FNZ 48 - Scaphidiinae (Insecta: Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) - Unique features N.Z. fauna
Löbl, I; Leschen, RAB 2003. Scaphidiinae (Insecta: Coleoptera: Staphylinidae). Fauna of New Zealand 48, 94 pages.
(
ISSN 0111-5383 (print),
;
no.
48.
ISBN 0-478-09353-5 (print),
).
Published 18 Nov 2003
ZooBank: http://zoobank.org/References/FDA38B33-D656-46CB-9406-CA03D26DC811
Unique features of the New Zealand fauna
No phylogeny for the entire subfamily Scaphidiinae is presently available. However, some general patterns and comments can be made about the New Zealand endemic fauna. At first glance, the presence of the widespread taxa Scaphisoma and Baeocera in New Zealand is a feature common to many landmasses throughout the world and does not seem so unusual. The presence, however, of a single endemic species of Scaphisoma that is moderately common to both the North and South Islands and limited possibly to a single fungal host is unusual, especially since Scaphisoma is the largest genus in the subfamily, and is very diverse in Australia and New Caledonia. Baeocera consists of at least two or more species groups, with a radiation of flightless species mainly in the Nelson region as part of a larger group containing all species apart from B. abrupta and B. actuosa . The latter species is unusual for Baeocera , because of its rather elongate 11 th antennomere (Fig. 85) and form of ovipositor (Fig. 103), and while we consider it a member of this genus, it was previously placed in Scaphoxium (Klimaszewski et al . 1996). Most members of Baeocera and Scaphisoma hanseni appear to have affinities with Australia and New Caledonia based on aedeagal characters.
The presence of Cyparium in New Zealand may seem rather surprising since the genus has a mainly circumtropical distribution and is absent from Australia and New Caledonia. The rarity of the two New Zealand species invokes further mystery, but these species are more likely related to members living in South Africa, and are part of a Gondwanan group of this genus.
Two genera are endemic to New Zealand. Brachynopus contains four species, and these are quite different from each other with B. latus and B. scutellaris sharing a tripartite sclerite in the internal sac (present also in Alexidia Reitter; Löbl & Leschen 2003). Based on unpublished phylogenetic information, Brachynopus appears to be the sister taxon to Notonewtonia , the other endemic genus, consisting of two species that have a shallow fovea present on the hypomeron (Fig. 8, 9). Brachynopus and Notonewtonia are placed at a relatively basal position in the tribe Scaphisomatini (Leschen & Löbl, unpubl.), but together with the presence of Gondwanan Cyparium, these provide evidence in support of an ancient fauna maintained in New Zealand.
Additional phylogenetic information can be found in the taxonomic sections below.
As a final note, the rarely collected species of Cyparium and Notonewtonia may be indicative of certain microhabitat requirements we fully do not appreciate. Both being members of moderately primitive lineages adds important value to these species as New Zealand endemics, and they should be attributed conservation status.