Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Carabidae

Pediomorphus variabilis (Straneo, 1960) comb. n.

Fouquetius variabilis Straneo, 1960

Material examined.

Holotype, male [NMB]. Type locality Katherine, Northern Territory. Examined images only.

Notes.

Straneo (1960) discusses at length his sense that Holconotus Schmidt-Goebel, 1846 (= Fouquetius Maindron, 1906) and Pediomoprhus Chaudoir, 1878 are closely related and that Pediomorphus macleayi Sloane, 1900 could be a species of Holconotus . Moore (1965) confirmed that Pediomorphus macleayi is a true Pediomorphus . Straneo's conclusions are based on very limited material and he did not discuss characters that allow for clear placement of species in these two genera. Among other characteristics, Pediomorphus has distinctly expanded penultimate labial palpomeres not found in Holconotus, while the elytral lateral bead is distinctly, finely serrate in Holconotus and smooth in Pediomorphus . The type specimen of Pediomorphus variabilis has clearly expanded penultimate labial palpomeres and smooth elytral lateral beads. Given the new combination, Holconotus is removed from the Australian faunal list.