A new species of Mecodema Blanchard, 1853 (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Nothobroscina) restricted to the north-eastern arm of the Parataiko Range, Northland, Aotearoa – New Zealand

Abstract

ABSTRACT In recent years the high plateaus and escarpments of the north-eastern area of the Parataiko Range, Northland, Aotearoa – New Zealand have been recognised by taxonomists as a biodiversity hotspot with several new plant species unique to the whenua (land) above the Waima Valley. The wet and cool climate limits the growth of kauri (Agathis australis) but has allowed for unique species (e.g. Coprosma waima, Olearia crebra) to adapt to the steep-sided slopes and damp soils of the plateaus. Northland is also recognised as a biodiversity hotspot for the ground beetle genus Mecodema, with 15 described species endemic to this region, almost double that of an equivalent North Island entomological region. We describe, M. haakuturi sp. nov., which is restricted to the north-eastern arm of the Parataiko Range and is one of only a few Mecodema species found above an altitude of 500 m in Northland. We provide an updated key of Mecodema species from the Northland region, including the northern Auckland/Northland boundary species M. rusticulus and the widespread coastal M. antarcticum. urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:CB67CF55-C486-4AFD-B0C1-5F7CAB86A419