Brachinus fidelis LeConte

Erwin, Terry L., 1965, A Revision Of Brachinus Of North America: Part I. The California Species (Coleoptera: Carabidae), The Coleopterists Bulletin 19 (1), pp. 1-19 : 9-11

Brachinus fidelis LeConte

Brachinus fidelis LeConte, 1862: 524 .

Brachinus lecontei Motschulsky, 1859: 139 . (Primary homonym of B. lecontei LeConte, 1844:49 .)

In 1859, Motschulsky described B. lecontei from California, but it was a primary homonym of B. lecontei LeConte, 1844 , from the southern United States. According to LeConte (1862) B. lecontei LeC. is a synonym of B. perplexus Dejean. Motschulsky's name B. lecontei must also be rejected, on the grounds that it was, when proposed, a primary homonym. LeConte, in 1862, described B. fidelis , from California, as a species distinct from B. lecontei Mots. During the course of this research the author sent identical specimens of Brachinus from Del Puerto Creek, California, to both A. G. Ponomarenko and P. J. Darlington with requests that several characters be critically compared with those of the type specimens at the University of Moscow Museum and the Museum of Comparative Zoology. As a result of these comparisons, it was determined that the Del Puerto Creek specimens are identical both with Motschulsky's two type specimens of B. lecontei (in Moscow) and with LeConte's eleven type specimens of B. fidelis (in the Museum of Comparative Zoology). Accordingly, B. fidelis LeC. is a synonym of B. lecontei Mots. Because B. lecontei Motsch. is invalid, the first available valid name is B. fidelis LeConte 1862 . (B. lecontei Dejean [1837: 14] must be considered a nomen nudum.)

TYPE LOCALITY: B. fidelis : "Kern" is handwritten on the label of LeConte's first specimen. A gold disc represents the state of California on all of LeConte's types of this species. B. lecontei : "California" is cited in Motschulsky's description, but his cotypes are labelled B. latipennis lecontei Motsch. , California.

TYPE SPECIMENS: Two cotypes of B. lecontei Mots. are in the Motschulsky collection at the University of Moscow. Eleven specimens are in LeConte's series of B. fidelis LeC. at the Museum of Comparative Zoology. The first specimen in this latter series is designated as type number 5852. The last specimen in the series is labelled "Or."

DISTRIBUTION: This species, as far as is known, is confined to California, Arizona, and Mexico, occurring sympatrically with B. costipennis . It is one of the three species occurring on Santa Cruz Island, 20 miles off the coast of Santa Barbara County in southern California ( fig. 14 ).

DESCRIPTION: Size. Length 7 to 9 mm.; width 4.5 to 4.6 mm. Coloration. Elytra of both sexes dark blue with blue epipleura; head and pronotum ferrugineus; mandibles dark red-brown to piceous at tips and along mesal edges; antennal segments 3-5 black or banded black; segments 6-11 dusky to brown; mesepisterna and sides of abdominal sterna black (venter may vary from dark ferrugineus to dark brown). Head. Labrum entire; dorsal surface of the mentum convex at middle with a setae at each anterior corner; bead around eyes entire joining with ridge over antennal base; furrows on frons shallow, finely rugose usually in form of a "V"; numerous setae arise behind eyes and a few from top of head; microscultpure consists of fine isodiametric meshes. Pronotum. Widest just behind anterior angles well in front of middle; anterior angles prominent and rounded; posterior angles prominent and acute; with lateral margins narrowly reflexed and narrowly beaded with a dark reddish-brown color; disc convex to flat, slightly rugose at center and at most a few setiferous punctures occurring in apical and basal transverse impressions; anterior transverse impression reduced to almost a triangular fovea; microsculpture consists of small isodiametric meshes. Elytra. Male elytra truncate, widest at apical third narrowing toward rounded humeri which are not prominent; deeply costate; microsculpture consists of fine isodiametric meshes; pubescent band confined anteriorly to 7th and 8th intervals, but broadened gradually and covering entire elytra beyond apical third. Female elytra similar, but proportionately wider than those of male in apical half. Aedeagus ( fig. 5 ). Phallus cylindrical, ending in a rounded point; a

median ridge occurs on dorsal surface at apex; microsculpture lacking. Endophallus bears a poorly pigmented virga consisting of two lateral plates.

CALIFORNIA LOCALITY RECORDS: 894 specimens were examined. Alameda County: (Niles Canyon) ATM, (San Leandro) UIM, (Oakland Hills) CAS, (Livermore) CAS; Amador County: (5 miles west oi Sutter Creek) TLE; Colusa County: (Hwy. 20 and 16) ATM, (Rumsey Canyon) ATM; El Dorado County: ("El Dorado County") CAS; Fresno County: (La Ferre Creek) CAS; Imperial County: (Calpatria) CAS; Inyo County: (Little Lake) CAS, (Owens Lake) CAS, (Westgard Pass Plateau) CAS, (Olancha) CAS, (Deep Springs Lake) CAS, (Big Pine) CAS, (Independence) CAS, (Freeman) CAS, (Lone Pine) CAS, (Diaz Lake) CAS; Glenn County: (Elk Creek) CAS; Los Angeles County: (Alhambra) CAS, (Frenchman Flat) CAS, (Arroyo Seco Canyon) VVB, (San Dimas) CAS, (Pasadena) CAS, (Los Angeles) CAS, (Big Dalton Dam) ATM; Madera County: (O'Neals) ATM, (Coarsegold) CAS; Mariposa County: (Mariposa) CAS; Merced County: (Merced) CAS; Monterey County: (Stone Canyon) CAS, (3 miles S. E. of Jolon) CAS, (Jolon) CAS; Napa County: (Monticello) ATM; Orange County: (Laguna Beach) CAS, (Black Star Canyon) ATM; Placer County: ("Placer County") CAS; Riverside County: (Colton CAS, (Hemet) VVB, (Riverside) CAS, (Palm Canyon) CAS, (San Jacinto Mts.) CAS, (Palm Springs) CAS; San Benito County: (Panoche Valley) CAS; San Luis Obispo County: (Cambria) CAS, (San Luis Obispo) CAS, (Santa Margarita) CAS, (Atascadero) CAS; San Diego County: (Mt. Palomar) CAS, (Carrizo) UIM, (Guatay) UIM, (San Juan Capistrano) UIM, (Poway) CAS, (3 miles south of Dehesa) TLE, (Jacumba) CAS, (Sweetwater River) RES, (Chicken Creek) CAS, (Knaus) CAS, (9 miles east of Pine Valley) ATM, (Mission Valley) ATM; San Joaquin County: (Corral Hollow) TLE; San Bernadino County: (Cajon Pass) ATM; Santa Barbara County: (Gaviota) CAS, (Cuyama River) CAS, (Santa Ynez River, San Lucas) CAS, (Canada del Venadeto) ATM, (Bluff Camp, San Rafael Mts.) ATM; Santa Cruz Island: (Santa Cruz Island) CAS; Santa Cruz County: (Santa Cruz) CAS; Santa Clara County: (Gilroy Hot Springs) TLE, (Pacheco Pass) UIM, (Uvas Creek) TLE, (Alum Rock Park) CAS, (Arroyo Bayo) JGE; Stanislaus County: (Del Puerto Creek) TLE, (Del Puerto Canyon) UIM; Tehama County: ("hills west of Tehama County") CAS; Tulare County: (Kaweah) CAS; Ventura County: (Santa Paula) CAS ATM, (Wheeler Hot Springs) CAS, (Ventura) CAS, (Fillmore) CAS, (Foster Park) ATM; Yolo County: (Putah Canyon) ATM, (Davis) ATM, (Putah Creek) TLE.

DISCUSSION: This is the most common species of Brachinus in California. It is easily recognized by the darkened 3rd and 4th antennal segments, together with the dark mesepisterna and abdominal sides.

Figures

FIGURES 14-17, Brachinus spp. California distribution maps.

FIGURES 1-9, Brachinus spp. Aedeagus from dorsal and