Mecodema chaiup explained

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 by D.S. Seldon and C.P. Martin (who it is named after). Since then a number of intensive pitfall trap surveys of Mohi Bush have failed to collect further specimens.

Diagnosis

Mecodema chaiup is distinguished from other North Island Mecodema by:

1. Narrow elytra (narrower than the pronotum at the widest point)
2. 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.

Notes and References

1. Seldon. David S.. Buckley. Thomas R.. 2019. The genus Mecodema Blanchard 1853 (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Broscini) from the North Island, New Zealand. Zootaxa. en. 4598. 1. zootaxa.4598.1.1. 10.11646/zootaxa.4598.1.1. 31716064. 164710644 . 1175-5334.
2. 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. 10.1080/00779962.2014.936105. 84454022.