Synteratus ovalis Broun, 1909

Larochelle, Larivière, Marie-Claude, Larochelle & Larivière, 2017, Synopsis of the tribe Zolini in New Zealand (Coleoptera: Carabidae), Insecta Mundi 2017 (594), pp. 1-110 : 53-55

Synteratus ovalis Broun, 1909

Fig. 53 , 99 , 153

Synteratus ovalis Broun, 1909: 85 . Type locality: The Snares [SN].

Description. Body length 3.0– 3.5 mm. Head reddish; pronotum and elytra mostly reddish piceous; lateral margins, suture and apex of elytra reddish; abdomen mostly reddish piceous, reddish laterally and apically; antennae, palpi, and legs reddish; femora mostly pale yellow, reddish basally. Microsculpture strong and isodiametric on head, feeble and isodiametric on pronotum, moderately transverse on elytra. Iridescence absent on head and pronotum, moderately strong on elytra. Very shiny, with metallic luster (aeneous) on head, pronotum, and elytra. Head. Labrum moderately transverse, slightly emarginate. Antennae submoniliform, short: segment 1 (scape) short, stout, about 1.5x longer than its maximum width. Frontal furrows wide, shallow, convergent. Eyes subdepressed; a single setiferous puncture on inner side of each eye (posteriorly). Tempora slightly inflated (about one third as long as eyes). Mentum: medial tooth entire, truncate apically, moderately shorter than lateral lobes. Paraglossae membranous, prominent, about as long as ligula. Thorax. Pronotum moderately convex, finely punctate across base, wrinkled discally, strongly transverse, subtriangular, widest basally; apex subtruncate; anterolateral angles poorly developed, obtusely rounded; anterior bead incomplete, obsolete medially; sides strongly rounded, slightly sinuate posteriorly; lateral grooves absent; setiferous punctures absent on each side; posterolateral angles obtusely rounded; laterobasal foveae ill-defined, finely punctate, shallow, very wide, not prolonged forward, double; posterior bead absent; base emarginate, much wider than pronotal apex, about as wide as elytral base. Legs. Short. Elytra. Strongly convex, oblong, widest basally. Basal margin complete, reaching about scutellar striole. Shoulders angular. Sides strongly rounded. Scutellar striole present. Striae complete, shallow, finely punctate; stria 3 with two or three setiferous punctures. Recurrent stria long, blunt. Intervals depressed. Abdomen. Last visible sternum (sternum VII): male with two apical ambulatory setae; female with four apical ambulatory setae. Aedeagus. Lateral view ( Fig. 99 ): very strongly arcuate, narrowed in apical half; base strongly biconvex dorsally; middle strongly convex dorsally, slightly convex ventrally, with dorsal membranous area narrow anteriorly, moderately wide posteriorly, very long; apex slender, strongly convex dorsally, strongly concave ventrally, with extreme tip slender and curved downward. Dorsal view: moderately wide, asymmetrical (ostium of membranous area deflected to right); basal orifice wide, open anteriorly, moderately distant from membranous area. Parameres with two or three apical setae.

Material examined. 187 specimens ( AMNZ, CMNZ, JNNZ, LUNZ, NZAC).

Geographic distribution ( Fig. 153 ). Subantarctic Islands: SN.

Ecology. Lowland. Endogean. Wet peaty forests ( Olearia ). Shaded ground. Nocturnal; hides during the day in leaf litter, under fallen branches and logs, and in rotten pieces of wood. Gregarious.

Biology. Seasonality: September–October, December–March. Tenerals: December, March, July. Predacious (based on mouthpart morphology). Occasionally infested with mites; regularly infested with fungi (Laboulbeniales).

Dispersal power. Subapterous (incapable of flight). Slow runner.

Collecting techniques. Sifting leaf litter; lifting branches and logs; breaking rotten branches.

References. Larochelle and Larivière 2001: 77–78 (catalogue; biology, dispersal power, ecology, geographic distribution, references), 2007: 115 (taxonomy), 2016: 21 (list).

Genus Pseudoopterus Csiki, 1928 , reinstated

Fig. 54–57 , 100–103 , 149–152

Pseudoopterus Csiki, 1928: 225 . Synonymized with Oopterus Guérin-Méneville, 1841 by Jeannel (1940: 92). Reinstated as full genus

Type species. Oopterus plicaticollis Blanchard, 1843 , designated by Larochelle & Larivière (2001: 73).

Description. Body length 3.7–5.7 mm; not ovate, narrowed around bases of pronotum and elytra. Color dark or pale. Metallic luster present or absent. Dorsal surface mostly glabrous. Head. Narrow or moderately wide. Mandibles moderately long. Labrum slightly emarginate. Eyes convex; two setiferous punctures on inner side of each eye (a single puncture posteriorly in P. otiraensis ). Antennae submoniliform. Tempora inflated. Mentum tooth bifid (entire in other zoline genera). Mentum-submentum suture present as in other zoline genera (absent in P. plicaticollis ). Ligula with two fused setae (with six setae in P. plicaticollis ; two medial setae fused, four lateral setae free). Thorax. Pronotum cordate; lateral grooves absent (present in P. latipennis ); two setiferous punctures on each side; posterolateral carinae present, absent, or obsolete; base narrower than apex or about as wide as apex. Scutellum visible, inserted entirely between elytral bases. Legs. Short or moderately long. Segments 1+2 of male protarsi with two rows of ventral scales (with a single row in other zoline genera). Elytra. Ovate or subovate. Basal margin complete, reaching about scutellum. Shoulders poorly or well developed, rounded. Scutellar setiferous pore present, inserted at junction of striae 1+2. Scutellar striole present or absent. Striae complete or incomplete, consisting of lines (replaced by rows of coarse punctures in P. otiraensis ). Three discal setiferous punctures in stria or row 3; recurrent stria directed apically toward stria or row 5 or 7. Subapical seta present. Apical seta present. Sutural apices acute, obtuse, or rounded. Abdomen. Last visible sternum (sternum VII): male with two apical ambulatory setae (two additional medial ambulatory setae in P. plicaticollis ); female with four apical ambulatory setae. Aedeagus. Lateral view: dorsal membranous area moderately wide. Dorsal view ( Fig. 16 ): moderately wide; basal orifice wide, open anteriorly, moderately distant from membranous area; lateral lobes of basal bulb moderately distant (as in Maungazolus ). Parameres with three or four apical setae. Right paramere curved, very long, narrow, untwisted medially.

References. Csiki 1928: 225 (taxonomy); Jeannel 1940: 92 (taxonomy).

Remarks. The genus Pseudoopterus Csiki, 1928 was synonymized with Oopterus by Jeannel (1940) without justification. This taxon is resurrected from synonymy here on the basis of the bifid mentum tooth, the two ventral rows of scales on segments 1+2 of the male protarsi, and the aedeagus with its dorsal membranous area moderately wide and moderately distant from the basal bulb. The genus Pseudoopterus now includes two newly described species as well as two species previously described in Oopterus .

Figures

Figures 51–54. Dorsal habitus. 51) Oopterus garnerae new species. 52) O. nunni new species. 53) Synteratus ovalis. 54) Pseudoopterus otiraensis new species. Scale line = 1 mm.

Figures 98–105. Aedeagi, lateral. 98) Oopterus nunni new species. 99) Synteratus ovalis. 100) Pseudoopterus otiraensis new species. 101) P. plicaticollis. 102) P. latipennis. 103) P. fiordlandensis new species. 104) Maungazolus pygmeatus. 105) M. septempunctatus new species.

Figures 148–153. Species distribution maps. 148) Oopterus trechoides new species. 149) Pseudoopterus fiordlandensis new species. 150) P. latipennis. 151) P. otiraensis new species. 152) P. plicaticollis. 153) Synteratus ovalis.

Figures 55–58. Dorsal habitus. 55) Pseudoopterus plicaticollis. 56) P. latipennis. 57) P. fiordlandensis new species. 58) Maungazolus pygmeatus. Scale line = 1 mm.

Figures 1–18. Microsculpture: 1) isodiametric; 2) moderately transverse; 3) very transverse. Ligula: 4) with two fused setae; 5) four setae (medial setae fused); 6) six setae (medial setae fused). Mentum tooth: 7) entire, acute; 8) entire, rounded; 9) entire, truncate; 10) bifid. Elytral apex: 11) subapical seta present; 12) subapical seta absent. Right paramere: 13) straight, twisted medially; 14) curved, untwisted. Aedeagus, dorsal: 15) basal orifice closed anteriorly; 16–18) basal orifice open anteriorly.