Mecodema punctellum is a presumed-extinct ground beetle

Ground beetle

Ground beetles are a large, cosmopolitan family of beetles, Carabidae, with more than 40,000 species worldwide, approximately 2,000 of which are found in North America and 2,700 in Europe.-Description and ecology:...

 of the family

Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...

 Carabidae, endemic to Stephens Island

Stephens Island

Stephens Island may refer to:* Stephens Island , Queensland, Australia* Stephens Island , Queensland, Australia* Stephens Island , Canada* Stephens Island , Canada* Stephens Island, New Zealand...

 in New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

.

Description

Mecodema punctellum is a large black flightless ground beetle which reached a length of 38.5 millimetres (1.5 in) and a width of 11.7 millimetre (0.460629921259843 in).

Habitat and biology

Nothing is known about its habitat, but it is assumed that it occurred in wet forests and sought shelter under large logs. It was predacious and fed from snails.

Extinction

Mecodema punctellum was last seen in 1931 and after surveys in the years 1961, 1971, 1974/5, 1976, 1981, 1990, 1996 on Stephens Island

Stephens Island

Stephens Island may refer to:* Stephens Island , Queensland, Australia* Stephens Island , Queensland, Australia* Stephens Island , Canada* Stephens Island , Canada* Stephens Island, New Zealand...

, and 1997 on D'Urville Island

D'Urville Island, New Zealand

D'Urville Island is an island in the Marlborough Sounds along the northern coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It was named after the French explorer Jules Dumont d'Urville. With an area of approximately , it is the eighth-largest island of New Zealand, and has around 52 permanent...

failed, it is now considered to be extinct. The causes for its extinction were apparently habitat destruction because there are now no large logs remaining on Stephens Island.