New Zealand ground-beetle genera: Glossary
This glossary, extracted from Larochelle & Larivière (2007, Fauna of New Zealand 60), contains terms mostly associated with the morphology of carabid beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) and is included here to provide additional support for users of the Lucid Phoenix identification key to genera included on this website.
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| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V |
A
adhesive setae (of male tarsi) — ventral setae fit to adhere to surfaces.
adventive — not native; an organism carried into a new habitat by natural means, or by man.
aedeagus — the tubular intromittent structure of the male genitalia, analogous to the mammalian penis and usually containing an eversible internal sac.
aeneous — with a copper or brass appearance.
allopatric — of or pertaining to taxa occupying different and disjunct geographical areas.
ambulatory setae (of abdomen) — specialised pairs of setae occurring ventrally on the abdomen.
anisochaetous (of protibia) — with one apical and one subapical spur.
antennal cleaner (of protibia) — comb-like structure situated on the inner side of the protibia and used to clean an antenna.
antennal grooves (of head) — pair of grooves situated ventrally on each side of the head, each used to receive an antenna.
antennal scape — see scape.
antennal socket — cavity in which each antenna is set.
antennomere — each antennal segment.
anterior bead (of pronotum) — raised transverse border situated at the apex of the pronotum, close to the head.
anterolateral angles (of pronotum) — angles situated at the front of and on each side of the pronotum.
apex — end or extremity of a structure or organ.
apical — related to the apex.
appendages — the antennae, palpi, and legs together.
apterous — without membranous wings.
armed — displaying scales, spines, or teeth.
attenuate — gradually tapering toward the apex.
auxiliary — additional.
B
basal — related to the base.
base — the beginning or point of attachment of a structure or organ.
bead — a raised border.
bidentate — with two teeth.
bifid — cleft or divided into two parts.
bilobed — divided in two lobes.
biostatus — status of an organism based on its geographic origin relative to its occurrence in a particular region, e. g. , endemic, native, adventive.
biseriately — disposed in two rows.
bisetose — with two setae.
buccal fissure — a lateral mouth opening beneath the eye area.
C
carina (plural, carinae) — a keel or ridge.
carinate — keeled; ridged.
catenulate — shaped like a fine chain.
cavernicolous — living in caves.
circular foveae (of mentum) — paired eye-like foveae situated on the mentum.
cleft — divided longitudinally.
closed (of procoxal cavities or procoxae) — completely surrounded by the prosternum posteriorly.
clypeo-ocular prolongations — deep lines situated between the clypeus and the eyes.
coalescent — united; combined.
compressed — flattened as though subjected to lateral pressure.
constricted — narrowed.
contiguous — next to each other or touching each other.
convergent — approaching each other.
cordate — shaped like a heart.
crenulate — finely scalloped; with fine rounded teeth.
D
deflected — turned abruptly downward.
dentate — toothed.
depigmented — with weak pigmentation (appearing pale in colour).
depressed — flattened as though subjected to dorsal pressure.
diagnosis — the most important characters separating a taxon from other taxa.
digitate — shaped like a finger.
dilated — widened; expanded.
disc — the dorsal central area of a body part.
discal — related to the disc.
discal setiferous punctures (of elytron) — seta-bearing punctures usually inserted on interval or stria 3, rarely on 2, 5, 7.
diurnal — active during the day.
dorsal — pertaining to the upperside of a part or structure.
E
elliptical — with the ends equally rounded.
elytral — related to the elytron.
emarginate — having a notched or concave (inwardly curved) edge.
emargination — notched edge; sharp cut.
endemic — restricted to a geographic area.
entire — with an unbroken margin; without emargination, excision, or projection.
epigean — living on the surface of the ground.
epilittoral — living on the sea shore, over the high tide line.
epipleuron (plural, epipleura) — recurved ventral outer side of each elytron.
equidistant — equally distant.
excavated — with a cavity or depression.
explanate — spread and flattened.
F
facet — lens-like division of each compound segment.
family — a category in the taxonomic hierarchy, that includes one or more genera or tribes of common phylogenetic origin, separated from other such groups by a decided gap.
filiform — shaped like a thread.
forebody — the head and thorax together.
fovea — small pit or depression.
foveate — with fovea(e).
free — not fused; mobile.
frontal furrows (of head) — longitudinal deep lines, often paired, situated on the frons, between the eyes.
furrow — see groove, sulcus.
furrowed — see grooved, sulcate.
fusiform — shaped like a spindle.
G
genus (plural, genera) — a category in the taxonomic hierarchy, that includes one or more phylogenetically related, and morphologically similar species.
geographic distribution — the distribution related to the geography, i. e. , districts, regions.
glabrous — without hair or seta(e).
globose — shaped like a sphere or ball.
gonocoxae (singular, gonocoxa) — paired terminal segments of the female genitalia.
groove — long narrow channel or depression.
grooved — with groove(s).
H
head capsule — the fused sclerites of the head.
hindwings — posterior wings.
hirsute — shaggy; with coarse, stiff long hairs or setae.
holotype or type — the single specimen designated or indicated as the type specimen of a species by the original author at the time of publication or, if no type was specified, the only existing specimen seen by the author.
I
impressed — well marked (as being produced by pressure).
indigenous — see native.
inflated — swollen; distended.
inner — situated close to the center.
inserted (of a moveable part) — attached to a point.
intertidal — living between the low and high tide levels.
interval (of elytron) — space between two striae.
iridescent — displaying a rainbow-effect colour.
isochaetous (of protibia) — with two spurs in terminal position.
L
lamina — thin flat scale-like structure.
lateral beads (of pronotum) — paired longitudinal raised beads, situated on the outer side of the pronotum.
lateral depressions (of pronotum) — paired longitudinal widened depressions situated on each side of the pronotum.
laterobasal — situated both on each side and at the base; lateral and basal together.
laterobasal foveae (of pronotum) — foveae situated both on each side and at the base of the pronotum.
lectotype — type specimen selected from the syntypes by a subsequent author in the absence of a holotype.
lobate — shaped like a lobe.
lowland — of or pertaining to land located below the montane zone and generally reaching up to the limit of rimu (Dacrydium cupressinum), e. g. , about 500m in central New Zealand.
M
medially — situated in the middle.
—mere (as a suffix) — segment.
metallic lustre — a reflection like polished metal (e. g. , brassy, bronze, coppery, aeneous).
micropore — microscopic hole or depression.
moniliform — shaped like a necklace composed of beads.
monophyletic — derived from the same ancestral taxon.
N
native — occurring naturally in the area in question.
neck (of head) — the narrowed part situated behind the eyes and connecting the head to the thorax.
nocturnal — active during the night.
O
obliterated — completely removed.
oblong — longer than wide; with longitudinal diameter more than twice the transverse one.
obsolete — indistinct, almost absent.
open (procoxal cavities or procoxae) — not completely surrounded by the prosternum posteriorly.
orbicular — circular or spherical.
ostium — the membranous opening of the aedeagus.
outer — situated on the outside or far from the center.
outer apical prolongation (of protibia) — prolongation situated at the tip, along the outer side.
ovate — shaped like an egg.
P
palpomere — each segment of a palp or palpus.
peduncle — stalk-like structure between the thorax and the abdomen.
pedunculate (of body) — with a peduncle between the thorax and the abdomen; taxa with a pedunculate body have the scutellum placed directly on a visible peduncle (between pronotum and elytra) or placed partly between and above elytral bases. Note: Taxa without a pedunculate body have the scutellum inserted entirely between elytral bases.
penis — see aedeagus.
penultimate — next to the last; second from the end.
phytophagous — feeding on plant material.
plica — fold.
plurisetose — with four setae or more.
polyphagous — eating many types of food.
posterior bead (of pronotum) — raised transverse border situated at the base of the pronotum, close to the elytra.
posterolateral — situated both behind and on each side; posterior and lateral together.
posterolateral angles (of pronotum) — angles situated behind and on each side of the pronotum.
posterolateral carinae (of pronotum) — carinae situated behind and on each side of the pronotum, near the posterolateral angles.
predaceous — eating live animals.
produced — prolonged.
prominent — standing out.
prosternal lobe — posterior prolongation of the prosternum between the anterior legs.
pubescence — covering of hairs or setae.
pubescent — covered with hairs or setae.
punctate — marked with punctures or points.
puncture — microscopic pit similar to that made by a needle.
Q
quadrate — square or nearly so.
R
radial field (of elytron) — the outer area extending from the lateral margin to, and including, the interval bearing the umbilicate series of setiferous punctures (usually interval 9).
recurrent (of stria 1) — curving back like a hook at the tip of the elytron.
reinstatement — the act of restoring a taxonomic name to a previous status.
rudimentary — imperfectly developed; represented by a vestige.
S
scape — the first segment of the antenna or antennomere 1.
sclerite — a hardened plate surrounded by sutures.
scree — accumulation of loose stones on a slope.
scrobe (of mandible) — lateral longitudinal depression in the wall of the mandible.
scrubland — vegetation unit with dense cover and about 1–2 metres tall.
scutellar — related to the scutellum.
scutellar setiferous pore (of elytron) — seta-bearing pore situated next to the scutellum.
scutellar striole (of elytron) — short stria situated next to the scutellum.
scutellum — small triangular sclerite situated basally between the elytra or on a peduncle between thorax and abdomen. See peduncle.
secondary sexual characters — characters owned by one sex, not the other sex.
securiform — shaped like an axe or hatchet.
semi—(as a prefix) — half.
serrate — toothed like a saw.
seta (plural, setae) — hair-like projection surrounded basally by a small cuticular ring.
setiferous — bearing seta(e) or bristle(s).
setiferous puncture — puncture bearing seta(e) or bristle(s).
setiform — shaped like a seta or bristle.
setose — covered with setae.
shoulder (of elytron) — the outer anterior angle.
simple — not modified.
sinuation — a wavy form.
socket — opening in which something is set.
species — a taxon of the rank of species, the category below the genus in the taxonomic hierarchy; naturally occurring populations with a common heredity; groups of actually or potentially interbreeding populations which are reproductively isolated from other such groups.
spongily — in a sponge-like formation.
spur — large spine, articulated at its base.
sternum (plural, sterna) — the ventral surface of each segment of the abdomen.
stria (plural, striae) — longitudinal impressed line or row of punctures on the dorsal surface of the elytron.
striate — with stria(e).
striolate — with striole(s).
striole — a short stria.
sub—(as a prefix) — rather, almost; part of.
subapical — situated near the apex.
subapical sinuation (of elytron) — sinuation of the side, near the apex.
subequal — almost or rather equal in shape, size, or length.
suborbital — situated beneath the eye.
subulate — linear at base and attenuate at the apex; tapering to a point.
sulci (singular, sulcus) — furrows; grooves.
sulciform — shaped like a sulcus.
supraorbital — situated above the eye.
suture — line of contact between two sclerites or parts.
suture (of elytra) — line of contact between the inner sides of the elytra.
synonym — one of two or more scientific names applied to a single taxon.
T
tarsomere — each segment of a tarsus.
taxon (plural, taxa) — a taxonomic grouping of any rank (e. g. , a family, a genus, a species) including all its subordinate groups.
terminal — situated at the tip or extremity; last in a series.
testaceous — reddish brown.
transverse — wider than long; in a crosswise direction.
tribe — a category in the taxonomic hierarchy below a subfamily, that includes one or more genera of common phylogenetic origin, separated from other such groups by a decided gap.
tridentate — with three teeth.
trisetose — with three setae.
truncate — cut off rather squarely at the tip.
twisted (of epipleura) — condition of the epipleura with an inner fold near apex.
type or name-bearing type — the specimen(s), species or genus that serves as the objective standard of reference determining the application of a name to a taxon.
type locality — the precise geographical site where the type of a species or subspecies was collected.
type species — the species designated as the type of a genus or subgenus.
type specimen — a specimen (e. g. , holotype, lectotype, neotype) or one of a series of specimens (syntypes) designated as the type of a species or subspecies.
U
umbilicate — shaped like a navel.
umbilicate series (of elytron) — row of seta-bearing punctures situated along the outermost interval (usually interval 9).
unguitractor plate — ventral sclerite (usually short) arising between the claws and bearing their tendon and muscle.
unicolorous — with a single colour throughout.
V
valid name — the name for a particular taxon that is correct according to the provisions of the Code of Zoological Nomenclature.
variegated — varied in colour, with different coloured markings.
ventral — pertaining to the underside of the abdomen or of another part or structure.
vestigial — represented only by a remnant or vestige; rudimentary.
violaceous — violet-coloured, with a mixture of blue and red.
