Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Carabidae

Cerabilia monteithi (Baehr, 2007) comb. n.

Australomasoreus monteithi Baehr, 2007

Material examined.

Holotype, male [QM]. Type locality Bulburin State Forest via Many Peaks, Qld. An additional 12 specimens from the type locality [EMEC, QM].

Notes.

Cerabilia, sensu Will (2011) includes Australian species placed in Feronista by Moore et al (1987) and Cerabilia species from New Zealand and New Caledonia. Baehr (2007) described Australomasoreus monteithi as a Masoreini, but he clearly noted that this placement was both anomalous for the species' characteristics and biogeography. Study of the type and additional material for both morphology and DNA data (Will unpubl.) clearly places this species in Cerabilia .

Cerabilia australis is known only from the holotype specimen and was reported as coming from the Paroo River area. However, this specimen is unlike any Australian species of carabid and is very similar to Cerabilia species from New Zealand. It may in fact be a synonym of one of the described New Zealand species, but until their types are studied this cannot be established. The Australian Cerabilia species are all restricted to the higher elevation rainforests in the northeastern coastal region. The Paroo River runs through the semi-arid inland region of southwestern Queensland and northwestern New South Wales and is both geographically and environmentally distant from any location where Cerabilia has been found in Australia. Likely the type locality was erroneously reported.