Pterostichus (Abacidus), LeConte, 1863

Bousquet, Yves, 2012, Catalogue of Geadephaga (Coleoptera, Adephaga) of America, north of Mexico, ZooKeys 245, pp. 1-1722 : 522

Subgenus Abacidus LeConte, 1863

Albux J.E. LeConte, 1849: 26 [nomen oblitum, see Bousquet (2008b: 328)]. Type species: Feronia striata Dejean, 1828 (= Pterostichus sculptus LeConte, 1853) by monotypy. Etymology. Unknown. Note. Hardy et al. (1986: 472) argued that the paper in which this name was proposed was written by John Eatton LeConte and not his son, John Lawrence LeConte.

Abacidus LeConte, 1863b: 9 [nomen protectum]. Type species: Feronia fallax Dejean, 1828 designated by Casey (1913: 136). Etymology. From the generic name Abax [q.v.] and the Latin suffix - idus (having the nature of), alluding to the superficial resemblance of the adults to those of Abax in which Dejean originally placed the two species known to LeConte [masculine].

Peristethus LeConte, 1863b: 9 [junior homonym of Peristethus Kaup, 1858]. Type species: Feronia permunda Say, 1830 by monotypy. Synonymy established by Casey (1913: 136). Etymology. From the Greek peri (around, near) and stethos (breast, chest) [masculine].

Diversity.

Five species in the temperate regions of eastern North America.

Identification.

Lindroth (1966: 535) provided a key to all species, including also Pterostichus obesulus LeConte, a species that actually belongs to the subgenus Gastrosticta . Sadek (1982) wrote a M.Sc. thesis on the taxonomy of this group.

Taxonomic Note.

Lindroth (1966: 534), followed recently by Lorenz (2005: 289), treated this group as a distinct genus. Structural characters of the adults and larvae clearly suggest that members of Abacidus are congeneric with those of Pterostichus . In fact, the group is probably closely related to Metallophilus and Myosodus (see Bousquet 1999: 148).