E66

treatment provided by

ZooKeys by Pensoft

scientific name

Tasmanitachoides erwini
status

sp. nov.

Tasmanitachoides erwini sp. nov. Figures 1 View Figure 1 , 2C View Figure 2 , 12C View Figure 12 , 16B View Figure 16 , 17G View Figure 17 , 18B View Figure 18 , 19C View Figure 19 , 20B, C View Figure 20 , 21 View Figure 21

Material examined.

Holotype. Male (ANIC), labeled: " Australia: Tasmania: River Forth at C136, 41.4712°S 146.1366°E, 126 m, 14.i.2019. DRM 19.012. D.R. Maddison & N.A. Porch ", " David R. Maddison DNA5509 DNA Voucher" [pale green paper], " HOLOTYPE Tasmanitachoides erwini Maddison & Porch" [partly handwritten, on red paper]. Genitalia mounted in Euparal on coverslip pinned with specimen; extracted DNA stored separately. GenBank accession numbers for DNA sequences of the holotype are MW291170, MW291262, MW291215, MW291234 , and MW291305 View Materials . GoogleMaps

Paratypes (23). Same label data as holotype (20; ANIC, OSAC, NPC, ZSM, NMV, QVMAG, NHMUK, TMAG, USNM). In addition to these, we have seen three additional specimens, all in the MCZ, which we have designated as paratypes. Two are a labeled " L. StClaire-Queenstown Jan. '57 Tas Darlingtons" " Tachys Tasmanitachoides hobarti (Sl.) det Darl. ‘61”; according to Darlington (1962:117) these two specimens are from the crossing of the King River by the Queenstown road, which at the time (before the Crotty Dam) would have been approximately 42.074°S 145.652°E. The third is labeled " Mersey R Vy. Mar. '57 Tas Darlingtons" " Tachys Tasmanitachoides hobarti (Sl.) det Darl. ‘61”. According to the map in Darlington (1960), this locality is at approximately 41.532°S, 146.426°E. These specimens formed Darlington’s concept of Tasmanitachoides hobarti . They also are specimens studied and figured by Erwin (1972) as T. hobarti GoogleMaps .

Type locality.

Australia: Tasmania: at the mouth of Machinery Creek into the River Forth at road C136, 41.4712°S, 146.1366°E, 126 m.

Derivation of specific epithet.

We are honored to name this species after the late Terry Lee Erwin, for his many contributions to carabidology and systematics in general, and to our knowledge of Tasmanitachoides and other bembidarenines in particular.

Diagnosis and description.

Length 2.25-2.75 mm (n = 7); most specimens less than 2.6 mm. One of the darker species of Tasmanitachoides (Fig. 1 View Figure 1 ): body piceous to black; appendages piceous, including basal antennomeres, with the exception of the tarsi, which are slightly paler. Body relatively flat and parallel-sided; elytra narrowing posteriorly, and thus more pointed than other species. Head without tubercles at anterior corners of clypeus, and without concave region in anterior half. Frontal furrows (Fig. 17G View Figure 17 ) more or less straight, reaching backward to approximately the center of the eye, parallel or slightly diverging posteriorly; bottom of furrows rugose. Pronotum relatively narrow (Fig. 12C View Figure 12 ), slightly sinuate laterally in front of the right or slightly acute hind angle. First stria abruptly sinuate, very close to the suture in the anterior fifth or fourth, at which point it abruptly bends away from the suture. Striae 3 and 4 very weak, almost absent in some specimens; the striae 3 and 4 are joined at the anterior discal seta (ed3; Fig. 16B View Figure 16 ), and in most specimens are merged in front of that point. Stria 5 distinctly engraved throughout the entire anterior half; in posterior half it gradually weakens toward the rear. Stria 6 consisting of a few isolated punctures; stria 7 absent. Discal setae ed6 in stria 3. Microsculpture weak, sculpticells weakly engraved, and thus the surface is shiny; sculpticells isodiametric on head and pronotum, slightly longitudinally stretched on elytra (Fig. 18B View Figure 18 ). Aedeagus (Figs 19C View Figure 19 , 20B, C View Figure 20 ) with internal sac sclerites elongated and relatively straight, very similar to those of T. sp. "Lerderderg R" (Fig. 19D View Figure 19 ). Ventral surface of the aedeagus quite straight (Fig. 20B, C View Figure 20 ).

Comparison with related species.

As with other members of the Tasmanitachoides wattsensis group, this species has a relatively unmodified clypeus, without anterior lateral tubercles, and with the third and fourth elytral striae nearly effaced. Its darker color (including the entirely piceous antenna) and flatness distinguish it from other members of the group. It is the only known species of the group from Tasmania. From the other two large and dark Tasmanitachoides from Tasmania, T. hobarti and T. leai , T. erwini is distinguished by having a darker antennomere 1 and flatter body. From T. hobarti it is further distinguished by the much weaker striae 3 and 4; from T. leai by the longer stria 5.

Geographic distribution.

Only known from northwestern Tasmania (Fig. 21 View Figure 21 ).

Habitat.

At the type locality, members of this species were found during daylight hours in fine gravel on the banks of Mineral Creek at its mouth into the River Forth (Fig. 2C View Figure 2 ); specimens were found after splashing the gravel with water. The banks had no visible vegetation. Present in the same habitat were Tasmanitachoides leai , T. kingi , and T. sp. "River Forth".

Phylogenetic relationships.

This species belongs to the Tasmanitachoides wattsensis species group, and appears to be the sister to T. sp. "Lerderderg R" among the sampled species (Figs 5 View Figure 5 - 9 View Figure 9 ).

Notes.

This is the species illustrated by Erwin (1972) as T. hobarti . This is evident both by the localities of the specimens he examined (as the localities match Darlington’s), and because of the figures themselves, including the features of the genitalia, which match those of this species rather than T. hobarti . The male genitalia of " Tasmanitachoides hobarti " figured in Baehr (1990: Fig. 12 View Figure 12 ) is of this species as well. Some specimens from the type series (collected 14 January 2019) are teneral.