Mecodema dux

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Mecodema dux
Mecodema dux (2).jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Carabidae
Genus: Mecodema
Species:
M. dux
Binomial name
Mecodema dux
Britton, 1949

Mecodema dux is a medium-bodied New Zealand endemic ground beetle that is found in the Ruahine Ranges, Taupo, Rangitikei and southwestern Hawke's Bay entomological regions. [1] [2]

Contents

Diagnosis

Distinguished from other North Island Mecodema species by:

  1. the overall pronotal shape being ovate;
  2. numerous punctures between pronotal foveae;
  3. elytral striae 1–4 with obsolescent punctures, striae 5–8 with punctures more impressed;
  4. the distinctive shape of the apical portion of the penis lobe. [3]

Description

Length 19–24 mm, pronotal width 5–6 mm, elytral width 6–7.1 mm. Colour of entire body dark reddish-brown to matte black, coxae and legs reddish-brown. [3]

Natural History

A flightless and nocturnal predator of a variety of invertebrates on the forest floor.

Further research is required.

Related Research Articles

<i>Mecodema</i> Genus of beetles

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 within the subtribe Nothobroscina. 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 and Hauturu, Kapiti Is., Stephens Is., Stewart Is., Chatham Is., Snares Is.

<i>Mecodema oconnori</i> Species of beetle

Mecodema oconnori is a large-bodied species of ground beetle endemic to the lower half of the North Island, New Zealand. It is mainly found in native forest habitats on the western side of the Tararua and Ruahine Ranges, but is also found in the Manawatu Gorge and some other eastern localities.

<i>Mecodema haunoho</i> Species of beetle

Mecodema haunoho is the only ground beetle (Carabidae) species that is endemic to Little Barrier Island (Hauturu). It is sister species the Great Barrier Island (Aotea) species M. aoteanoho and both are closely related to M. manaia, a species found in Bream Head, Northland, New Zealand.

<i>Mecodema chaiup</i> Species of beetle

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.

<i>Mecodema kokoromatua</i> Species of beetle

Mecodema kokoromatua is a medium-bodied ground beetle endemic to Northland, New Zealand. Its range is restricted to coastal forest behind the sand dunes and below the southern areas of the Ahipara Escarpment, Herekino, Northland, New Zealand. This species is within the curvidens species group and is related to the geographically widespread M. parataiko.

<i>Mecodema manaia</i> Species of beetle

Mecodema manaia is a medium-sized ground beetle species found in the native forests of Bream Head and Mt Manaia, Northland, New Zealand. This species shares the forests of Bream Head with a large-bodied species, Mecodema tewhara, with both inhabiting slightly different forest type.

Mecodema atuanui was described from a single male specimen collected in pitfall traps on Mount Auckland (Atuanui), Kaipara Region. It is a medium-length ground beetle that is related to Mecodema spiniferum, which is the only large-lengthed ground beetle species found in the Waitākere Ranges, Auckland, rather than the more geographically close species to the east in Puhoi.

<i>Mecodema atrox</i> Species of beetle

Mecodema atrox is a medium-sized ground beetle species that is closely related to Mecodema curvidens. Mecodema atrox is relatively rare in comparison due to its preferred habitat, the coastal broadleaf forests of the Coromandel Peninsula, a forest type that is in decline. The body of Mecodema atrox is black and the legs are dark reddish-brown. They can be distinguished from other Mecodema species by a number of characters, including the pattern of asetose punctures along the elytral striae.

<i>Mecodema curvidens</i> Species of beetle

Mecodema curvidens Broun is a medium-bodied ground beetle that is geographically widespread throughout the central areas of the North Island, New Zealand, which includes the entomological regions of Auckland (AK), Waikato (WO), Coromandel (CL), Bay of Plenty (BP), Taupo (TO), Rangitikei (RI), Whanganui (WI), Hawkes Bay (HB) and Wellington (WN). Recently, the species M. occiputale Broun was synonymised under M. curvidens. Mecodema curvidens is relatively common through its range except in the southern area of the Hunua Ranges (Auckland) and Wellington regions.

<i>Mecodema crenaticolle</i> Species of insect

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 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.

<i>Mecodema florae</i> Species of insect

Mecodema florae is an endemic New Zealand ground beetle, which was described by Britton in 1949. 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 then southwards from the Taupo Line 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.

<i>Mecodema longicolle</i> Species of beetle

Mecodema longicolle is an endemic New Zealand ground beetle, and one of the few Mecodema species found in both the North Island and South Island.

<i>Mecodema genesispotini</i> Species of ground beetle

Mecodema genesispotini is a species of ground beetle found in a small native forest remnant, between paddocks and pine forest, in the Waimata Valley, northwest of Gisborne, New Zealand.

<i>Mecodema kipjac</i> Species of beetle

Mecodema kipjac is a large-bodied ground beetle species found near Kirikopuni in Northland, New Zealand.

<i>Mecodema godzilla</i> Species of beetle

Mecodema godzilla is a large-bodied ground beetle endemic to the North Island, New Zealand. It was described from two specimens, which are housed in two different entomological collections, the Auckland Museum and Lincoln University.

<i>Mecodema kokoroiho</i> Species of beetle

Mecodema kokoroiho is a large-bodied ground beetle that is endemic to Warawara Forest Park, Pawarenga, Northland, New Zealand. The species name (etymology) was provided by Te Rarawa kaumātua Joseph Cooper, Waipuna marae, Panguru, Northland. The specific name kokoroiho means ‘a beetle found with the fern root’.

<i>Mecodema jacinda</i> Species of beetle

Mecodema jacinda is a large-bodied ground beetle endemic to Maungatautari Sanctuary, Waikato, New Zealand. It is the largest species of Mecodema found on Maungatautari, which also has the medium-sized M. curvidens inhabiting the forest. It is named after New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

<i>Mecodema aberrans</i> Species of beetle

Mecodema aberrans is a medium-sized ground beetle endemic to the South Island, New Zealand. This species is within the curvidens group and is one of three species that is a braided-river ecotype. It occurs in Otago and Canterbury.

<i>Mecodema moniliferum</i> Species of beetle

Mecodema moniliferum is a medium-sized ground beetle endemic to the South island, New Zealand. This species is part of the monophyletic curvidens group and is found on the braided-river systems of the South Island.

<i>Mecodema crenicolle</i>

Mecodema crenicolle is an endemic species of ground beetle from New Zealand.

References

  1. Britton, E.B. (1949). "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. Crosby, T.K.; Dugdale, J.S.; Watt, J.C. (1976). "Recording specimen localities in New Zealand: An arbitrary system of areas and codes defined". New Zealand Journal of Zoology. 3 (1): 69. doi: 10.1080/03014223.1976.9517903 . ISSN   0301-4223.
  3. 1 2 Seldon, D.S.; Buckley, T.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.