Plochionus Dejean, 1821

Bousquet, Yves, 2012, Catalogue of Geadephaga (Coleoptera, Adephaga) of America, north of Mexico, ZooKeys 245, pp. 1-1722 : 826

Genus Plochionus Dejean, 1821

Plochionus Dejean, 1821: 5. Type species: Lebia bonfilsii Audinet-Serville, 1821 (= Carabus pallens Fabricius, 1775) by monotypy. Etymology (see Dejean 1825: 250). From the Greek plochion (chain), alluding to the moniliform antennomeres 4-11 of the adult which reminded Dejean of a pearl necklace (" antennes ... dont les sept derniers articles sont ... arrondis comme des perles formant un collier ") [masculine].

Plocionus Agassiz, 1846: 299. Unjustified emendation of Plochionus Dejean, 1821.

Diversity.

Seventeen species (Lorenz 2005: 495) in the Nearctic (four species), Neotropical (14 species), and Australian (one species from New Caledonia) Regions. One species, Plochionus pallens , has become subcosmopolitan through commerce.

Identification.

Horn (1882: 145) provided a key for the identification of the North American species. Since then, one new species ( Plochionus bicolor ) has been described by Notman (1919b: 234). A taxonomic revision of the species would be useful.