Cyphocoleus monteithi, Liebherr, 2016

Liebherr, James K., 2016, Cyphocoleus Chaudoir (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Odacanthini): descriptive taxonomy, phylogenetic relationships, and the Cenozoic history of New Caledonia, Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift 63 (2), pp. 211-270 : 236

8. Cyphocoleus monteithi sp. n. Figures 64 , 72 , 79 , 85 , 88

Diagnosis.

This species (Fig. 85 ) shares the very elongate prothorax and narrow head with Cyphocoleus prolixus (Fig. 48 ), however the pronotal disc is transversely wrinkled and the pronotal front angles are acutely extended as in Cyphocoleus miricollis below. These characters support this species’ phylogenetic intercalation subordinate to the former, and as adelphotaxon to the latter plus all cladistically associated species (Fig. 45 ). The elytra are distinctly ovate and very convex, domed, the lateral intervals and margins very depressed relative to the disc. This is also the first of the species to be treated in this revision that bears an environmental patina: in this species a varnish-like coating that covers the body surface of the beetles, this coating deepest in depressed areas such as the transverse pronotal wrinkles and elytral striae. Body surfaces on the mouthparts, antennae, and at the base of the head between the constricted neck and anterior prothoracic margin are dramatically clear of this varnish. Standardized body length 8.5-10.5 mm.

Description

(n = 5). Head capsule ellipsoid, genal surfaces behind eyes subparallel, then converging to distinctly constricted neck; frons with broad medial crest between eyes, fine arcuate wrinkles curving outward and posterad from crest, frontal grooves parallel, broadly depressed from position between hind margins of eyes to clypeus, broadest just posterad frontoclypeal suture; eyes small, convex, 20 ommatidia across horizontal diameter, ocular ratio 1.39-1.50; supraorbital setae absent; mandibles moderately elongate, length 2.4 × distance from antennal articulatory socket to anterolateral margin of labrum; antennae moderately elongate, scape length 2.6 × maximal breadth; gena setose, subgenal seta present just laterad gula about 2/3 distance from hind margin of eye to constricted neck. Pronotum elongate, tubular, MPW/PL = 0.59-0.69, base constricted relative to apex, APW/BPW = 1.28-1.40; median longitudinal impression finely and shallowly incised, causing interruptions in orientation of transverse wrinkles in some instances; anterior transverse impression broad, shallow, extended laterally to behind front angles; proepisternum bulging, extended beyond marginal bead of notum, with distinct, deeply engraved vertical wrinkles; prosternal process distinctly depressed medially anterad procoxae, flat to narrowly depressed medially on ventral surface, narrowly convex on posterior surface. Elytra inflated, based inflexed at scutellum and depressed along suture, intervals 3-5 convexly elevated; striae smooth with very widely spaced micropunctures along length (view cleaned specimen); parascutellar seta present, articulatory socket papillate, elevated above surrounding elytral surface; dorsal elytral setae absent; lateral elytral setae arranged as 6 + 7, their articulatory sockets slightly upraised above surrounding cuticle, often appearing clear of cuticular varnish; subapical and apical elytral setae present, articulatory sockets papillate and clear of varnish; subapical sinuation moderately concave, meeting lateral margin in broad curve; elytral apices rounded, moderately separated by invaginated margin at fused suture. Mesepisternum impunctate, metepisternal dorsal length 1.1 × diagonal width. Abdomen with apical ventrite broadly, slightly concave medially; males with one seta each side apical margin of apical ventrite, females with two setae each side. Legs gracile, moderately elongate, mt1 length/tibial length = 0.27; metacoxae bisetose; tarsomeres with dorsal surface glabrous; mt4 with length to apex of outer lobe 1.8 × median tarsomere length, 3-4 ventrolateral setae each side. Microsculpture of head transverse, dense; pronotal and elytral disc with fine transverse lines; pro-, meso-, and metasternum plus abdominal ventrites with sparse pelage of extremely short microsetae, such extremely short setae also visible on head on frons, pronotum, and elytra (though cleaning the surface may remove setae). Coloration of head piceous, mandibles rufobrunneous, palps and antennae rufoflavous; pronotum, elytra and body ventrites and coxae piceous; femora piceous with rufobrunneous base and apex, tibiae rufopiceous dorsally, rufobrunneous on lateral and ventral surfaces, tibiae rufobrunneous.

Male genitalia (n = 6). Male aedeagal median lobe robust, broadly parallel sided from base to apex of ostial opening, dorsoventral breadth at midlength 0.25 × distance from tip to base of closed basal bulb (Fig. 88 ); lobe shaft slightly melanized, the internal sac visible through lobe wall in uneverted position; lobe apex parallel-sided, length distad ostial opening subequal to dorsoventral breadth; tip of lobe evenly, narrowly rounded.

Female reproductive tract (n = 1). Bursa copulatrix vase-shaped, basally stalked, distance from base of gonocoxites to spermathecal basal sclerite 1.8 × maximum breadth (dissection compressed under cover slip) (Fig. 64 ); bursal walls thin, translucent basally, thicker and more heavily stained with Chlorazol Black stain near midlength, lumen without spicules, but bursal surface wrinkled in distal half; basal gonocoxite with apical fringe of seven to eight setae (Fig. 72 ); apical gonocoxite acuminate with narrowly rounded apex and three lateral ensiform setae.

Types.

Holotype male (QMB deposited in MNHN): NEW CALEDONIA 11152 / 22°02 ’Sx166°28’. 950m. / Dzumac Rd., junction / 26Jan2004. G.Monteith / pyrethrum, trees & logs // QUEENSLAND / MUSEUM LOAN / DATE: April 2004 / No. LE 04.16 (green label) // male habitus photo 1 / J.K. Liebherr 2015 // HOLOTYPE / Cyphocoleus / monteithi / J.K. Liebherr 2016 (black-bordered red label).

Paratypes (22 specimens). NEW CALEDONIA: Mt. Ouin, 1100 m el., pyrethrum trees & logs, 22°01'S, 166°28'E, 09-xi-2002, Burwell & Monteith (QMB, 1; lot no. 11150); Dzumac Road junction, 950 m el., 22°02'S, 166°28'E, 09-xi-2002, Burwell, Monteith & Wright (QMB, 1; lot no. 11145), pyrethrum trees & logs, 09-xi-2002 Burwell & Monteith (QMB, 3; lot no. 11143), pyrethrum mossy trees, 04-xii-2003, Monteith (QMB, 3; lot no. 11458), pyrethrum trees & logs, 26-i-2004, Monteith (QMB, 8; lot no. 11522), flight intercept trap, 05-xii-2003-26-i-2004, Monteith (QMB, 1; lot no. 11465); Mt. Dzumac road, 700 m el., pyrethrum trunks & logs, 22°03'S, 166°28'E, 01-xii-2000, Monteith (QMB, 1; lot no. 9913); Mt. Mou summit, 1200 m el., 22°04'S, 166°21'E, 24-v-1984, Monteith & Cook (ANIC, 1; QMB, 1), moss forest, 1200 m el., hand collecting, 27-28-xii-2004, Monteith (QMB, 1; lot no. 12019); Rivière Bleue, Haute Pourina, 800 m el., pyrethrum trees & logs, 22°06'S, 166°38'E, 22-xi-2002, Monteith (QMB, 1; lot no. 11210).

Etymology.

I take great pleasure in naming this extremely distinctive species (Fig. 85 ) for Dr. Geoff Monteith, Senior Curator of Insects Emeritus, Queensland Museum. His collecting activities involving numerous field expeditions to New Caledonia formed the taxonomic basis for this study.

Distribution and habitat.

This species is known only from the southern portion of Grande Terre: localities range from Mt. Ouin on the north to Parc Provincial Rivière Bleue on the south (Fig. 79 ). Collection localities range from 700-1200 m el., with beetles collected via pyrethrin fog of trees and logs, hand collecting, and in a flight intercept trap into which one beetle was able to climb.

Figures

Figures 60 - 65. Female reproductive tract, ventral view, for Cyphocoleus spp.; 60, Cyphocoleus lissus, Mt. Humboldt; 61, Cyphocoleus prolixus, Mt. Humboldt; 62, Cyphocoleus heterogenus, Yahoue; 63, Cyphocoleus parovicollis, Mandjelia; 64, Cyphocoleus monteithi, Mt. Mou; 65, Cyphocoleus miricollis, Foret Nord. For abbreviations see Table 1.

Figures 66 - 75. Female right gonocoxae, ventral view, for Cyphocoleus spp. illustrating apical fringe setae of basal gonocoxite 1, and two or three lateral ensiform setae, one dorsal ensiform seta, and two apical nematiform setae on apical gonocoxite 2; 66, Cyphocoleus lissus, Mt. Humboldt; 67, Cyphocoleus prolixus, Mt. Humboldt; 68, Cyphocoleus heterogenus, Yahoue; 69, Cyphocoleus parovicollis, Mandjelia; 70, Cyphocoleus ovicollis, Ningua Res.; 71, Cyphocoleus burwelli, Mt. Humboldt; 72, Cyphocoleus monteithi, Mt. Mou; 73, Cyphocoleus miricollis, Foret Nord; 74, Cyphocoleus mirabilis, Mt. Koghi; 75, Cyphocoleus lescheni, apical gonocoxite damaged, Aoupinie. Scale bar, 0.10 mm.

Figures 76 - 81. Distribution maps of Cyphocoleus spp.: 76, Cyphocoleus lissus; 77, Cyphocoleus heterogenus, Cyphocoleus prolixus; 78, Cyphocoleus parovicollis, Cyphocoleus ovicollis; 79, Cyphocoleus burwelli, Cyphocoleus angustatus, Cyphocoleus monteithi; 80, Cyphocoleus miricollis, Cyphocoleus fasciatus; 81, Cyphocoleus mirabilis, Cyphocoleus moorei, Cyphocoleus lescheni.

Figures 82 - 85. Dorsal habitus photographs of Cyphocoleus spp.: 82, Cyphocoleus ovicollis female, Ningua Res.; 83, Cyphocoleus burwelli female, Mt. Canala; 84, Cyphocoleus angustatus male, Mt. Panie; 85, Cyphocoleus monteithi male, Dzumac Rd. jct.

Figures 86 - 98. Male aedeagal median lobe and associated parameres of Cyphocoleus spp., dextral view: 86, Cyphocoleus burwelli, internal sac everted, Ningua Res.; 87, Cyphocoleus angustatus, dextroventral view, internal sac everted, Mt. Panie; 88, Cyphocoleus monteithi, Parque Prov. Riviere Bleue, Haute Pourina; 89, Cyphocoleus miricollis, Mt. Mou; 90, Cyphocoleus fasciatus, dextral view, sac partially everted, Mt. Panie; 91 - 98, Cyphocoleus cychroides; 91, internal sac everted, Mandjelia; 92 - 93, Mandjelia; 94, internal sac everted, Hienghene; 95, Touho; 96, Tionaka Tal; 97, Ateou; 98, Pic d'Amoa. Scale bars, 1.0 mm: horizontal scale for figures with transverse orientation; vertical scale for figures with vertical orientation.

Figures 47 - 50. Dorsal habitus photographs of Cyphocoleus spp.: 47, Cyphocoleus lissus female, Mt. Humboldt; 48, Cyphocoleus prolixus male, Mt. Humboldt; 49, Cyphocoleus heterogenus male, Yahoue; 50, Cyphocoleus parovicollis male, Pic d'Amoa.

Figures 44 - 45. Parsimony cladograms comprising exemplar taxa of Odacanthini used in phylogenetic analysis, rooted at the outgroup Celaenephes linearis (tribe Lebiini): 44, 852 - step length strict consensus of 29 equally parsimonious trees of 835 - step length (CI = 22, RI = 74) [A = subtribe Actenonycina; H = subtribe Homethina subtrib. n.; P = subtribe Pentagonicina; O = subtribe Odacanthina]; 45, majority-rule consensus of 29 equally parsimonious trees with all resolved nodes present in 100 % of the multiple equally parsimonious trees; i. e. the majority-rule consensus is the result of collapsing 8 nodes. Abbreviations for geographical distributions include: Af, Africa; As, Asia; Eu, Europe; NC, New Caledonia; Nea, Nearctic; Neo, Neotropical; NZ, New Zealand; Oz, Australia.