Mecodema Spinifer

''Mecodema'' is a genus of large flightless ground beetle (Carabidae) endemic to New Zealand. The genus is very diverse in comparison to the other three New Zealand genera ('' Diglymma'', '' Oregus'', '' Orthoglymma'') within the subtribe Nothobroscina (tribe Broscini). ''Mecodema'' is geographically widespread across both the North and South Islands, as well as numerous offshore islands, including the Three Kings Is., Poor Knights Is., Aotea ( Great Barrier Is.) and Hauturu (Little Barrier Is.), Kapiti Is., Stephens Is., Stewart Is., Chatham Is., Snares Is.

Genus description

Head, frons and vertex often rugose and / or punctate, microsculpture or macrosculpture absent in some species groups (e.g., ''curvidens'' species); eyes prominent, almost hemispherical; a single supraorbital puncture on each side, bearing more than one setae; setose punctures of vertex absent; mandibles large, uniformly narrow to the pointed apex, sharply curved in the apical third, mandibles with a number of dorsal grooves and without a seta in the scrobe; mentum with median process, which is notched to strongly indentate (bifid); usually with 2 setiferous punctures (may be absent) below the process and generally with 4–8 setose (setiferous) punctures along the submentum sclerite; labial palpi with setae on the penultimate segment; terminal segments of all palpi slightly compressed, sub-cylindrical, truncate; ligula chitinous with a median carina, 2 apical setae present; the membranous paraglossae extended well beyond the apex of the ligula; stipes with 2–3 basal setae; antennomeres I–II glabrous, III–V with apical ring, VI–XI setose throughout; antennomeres I–III subcylindrical, IV–VII subglobose and slightly compressed. Prothoracic carina (pronotal lateral margin) distinct with an asymmetrical number of setae along each side, the last never at the posterior lateral sinuation (posterior angle); midline (median groove) and pronotal foveae (laterobasal depressions) always present; pronotal disc often with shallow depressions on each side of apical half. Elytra always striate; fused together along the suture; hind wings absent; a row of setose punctures on the 7th stria and another row (umbilical series) near the lateral carina (elytral margin). Legs slender, the protibia with a pointed apical prolongation on the outer side, greatly distally expanded to distally expanded and shovel-like; male and female tarsi identical, the basal 4 segments of the anterior tarsi are as broad as they are long, usually slightly asymmetrical.

Type species: ''Mecodema sculpturatum'' Blanchard 1853.

Species and subspecies (102)

* ''Mecodema aberrans'' (Putzeys, 1868)
* ''Mecodema allani'' Fairburn, 1945
* ''Mecodema alternans'' Laporte de Castelnau, 1867
** ''Mecodema alternans hudsoni'' Broun, 1909
* ''Mecodema angustulum'' Broun, 1914
* ''Mecodema antarcticum'' (Laporte de Castelnau, 1867)
* ''Mecodema aoteanoho'' Seldon & Leschen, 2011
* ''Mecodema argentum'' Seldon & Buckley, 2019
* ''Mecodema atrox'' Britton, 1949
* ''Mecodema atuanui'' Seldon & Buckley, 2019
* '' Mecodema brittoni'' Townsend, 1965
* '' Mecodema bullatum'' Lewis, 1902
* '' Mecodema chaiup'' Seldon, 2015
* '' Mecodema chiltoni'' Broun, 1917
* '' Mecodema constrictum'' Broun, 1881
* '' Mecodema costellum'' Broun, 1903
** ''Mecodema costellum gordonense'' Broun, 1917
** ''Mecodema costellum lewisi'' Broun, 1908
** ''Mecodema costellum obesum'' Townsend, 1965
* '' Mecodema costipenne'' Broun, 1914
* '' Mecodema crenaticolle'' Redtenbacher, 1868
* '' Mecodema crenicolle'' Castelnau, 1867
* ''Mecodema curvidens'' (Broun, 1915)
* '' Mecodema ducale'' Sharp, 1886
* '' Mecodema dunense'' Townsend, 1965
* ''Mecodema dunnorum'' Seldon & Buckley, 2019
* '' Mecodema dux'' Britton, 1949
* '' Mecodema elongatum'' Castelnau, 1867
* '' Mecodema femorale'' Broun, 1921
* '' Mecodema florae'' Britton, 1949
* '' Mecodema fulgidum'' Broun, 1881
* '' Mecodema genesispotini'' Seldon & Buckley, 2019
* '' Mecodema godzilla'' Seldon & Buckley, 2019
* '' Mecodema gourlayi'' Britton, 1949
* '' Mecodema haunoho'' Seldon & Leschen, 2011
* '' Mecodema hector'' Britton, 1949
* '' Mecodema howitti'' Castelnau, 1867
* '' Mecodema huttense'' Broun, 1915
* '' Mecodema impressum'' Castelnau, 1867
* '' Mecodema infimate'' Lewis, 1902
* '' Mecodema integratum'' Townsend, 1965
* ''Mecodema jacinda'' Seldon & Buckley, 2019
* '' Mecodema kipjac'' Seldon & Buckley, 2019
* '' Mecodema kokoroiho'' Seldon & Buckley, 2019
* '' Mecodema kokoromatua'' Seldon, Leschen & Liebherr, 2012
* '' Mecodema laeviceps'' Broun, 1904
* '' Mecodema laterale'' Broun, 1917
* '' Mecodema litoreum'' Broun, 1886
* '' Mecodema longicolle'' Broun, 1923
* '' Mecodema lucidum'' Castelnau, 1867
* '' Mecodema manaia'' Seldon & Leschen, 2011
* '' Mecodema metallicum'' Sharp, 1886
* '' Mecodema minax'' Britton, 1949
* '' Mecodema mohi'' Seldon & Buckley, 2019
* '' Mecodema moniliferum'' (Bates, 1867)
* '' Mecodema morio'' ( Castelnau, 1867)
* '' Mecodema ngaiatonga'' Seldon & Buckley, 2019
* '' Mecodema ngaitahuhu'' Seldon & Buckley, 2019
* '' Mecodema nitidum'' Broun, 1903
* '' Mecodema oblongum'' (Broun, 1882)
* '' Mecodema oconnori'' Broun, 1912
* '' Mecodema oregoides'' (Broun, 1894)
* '' Mecodema papake'' Seldon & Buckley, 2019
* '' Mecodema parataiko'' Seldon & Leschen, 2011
* '' Mecodema pavidum'' Townsend, 1965
* '' Mecodema perexiguus'' Seldon & Buckley, 2019
* '' Mecodema persculptum'' Broun, 1915
* '' Mecodema pluto'' Britton, 1949
* '' Mecodema politanum'' Broun, 1917
* '' Mecodema ponaiti'' Seldon & Leschen, 2011
* '' Mecodema proximum'' Britton, 1949
* '' Mecodema puiakium'' Johns & Ewers in Johns, 2007
* '' Mecodema pulchellum'' Townsend, 1965
* '' Mecodema punctatum'' (Laporte de Castelnau, 1867)
* '' Mecodema punctellum'' Broun, 1921
* '' Mecodema puncticolle'' Broun, 1915 [?=''Mecodema sculpturatum'' Blanchard, 1843]
* ''Mecodema quoinense'' Broun, 1912
* '' Mecodema rectolineatum'' Laporte de Castelnau, 1867
* '' Mecodema regulus'' Britton, 1964
* '' Mecodema rex'' Britton, 1949
* '' Mecodema rugiceps'' Sharp, 1886
** ''Mecodema rugiceps anomalum'' Townsend, 1965
* '' Mecodema rusticulus'' Seldon & Buckley, 2019
* '' Mecodema scitulum'' Broun, 1894
* ''Mecodema sculpturatum'' Blanchard, 1843
* '' Mecodema simplex'' Castelnau, 1867
* '' Mecodema spiniferum'' Broun, 1880
* '' Mecodema striatum'' Broun, 1904
* '' Mecodema strictum'' Britton, 1949
* '' Mecodema temata'' Seldon & Buckley, 2019
* '' Mecodema tenaki'' Seldon & Leschen, 2011
* '' Mecodema teparawhau'' Seldon & Buckley, 2019
* '' Mecodema teroroa'' Seldon & Buckley, 2019
* '' Mecodema tewhara'' Seldon & Buckley, 2019
* '' Mecodema tibiale'' (Laporte de Castelnau, 1867)
* '' Mecodema tuhoe'' Seldon & Buckley, 2019
* '' Mecodema undecimus'' Seldon & Buckley, 2019
* '' Mecodema validum'' Broun, 1923
* '' Mecodema wharekahika'' Seldon & Buckley, 2019
* '' Mecodema xylanthrax'' Seldon & Buckley, 2019
* '' Mecodema yconomus'' Seldon & Buckley, 2019
* '' Mecodema zonula'' Seldon & Buckley, 2019

References

Further reading

* 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.
* Seldon, D. S., & Leschen, R. A. (2011). Revision of the ''Mecodema curvidens'' species group (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Broscini). ''Zootaxa'', ''2829''(1), 1-45.
* Seldon, D. S., Leschen, R. A. B., & Liebherr, J. K. (2012). A new species of ''Mecodema'' (Carabidae: Broscini) from Northland, New Zealand, with notes on a newly observed structure within the female genitalia. ''New Zealand Entomologist'', ''35''(1), 39-50.
* Townsend, J. I. (1965). Notes on the genus ''Mecodema'' (Coleoptera: Carabidae) with descriptions of new species from the South Island of New Zealand. ''New Zealand Journal of Science'', ''8''(3), 301-318.
* Townsend, J. I. (1971). Entomology of the Aucklands and other islands south of New Zealand: Coleoptera: Carabidae: Broscini. ''Pacific Insects Monograph'', ''27'', 173-184.

NZ Entomologist
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Landcare Research

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Carabidae genera