Fauna of New Zealand 69 - Landcare Research

Fauna of New Zealand 69 51
palpi, and legs pale red, except femoral apex and tibiae
infuscate. Microsculpture absent on head and pronotum,
strong and very transverse (with microlines) on elytra.
Iridescence absent on head and pronotum, strong on elytra
(as in M. strenua). Very shiny on head and pronotum,
moderately shiny on elytra. Head. Impunctate or punctate
in and between frontal furrows, unwrinkled dorsally,
much narrower across eyes than pronotal apex. Mandibles
moderately long. Labrum moderately transverse, truncate
or slightly emarginate anteriorly. Antennae submoniliform;
segment 1 (scape) moderately long, about 1.5× longer
than its maximum width. Frontal furrows wide, shallow.
Eyes normally developed, moderately large and convex;
a single supraorbital setiferous puncture on inner side of
each eye posteriorly (as in M. seriatoporus). Interocular
fovea absent. Tempora inflated, oblique, short (about
one-third as long as eyes). Mentum: medial tooth acute
apically, moderately shorter than lateral lobes. Paraglossae
membranous, prominent, much longer than ligula. Palpi:
penultimate maxillary segment glabrous. Thorax. Pronotum
(Fig. 111) strongly convex, impunctate, unwrinkled,
subquadrate; apex straight; anterior bead complete; anterolateral
angles poorly developed, obtuse; sides moderately
rounded about middle, very slightly sinuate posteriorly;
lateral beads gradually widening from apex to base; lateral
depressions absent; two setiferous punctures on each
side; each anterolateral setiferous puncture situated just in
front of middle and touching lateral bead; posterolateral
angles subrectangular, not denticulate; laterobasal foveae
absent; base moderately convex, much wider than apex,
slightly narrower than elytral base. Prosternum impunctate,
unwrinkled. Proepisterna impunctate, unwrinkled.
Metepisterna punctate. Legs. Segment 5 of metatarsi with
a single pair of ventral setae. Elytra. Strongly convex,
ovate, widest about middle. Shoulders obtuse, denticulate.
Sides moderately rounded. Scutellar striole bipunctate.
Striae mostly complete (stria 7 obsolete basally), finely
punctate; striae 1–3 moderately deep, striae 4–7 shallower.
Intervals depressed, becoming slightly convex apically.
Sutural apices angular. Abdomen. Sterna impunctate,
unwrinkled. Last visible sternum (sternum VII): male with
two apical ambulatory setae; female with four apical and
two medial ambulatory setae. Aedeagus. Lateral view
(Fig. 67): strongly arcuate; apex very wide and rounded,
projecting dorsoventrally. Dorsal view: asymmetrical
(ostium deflected to the right); apex deflected to the left.
Parameres. Setulose (with a few short setae at apex).
Material examined. 219 specimens (AMNZ, BMNH,
CMNZ, JNNZ, LUNZ, NZAC).
Geographic distribution (Map p. 176). North Island: BP,
CL, GB, HB, RI, TK, TO, WA, WI, WN, WO.
Ecology. Lowland, montane, subalpine. Wet forests
(beech, broadleaf, podocarp), shrublands, and scrublands.
Shaded ground; wet soil. Gregarious. Nocturnal; hides
during the day in and under fallen rotten branches as well
as under and in rotten logs. The species is xylophilous
(associated with wood).
Biology. Seasonality: September to June, August. Tenerals:
August, December to February. Predacious (based on
mouthpart morphology). Occasionally infested with fungi
(Laboulbeniales) and mites.
Dispersal power. Elytra fused basally along suture.
Subapterous. Moderate runner. Vagility limited by flight
incapacity.
Reference. Larochelle & Larivière, 2001: 67 (catalogue;
biology, dispersal power, ecology, geographic distribution,
references).
Remarks. Examination of the types of Tarastethus laevicollis
and T. carbonarius confirmed them to be conspecific
with Molopsida polita. The North Island distribution of
M. polita indicates that the type specimen collected by
Mr Earl has been mislabelled. The likely type locality is
Port Nicholson [= Wellington] as White records Earl as
collector of a number of other beetles from this locality.
See also Remarks under M. strenua.
Molopsida antarctica (Laporte de Castelnau, 1867) E
Figures 71, 112, 207; Map p. 176
Drimostoma antarctica Laporte de Castelnau, 1867: 113 (redescribed
in 1868: 199). Holotype: male (NMV) labelled
“[no text] (small red square label; typed) / Wellington
(hand-written) / antarctica (hand-written) / TYPE (red label;
typed) / HOLOTYPE T- 20692 Drimostoma antarctica
Castelnau (hand-written after T-; pink label).” Condition:
Good (antennae broken; left hindleg broken).
Tropopterus sulcicollis Bates, 1874: 241 (redescribed in 1875:
304). Holotype: female “One example, female, sent by Mr.
Fereday from Christchurch” (could not be located either in
MNHN or in CMNZ). New synonym.
Tropopterus marginalis Broun, 1882: 219 (redescribed in 1883:
219 and 1886: 749). Holotype: male (BMNH) labelled
“Type (circular red-bordered label; typed) / 1329. (typed)
/ Wellington (typed ) / New Zeal. Broun Coll. Brit. Mus.
1922–482. (white label with red horizontal line; typed) /
Tarastethus marginalis (hand-written).” Condition: Very
good (left antenna terminal segments missing). New synonym.
Tarastethus antarcticus: Sharp, 1886: 373.
Tropopterus antarcticus: Sloane, 1898: 472.
Molopsida antarctica: Britton, 1940: 277.
Molopsida marginalis: Britton, 1940: 277.
Molopsida sulcicollis: Britton, 1940: 277.
Description. Body: length 5.5–7.0 mm. Head, pronotum,
elytra, and abdomen black (elytral margins rufous);