Mecodema florae

Mecodema florae is an endemic New Zealand ground beetle, which was described by Britton in 1949.[1]It is one of the few species within the genus Mecodema that has a range that includes both the North and South Islands. In the North Island it is found from Mt Taranaki (west) to Boundary Stream Mainland Island (Hawke's Bay) then southwards from the Taupo Line[2] to Buller, northwest Nelson, South Island. Mecodema florae shares this range with its sister taxon M. longicolle, which is relatively similar in external morphology, but the male genitalia are different.

Mecodema florae
Dorsal view of Mecodema florae
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Coleoptera
Family:
Carabidae
Tribe:
Broscini
Genus:
Mecodema
Species:
M. florae
Binomial name
Mecodema florae
Britton, 1949


Diagnosis

Distinguishable from other North Island Mecodema species by having:

  1. vertexal groove shallow, defined entirely by obsolescent punctures;
  2. overall shape of pronotum ovate, prothoracic carina setae to sinuation;
  3. proepisternum with numerous punctures in short grooves (deep wrinkles);
  4. distinctive shape of apical portion of the penis lobe.[3]

Description

Length 17.5–19.5 mm, pronotal width 3.9–5.1 mm, elytral width 4.7–6.1 mm. Colour of the body dorsally is matte black, may be reddish-brown, ventrally dark reddish-brown.[3]

Natural History

More research is required.

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References
  1. "Mecodema florae Britton, 1949". Collections Online - Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.
  2. Ellis, E.A.; Marshall, D.C.; Hill, K.B.R.; Owen, C.L.; Kamp, P.J.J.; Simon, C. (2015). "Phylogeography of six codistributed New Zealand cicadas and their relationship to multiple biogeographical boundaries suggest a re-evaluation of the Taupo Line". Journal of Biogeography. 42 (9): 1761–1775. doi:10.1111/jbi.12532. hdl:10289/10119. ISSN 1365-2699.
  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): zootaxa.4598.1.1. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4598.1.1. ISSN 1175-5334. PMID 31716064.
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