Acinopus (Oedematicus) megacephalus (P. ROSSI, 1794)

W, David & M, Boris, 2016, Four new species of genus Acinopus DEJEAN, 1821, subgenus Acinopus from southern Iran, from Sinai, and from western Saudi Arabia, and faunistic and taxonomic notes on species previously described (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Harpalini, Harpalina), Linzer biologische Beiträge 48 (2), pp. 1783-1806 : 1804

Acinopus (Oedematicus) megacephalus (P. ROSSI, 1794)

Acinopus euphraticus ALI, 1999: 60 (type loc.: Baghdad) nov.syn.

ALI (1999: 60) described A. euphraticus on basis of nine specimens coming from Baghdad ; the holotype was deposited in the Natural History Museum, London but could not be found there (B. Garner, pers. comm.). A sketch of the male genitalia was added at the end of the description, but the image depicted is very poorly observed and is difficult to reconcile as belonging to genus Acinopus .

But the case of A. euphraticus remains enigmatic taking into consideration several inconsistencies in the text. The description is identical with that of A. khalisensis ALI, 1967 , which was synonymized with A. (Oedematicus) megacephalus by WRASE (2005), word by word, including the results of measurements (for instance the holotype of A. khalisensis would have a body length of 16.33 mm and a width of 5.86 mm, the holotype of A. euphraticus 16.33 mm and 5.86 mm, too!) The descriptions differ only in the type localities, which are in close proximity to one another [ A. khalisensis is described from "Khalis" (= Al-Khalis, the north-east environments of Bagdhad)] and in the number of the type specimens. In the text no comparisons were made with a species close to the new species, but the passage "...clypeus deeply emarginate..." applies to a member of subgenus Oedematicus BEDEL, 1897 . Hence we have reasons to suppose that Ali’s paper of 1999 is a result of a confusion for reasons unknown.

Without doubt, A. euphraticus , like A. khalisensis , is a junior synonym of A. (Oedematicus) megacephalus . For other synonyms of A. megacephalus see KATAEV et al. 2003: 368].