Mecodema aoteanoho is a medium-sized (19–24 mm length, 5.5–7 mm width) ground beetle, the only such beetle endemic to Great Barrier Island (Aotea), Hauraki Gulf, Auckland, New Zealand.[1] Mecodema aoteanoho is a sister species to M. haunoho (Little Barrier Island) and is closely related to the Coromandel (mainland) species, M. atrox, all of which are species within the monophyletic curvidens group (4–6 setae along each side of the prothoracic carina).[1][2][3] There are a number of other characters that distinguish M. aoteanoho from all other North Island Mecodema, especially the pattern of the striations on the elytra.[1][2]
| Mecodema aoteanoho | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Family: | Carabidae |
| Genus: | Mecodema |
| Species: | M. aoteanoho
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| Binomial name | |
| Mecodema aoteanoho Seldon & Leschen, 2011
| |
For a detailed description of M. aoteanoho see Seldon & Buckley 2019.
Description edit
Mecodema aoteanoho is dull to shiny black in colour. They are flightless: in fact they have no wings under the sutured elytra (wing cases).
Natural history edit
Little is known about the life cycle of Mecodema in general.
They are nocturnal predators and scavengers, feeding on a range of ground and soil-dwelling invertebrates in the native broadleaf forests of Aotea.
References edit
- ^ a b c Seldon, David S.; Leschen, Richard A.B. (2011). "A revision of the Mecodema curvidens species group (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Broscini)". Zootaxa. 2829: 1–45.
- ^ a b Seldon, David S.; Buckley, Thomas R. (2019). "The genus Mecodema Blanchard 1853 (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Broscini) from the North Island, New Zealand". Zootaxa. 4598 (1): zootaxa.4598.1.1. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4598.1.1. ISSN 1175-5334. PMID 31716064.
- ^ Britton, E.B. (1949). "The Carabidae (Coleoptera) of New Zealand part 3: A revision of the tribe Broscini". Transactions of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 77: 533–581.
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