Fauna of New Zealand 69 - Landcare Research

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INTRODUCTION
The family Carabidae (including tiger-beetles) is taxonomically
diverse, with an estimated total of over 34,000
species in 1,927 genera (Lorenz, 2005). Carabids occupy
most terrestrial habitats on nearly all continents. These
beetles are abundant in the field and attract attention with
their shape and coloration. They are mostly nocturnal and
polyphagous predators (Larochelle, 1990) although some
are diurnal or phytophagous. Most ground-beetles, in
temperate zones at least, live at the surface of the ground,
while some species live in the soil (e.g., Anillina), in caves
(e.g., Trechini, Harpalini), or on the vegetation (e.g., Zolini,
Lebiini). Most New Zealand carabids are flightless,
which makes their dispersal capacity somewhat limited and
their populations morphologically varied, sometimes even
aberrant. In 2001 Larochelle & Larivière catalogued the
fauna (Fauna of New Zealand 43). In 2007, they updated
this inventory (Fauna of New Zealand 60) by recording
7 subfamilies, 21 tribes, 86 genera, and 461 species. The
current work recognises 7 subfamilies, 20 tribes, 97 genera,
and 518 species.
As a family, Carabidae exhibit a relatively high degree
of morphological uniformity, making them suitable
for studying the ecophysiological adaptations required
to cope with environmental demands. Being sensitive
to their environment, they demonstrate a flexible set of
responses to both abiotic and biotic factors. Carabids are
commonly used as bioindicators (Larochelle & Larivière,
2003) to assess the biodiversity of ecosystems, indicate
the impact of landscape changes, evaluate environmental
health, predict the effect of climate changes, classify habitats
for nature protection, and characterise soil-nutrient
status in forestry. They can also be used to control pest
invertebrates (e.g., lepidopteran caterpillars). In the future,
ground-beetles may become more commonly used
in biological and integrated programs, e.g., as natural
control agents of noxious invertebrates, especially soil
insect pests, or control agents of weeds, especially their
seeds.
This Synopsis is aimed at systematists and identifiers.
Its purpose is to provide a taxonomic overview of all
New Zealand species and subspecies of Carabidae, primarily
in the form of an identification guide for taxonomically
well-known groups or in the form of taxonomic
reviews and revisions for lesser- or little-known groups.
Further goals of this synopsis are to supplement the
Synopsis of supraspecific taxa (Larochelle & Larivière,
2007a) and the New Zealand Catalogue (Larochelle &
Larivière, 2001) by providing additions, corrections, or
changes and updating the faunal checklist. The Synopsis
will be published in several monographs. The present
Larochelle & Larivière (2013): Carabidae (Insecta: Coleoptera)
work covers the tribes Cicindelini, Pamborini, Amarotypini,
Migadopini, Clivinini, Moriomorphini (formerly
Mecyclothoracini, Meonini, Tropopterini), and Trechini.
This work is one more step in the authors’ goal of
reaching an overall understanding of the New Zealand
carabid fauna within a reasonable time frame and making
relatively large amounts of information available for
practical use by a wide range of end-users. The methodology
is based on the concept of ‘practical taxonomy’
described by Darlington (1971), which aims to provide
“a floor plan for more detailed taxonomic, ecological,
zoogeographical, and evolutionary studies.”
Recent history of New Zealand carabid taxonomy
A more detailed account of the history of carabid taxonomy
in New Zealand can be found in Larochelle & Larivière
(2001, 2007a); recent developments are emphasised here.
The following taxonomic works have been recently
published: Larochelle & Larivière, 2007b (identification
guide to genera); Liebherr & Marris, 2009 (Mecyclothorax
revision); Johns, 2010 (Migadopini revision);
Townsend, 2010 (Trechini revision); Liebherr, 2011b
(Meonochilus revision, Rossjoycea description); Liebherr
et al., 2011 (Orthoglymma description); Seldon &
Leschen, 2011 (Mecodema in part, revision); Townsend,
2011 (Mecodema in part; taxonomy); and Seldon et al.,
2012 (Mecodema in part; revision). Finally, Will (2011)
transferred the genus Cerabilia from the tribe Platynini
to the tribe Loxandrini, establishing the first record of
this tribe for New Zealand.
At a higher classification level, Liebherr (2011a)
synonymised the tribes Amblytelini, Melisoderini, Tropopterini,
Mecyclothoracini, and Meonini under the tribe
Moriomorphini.
Higher classification
The history of carabid classification has been extensively
discussed by Ball (1979), Bousquet & Larochelle (1993),
Ball et al. (1998b), and Arndt et al. (2005). The classification
presented by Arndt et al. (2005) takes into account the
major changes brought about by recent scientific research
at the subfamily level only and it is followed here. An
alternative classification published by Bouchard et al.
(2011) places the tribe Broscini in the subfamily Broscinae.
The tribal classification used by Larochelle &
Larivière (2001, 2007a) and kept here, is based mostly
on the classification proposed by Erwin (1991), which
still receives general acceptance from the scientific community.