''Mecodema atrox'' is a medium-sized (17–24 mm length, 6–8 mm width)

ground beetle Ground beetles are a large, cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan family (biology), family of beetles, the Carabidae, with more than 40,000 species worldwide, around 2,000 of which are found in North America and 2,700 in Europe. As of 2015, it ...

species that is closely related to '' Mecodema curvidens'' (a very widespread species throughout the

Bay of Plenty The Bay of Plenty () is a large bight (geography), bight along the northern coast of New Zealand's North Island. It stretches from the Coromandel Peninsula in the west to Cape Runaway in the east. Called ''Te Moana-a-Toitehuatahi'' (the Ocean ...

and Central Plateau). ''Mecodema atrox'' is relatively rare in comparison due to its preferred habitat, the coastal broadleaf forests of the

Coromandel Peninsula The Coromandel Peninsula () on the North Island of New Zealand extends north from the western end of the Bay of Plenty, forming a natural barrier protecting the Hauraki Gulf and the Firth of Thames in the west from the Pacific Ocean ...

, a forest type that is in decline. The body of ''Mecodema atrox'' is black and the legs are dark reddish-brown. They can be distinguished from other '' Mecodema'' species by a number of characters, including the pattern of asetose punctures along the elytral striae. This species is part of the ''curvidens'' group that has a geographical distribution from Northland (including the Three Kings Island) to Banks Peninsula, South Island. Species of the ''curvidens'' group predominantly follow an eastern distribution including species on the offshore islands (e.g., Poor Knights Island, Hauturu (Little Barrier Island) and Aotea (Great Barrier Island). There are no species from this group found in the Auckland entomological region, but they are found in the Coromandel Peninsula.

Description

See Seldon & Buckley 2019.

Natural History

Nothing is known of the larvae and little is known of the adults, but ''M. atrox'' is a coastal forest-dweller that feeds on a range of ground invertebrates. It is flightless with low dispersal capabilities, however it is a species within a ground beetle genus that has dispersed across New Zealand and many offshore islands.

Conservation status

Under the

New Zealand Threat Classification System The New Zealand Threat Classification System is used by the Department of Conservation to assess conservation priorities of species in New Zealand. The system was developed because the IUCN Red List, a similar conservation status system, had s ...

, this species is listed as "Nationally Endangered" with the qualifiers of "Data Poor" and "Biologically Sparse".

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q13820782

atrox Atrox is a Norwegian avant-garde metal band from Trondheim. The group originally formed under the name "Suffocation" but soon changed it because of numerous other bands with the same name.Biography AllMusic Formed in 1988, the band released its fi ...

Beetles described in 1949 Endemic beetles of New Zealand Nothobroscina