Mecodema crenicolle
Mecodema crenicolle
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Carabidae
Genus: Mecodema
Species:
M. crenicolle
Binomial name
Mecodema crenicolle
Laporte de Castelnau, 1867[1]
Synonyms
  • Mecodema venator Broun 1880
  • Mecodema variolosum Broun 1903
  • Mecodema attenuatum Broun 1908
  • Mecodema ventriculum Broun 1923 [2]

Mecodema crenicolle is an endemic species of ground beetle from New Zealand.

Taxonomy

This species was described by François-Louis Laporte de Castelnau, a french naturalist in 1867. The type specimen is in the Genoa Museum, Italy.[2]

Description

Mecodema crenicolle is a medium-large ground beetle with a length of 22–29 mm. As a member of the ducale group of Mecodema species, the pronotum carina is strongly crenulated and outer striae are coarsely punctured with star-shaped asetose punctures. These punctures are irregularly placed and deeper in the outer striae. A distinguishing character of M. crenicolle from its sister species, M. crenaticolle[3] is that the punctures in elytral stria 7 are larger than stria 8 and cannot be distinguished at the base of the elytra.[2]

Habitat and ecology

M. crenicolle is a burrowing ground beetle that lives in native forests, pine plantations and pastures. Their elevational distribution ranges from lowland to mountainous forests.[4] Like all Mecodema species, M. crenicolle is flightless and a predator of other invertebrates.[4]

Distribution

This species is only found in the in Marlborough, Nelson and the Brunner District in the South Island.[4][2] North Island specimens are all M. crenaticolle as per Seldon & Buckley (2019).

References

  1. ↑ "NZOR Name Details - Mecodema crenicolle Laporte de Castelnau, 1867". www.nzor.org.nz. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Britton, E.B. (1949). "The Carabidae (Coleoptera) of New Zealand part 3: A revision of the tribe Broscini". Transactions of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 77: 533–581.
  3. ↑ Seldon, D.S.; Buckley, T.R. (2019). "The genus Mecodema Blanchard 1853 (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Broscini) from the North Island, New Zealand". Zootaxa. 4598 (1): 1–148. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4598.1.1. ISSN 1175-5334.
  4. 1 2 3 Larochelle, A.; Larivière, M.-C (2001). "Carabidae (Insecta: Coleoptera): catalogue" (PDF). Fauna of New Zealand Series. 43: 53. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
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