PTEROSTICHINI Bonelli, 1810

Gueorguiev, Borislav & Sciaky, Riccardo, 2015, A new genus and two new species of Pterostichini from China, with " sphodrine-like " parameres (Coleoptera, Carabidae), Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift 62 (2), pp. 225-237 : 225

Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Carabidae

PTEROSTICHINI Bonelli, 1810

Diagnosis.

Integument glabrous; frons usually with two pair of supraorbital setae (one seta in Haptotapinus Reitter, 1886, Haptoderotapinus Jedlička, 1930 and Unitrichus Sciaky, 1997, three or more setae in Rambousekiella Knirsch, 1925 and Ethira Andrewes, 1936); mandibular scrobe without seta; antennae filiform, antennomeres 1-3 glabrous (antennomere 3 pubescent in Molops Bonelli, 1810, Rambousekiella Knirsch, 1925, and a few West Mediterranean genera), scape attached to pedicel centrically; penultimate labial palpomere usually with two median setae, without apical setae (2-5 median setae and 1-3 apical setae in some species of Cyclotrachelus Chaudoir, 1838, cfr. Bousquet 1999: 195, 1-5 apical setae in Steropanus Fairmaire, 1888); pronotum usually with one anterolateral and one posterolateral seta (two or more anterolateral setae in Parapterostichus Desbrochers des Loges, 1906 and Ethira Andrewes, 1936, posterior setae absent in Tapinopterus Schaum, 1858, Speluncarius Reitter, 1886 and Neostomis Bousquet, 1983); procoxal cavities uniperforated and closed; mesocoxal cavities conjunct (mesepimeron does not reach the middle coxal cavity); metepisternum separated from metepimeron by distinct suture, laterally not coadunate with elytral epipleuron; elytron with parascutellar pore (if present) near or inside base of the second stria and apicolateral plica (secondarily lost in several groups); protibia with outer apical angle not produced; posterior margin of mesofemur with at least two long setae; metacoxa usually with two lateral setae (a third seta at medial position in Cryobius Chaudoir, 1838, Tapinopterus Schaum, 1858, Speluncarius Reitter, 1886, Rambousekiella Knirsch, 1925 and Pseudorambousekiella Schweiger, 1967); claws smooth; median lobe of aedeagus tube-like, with basal bulb closed dorsally; parameres without setae, the left paramere mostly conchoid; gonocoxal rami absent.

The lack of synapomorphies, in either adult or larval stages, yet discovered to suggest that the tribe (about 2500 species) forms a monophyletic lineage, arrives at the conclusion that it is an evolutionary grade ( Bousquet 2012).