Callichrotus gimmeli, Leschen & Chen & Harmer, 2024

Callichrotus gimmeli sp. nov.

( Figs 1–2 View Fig View Fig )

Type material. HOLOTYPE: ♁ ( NZAC), labelled: ‘ NEW ZEALAND, WD, Mt Aspiring NP Haast Hwy, Bridle Tk, Davis Flat end footbridge from hwy. 15 Jan 2019, K. Marske / Mixed beech forest Sifted leaf and woody litter in moss free areas. -44.12639, 169.34029, 403 m, L siftate. KM360 / NZ Arthropod Collection Private Bag 92170 Auckland New Zealand NZAC04254545 About NZAC GoogleMaps ’. PARATYPES (11; FMNH, NZAC). SOUTH IS- LAND: NN: 1 ( FMNH), Arthur Range, W side Flora Saddle, 1 Jan 1985, leaf log litter forest floor, Nothofagus sp. mossy forest, A. Newton, M. Thayer, [41°11.399′S, 172°44.474′E], NZAC 04234533; 1, Nelson, Canaan, 13 Sep 1964, litter, L.P. Merchant, [40°56.580′S, 172°53.574′E], NZAC 04234454; 1, Nelson, Mount Arthur, Flora Track, 19 May 1966, moss, J.I. Townsend, [41°11.567′S, 172°44.067′E], NZAC 04272529. BR: 1, Boatmans Creek, 4 Oct 1971, Beech forest, litter, G. Kuschel, [42°1.333′S, 171°52.117′E], NZAC 04272530; 1, Boatmans Creek, 4.5km SE Cronadun, Nov 1971, litter,J. McBurney, [42°2.682′S, 171°53.729′E], NZAC 04234473; 2, Buller, Capleston, 6 Nov 1971, moss, J.C. Watt, [42°4.054′S, 171°55.326′E], NZAC 04234439, NZAC 04272549; 1, Buller, Capleston, Redman Creek, 8 Nov 1972, moss, J.C. Watt, [42°2.692′S, 171°53.015′E], NZAC 04234465; 1, Lewis Pass, 12 Nov 1964, moss, G. Kuschel, [42°22.712′S, 172°23.967′E], NZAC 04235177. NC: 1, Arthurs Pass, 2 Mar 1966, moss tussock, J.I. Townsend, [42°54.439′S, 171°33.566′E], NZAC 04234498. WD: 2, WD, Mount Aspiring National Park, Haast Highway, Bridle Track, Davis Flat end footbridge from highway, 15 Jan 2019, mixed beech forest sifted leaf and woody litter in moss free areas, K. Marske, [44°7.583′S, 169°20.417′E], NZAC 04254530, NZAC 04254538; 1, Fantail Falls, 3 km NE Haast Pass, sifted wood mould and litter, 84/20, J.C.Watt, [44°04.69′S 169°23.25′E], NZAC 04272550. OL: 1, Makarora, McKerrow Range, 23 Jan 1978, sifted litter, G. Kuschel, [44°14.096′S, 169°14.061′E], NZAC 04234623.

Description. Length 1.30–1.50 mm. Colour of body dark to light reddish-brown and tan, legs, and sometimes the antennae and elytra lighter; and each elytron with broad maculation that reaches the suture in some specimens. Dorsal setae uniformly silver, pronotum and base of elytra with long, decumbent setae, lacking on posterior surfaces of the pronotal disc and maculation of the elytron. Ventral surfaces with recumbent setae, slightly shorter in length compared with those on dorsum; finely to densely punctate on most surfaces, punctation of the vertex of the head dense but not areolate, punctation of metaventrite denser than that of prosternum and more uniform, punctation of abdominal ventrites 1 to 4 less dense and impressed than metaventrite, and on ventrite 5 denser and smaller towards apex, which lacks a patch of posteriorly-directed setae. Head rugose-punctate, with smooth and shiny interspaces, punctures not forming transverse rows; vertex with ridge; transverse ridge above antennal insertions absent. Eye wider than long. Antennomere 2 globular, as long as wide, antennomere 3 conical, longer, as wide as 2, antennomere 4 subequal in width to 3, shorter than 3 and similar in length to 5, antennomeres 6–8 similar, antennomere 9 distinctly larger than antennomere 8 and narrower than antennomeres 10 and 11, antennomere 10 weakly transverse, about as wide as antennomere 11, antennomere 11 about 1.2 times length of than 10, slightly shorter than 9 and 10 combined. Pronotum transverse, pronotal length/width ratio ~0.73, widest at middle or slightly widest at base (some specimens from BR); lateral edges parallel and convergent anteriorly; pronotal punctation similar to that of frons but more irregular over much of the disc, punctures separated by about one puncture diameter or less, with smooth and shiny interspaces; anterior part of the lateral furrow pinched; posterior margin weakly sinuate without weak scutellar lobe. Prosternal process about 0.5 times wide as prosternal length. Elytra about 1.14 times as long as combined widths, about 1.16 times width of pronotum at greatest width, about 1.81 times length of pronotum length; punctation extremely sparse, fine to coarse, densely concentrated in scutellar region where punctures are separated by up to 2 puncture diameters, denser and becoming fused towards midline, sparser on disc and absent from macula; parasutural stria absent, apical gape present. Abdominal ventrite 1 with broad, truncate intercoxal process; intercoxal process wider than mesoventrital process. Aedeagus with apices with 4 primary setae distinctly longer than parameres.

Etymology. The epithet honors a colleague and friend of the first author, Matthew Gimmel, for his collaborative work on cryptophagids and contribution towards beetle systematics.

Distribution. South Island: NN, BR, NC ( Fig. 21 View Fig ).

Remarks. This species is known from 12 specimens collected in the South Island. Half were taken in moss samples, a significantly higher proportion of all other species treated in this paper, including species of Picrotus that were collected three times from moss.