Mecodema crenaticolle explained

Mecodema crenaticolle is a medium-bodied ground beetle that is endemic to New Zealand. It is one of the three species within the ducale species group^{[1] [2]} and is the only species of this group found in the North Island, New Zealand. Its range extends from the Wellington Region to Hunua Range, southeast Auckland, and is relatively common in most native forest habitats.

Diagnosis

Distinguishable from other North Island Mecodema species by having:

1. the pronotum carina strongly crenulated;
2. elytral striae 1–4 with large star-shaped asetose punctures in an irregular pattern, striae 5–7 with asetose punctures not star-shaped, but irregularly spaced;
3. an elytral setose puncture basad scutellum.

Description

Length 21–27.9 mm, pronotal width 5.8–7.3 mm, elytral width 6.7–8.6 mm. Colour of entire body reddish-brown to black.

Natural history

Flightless and nocturnal predator of ground invertebrates including spiders, other carabids and worms.

Notes and References

1. Britton. E.B.. The Carabidae (Coleoptera) of New Zealand Part III - A revision of the tribe Broscini. Transactions of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 77. 4. 533–581.
2. Seldon. D.S.. Buckley. T.R.. The genus Mecodema Blanchard 1853 (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Broscini) from the North Island, New Zealand. Zootaxa. in press.