Mecodema chaiup
| Mecodema chaiup | |
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| The only known specimen of M.chaiup, found in 2008. | |
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| Species: | M. chaiup
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| Binomial name | |
| Mecodema chaiup Seldon, 2015
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Mecodema chaiup is a large-bodied ground beetle species found in Mohi Bush Scenic Reserve, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand. A single specimen was found beneath a large log in 2008. Since then a number of intensive pitfall trap surveys of Mohi Bush have failed to collect further specimens.
Diagnosis
M. chaiup is distinguished from other North Island Mecodema by:
- Narrow elytra (narrower than the pronotum at the widest point)
- Distinct asetose punctures in a confused pattern that are irregular in size and shape[1]
Description
Length 31 mm, pronotal width 8.5 mm, elytral width 6.5 mm. Colour of entire body matte black, except for the femur and tibiae which are dark reddish-brown.[2]
Natural History
Flightless and presumably a nocturnal predator of a range of ground invertebrates (e.g., spiders, carabids, worms), as are the other members of the genus.
References
- ^ Seldon, David S.; Buckley, Thomas 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.
- ^ Seldon, D.S. (2015). "A unique species of Mecodema (Carabidae: Broscini) from the Hawke's Bay region, New Zealand, with implications for North–South Island zoogeography". New Zealand Entomologist. 38 (1): 28–35.
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