Mecyclothorax maunakukini is a species of ground beetle in the subfamily Psydrinae, within the family Carabidae. It was first described by the entomologist James K. Liebherr in 2008.
Taxonomy
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Arthropoda
- Class: Insecta
- Order: Coleoptera
- Family: Carabidae
- Subfamily: Psydrinae
- Genus: Mecyclothorax
- Species: M. maunakukini
- Binomial name: Mecyclothorax maunakukini Liebherr, 2008
Distribution and Habitat Mecyclothorax maunakukini is part of a highly diverse genus of ground beetles that are predominantly found in the Hawaiian Islands. The genus Mecyclothorax contains over 400 described species or subspecies, with the greatest diversity occurring on volcanoes in the Hawaiian Islands and the Society Islands of French Polynesia. The specific epithet "maunakukini" likely references a Hawaiian locality associated with the species.
Description The species was described as part of a comprehensive taxonomic revision of the genus Mecyclothorax on Hawaii Island, published in the journal Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift (Volume 55, No. 1, pp. 19–78, 2008). This revision highlighted abundant genitalic variation within the nascent island radiation of these beetles.
References
- Liebherr, J.K. (2008). "Taxonomic revision of Mecyclothorax Sharp (Coleoptera, Carabidae) of Hawaii Island: abundant genitalic variation in a nascent island radiation." Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift 55(1): 19–78.
- "Mecyclothorax maunakukini Liebherr, 2008". Catalogue of Life. Retrieved 2023-04-08.
