Fauna of New Zealand, No 75: Licinini (Insecta: Coleoptera: Carabidae: Harpalinae)

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Language: English with bilingual summary in English and Maori

A revision of the 15 New Zealand species of the ground beetle tribe Licinini (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Harpalinae) is provided. Two of the four recognised subtribes of Licinini occur in New Zealand. The subtribe Licinina is represented by the genus Physolaesthus Chaudoir. In the subtribe Dicrochilina, the species formerly included in Dicrochile Guérin-Méneville are divided into three groups of generic rank, based on distinctive morphological features: Dicrochile, Pedalopia Laporte de Castelnau and Stomatocoelus Macleay. The genus Dicrochile is known from New Zealand and Norfolk Island, Pedalopia is regarded as endemic to New Zealand, while Physolaesthus and Stomatocoelus are also found in Australia and island groups to the north of New Zealand. Original type material of all, except one, named species of New Zealand Licinini has been examined.

A single species of Physolaesthus, which also occurs in Australia, is found in New Zealand and 14 species of Dicrochilina, all endemic to New Zealand, are recognised. Five new species and one new subspecies of Pedalopia are described as follows: P. arowhenua n. sp. from South Canterbury; P. flavipes florae n. subsp. from north west Nelson; P. oparara n. sp. from north west Nelson; P. orongorongo n. sp. from Wellington; P. waipori n. sp. from the southern South Island and P. watti n. sp. from the Kaikoura Coast and North Canterbury.

Seven species names are newly synonymized: Dichrochile limbatus Broun, 1880 with Physolaesthus insularis Bates, 1878; Dichrochile nitida Broun, 1882 and D. rugicollis Broun, 1917 with Dicrochile aterrima Bates, 1874; Dicrochile anchomenoides Guérin-Méneville, 1847, D. subopaca Bates, 1874 and Agonum (Platynus) whitei Csiki, 1931 with Anchomenus atratus Blanchard, 1842; Dichrochile anthracina Broun, 1893 with Dichrochile maura Broun, 1880. Anchomenus atratus Blanchard, 1842 is removed from secondary homonymy with Carabus atratus Duftschmid, 1812. Notes on type material, geographic distribution, seasonal occurance and habitat are provided for each species. Eight of the ten Australian species placed in Dicrochile by Moore et al. (1987) are transferred to the genus Stomatocoelus. The possible relationships of the tribe Licinini within the subfamily Harpalinae are discussed.

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