Taxonomy

endemique

Red List Status -


Description

"The type locality for Sphodrosomus saisseti is Canala. New collection records for this species are 21o35’S 165o51’E, Mt Rembai, top junction, 800m, 19-30 Dec 2004, rainforest, G.Monteith, dung pitfall (1♀ QM); and 21o45’S 166o09’E, Ningua Reserve Camp, 1100m, 27 Nov 2001- 29 Jan 2002, rainforest, G.Monteith, pitfall (1♂ QM; 1♀ EMEC). Neukaledonien: Col Boa Foret de Niaouli 11.8.1965 Österr. neukaeldonien-Exped. (2♀ NMW: M. Baehr, pers. comm.)

Both species of Sphodrosomus have been collected in high precipitation, rainforest above 800m elevation. Sphodrosomus monteithi has not been collected below 1300m and specimens of S. saisseti that include elevational data range from 800m (Rembai) to 1100m (Ningua). The type locality of S. saisseti, “Kanala”, most likely refers to Mt Canala (southwest of the town of Canala), which rises to 1050m. The new locality records for S. saisseti are within 30km of Canala, while the distribution of S. monteithi is separated by approximately 220km. Intensive collecting on most of the high mountain massifs on the island by members of the Queensland Museum in recent years, often using methods known to collect Sphodrosomus, suggest that the specimens so far collected are likely to represent the actual circumscribed distribution of the species. Based on limited observations of live S. monteithi, they have a fast moving gait and were found walking on wet nights, sometimes during heavy rain ."  (KIPLING W. WILL, " NEW SPECIES OF THE NEW CALEDONIAN GENUS SPHODROSOMUS PERROUD (COLEOPTERA: CARABIDAE: PTEROSTICHINI)", Memoirs OF The Queensland Museum, 2006)



Geographical distribution