Center for Systematic Entomology, Gainesville, Florida

 

Title

Taxonomic review of the Neotropical Tetragonoderus quadriguttatus assemblage (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Cyclosomini) with description of T. deuvei, new species, and new West Indian and Nearctic locality records

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

October 2008

Comments

Published in INSECTA MUNDI: A Journal of World Insect Systematics, 0050: 1-16 (2008). Published by the CENTER FOR SYSTEMATIC ENTOMOLOGY, INC., Gainesville, FL. http://www.centerforsystematicentomology.org/
Copyright © 2008 by the authors.

Abstract

The Tetragonoderus (Peronoscelis) quadriguttatus assemblage is a postulated monophyletic part of the intersectus complex. This assemblage is characterized against a background that includes review of a classification of the genus and comparison, in the form of a key, to other unrelated Western Hemisphere genera that share elongate tibial spurs with Tetragonoderus Dejean. The principal, easily observed feature that unites the three members (T. laevigatus Chaudoir, 1876; T. deuvei, new species (type locality: Cuijaba, Mato Grosso, Brazil), and T. quadriguttatus Dejean) of the quadriguttatus assemblage is the four-spotted elytra (two spots per elytron). These species are treated in detail, including key, synonymy (as required), comparisons, description (external and male genitalic features), habitat (if known), locality data, and geographical range map. Also, T. subfasciatus Putzeys, 1846, the elytral color pattern of whose members may be confused with the spotted pattern of the quadriguttatus assemblage, is treated similarly. The following new synonymies were established: T. quadriguttatus Dejean 1829 = T. columbicus Steinheil 1875 = T. lacordairei Chaudoir 1876 = T. tetragrammus Chaudoir 1876; and T. laevigatus Chaudoir 1876 = T. chaudoiri Liebke 1928 (replacement name for the junior homonym, T. unicolor Chaudoir, 1876).

Lectotypes are designated for T. unicolor Chaudoir, T. lacordairei Chaudoir, and T. subfasciatus Putzeys. A neotype is designated for T. quadriguttatusDejean.

New distribution records in the West Indies for T. quadriguttatus are recorded for the islands of Grand Cayman, Jamaica and Hispaniola. These records may be the result of recent natural overseas dispersal from northern South America, or they may be the result of human-mediated accidental introduction, or a combination of both. The southern Floridian (Nearctic) records for T. laevigatus probably represent a recent accidental introduction through commerce, followed by dispersal through flights of adults.