Allosiopelus Ito, 1995

Kataev, B. M., 2021, Description of a remarkable new species of the genus Coleolissus from the Western Ghats (India), with notes on this and related genera (Coleoptera: Carabidae), Russian Entomological Journal 30 (4), pp. 448-454 : 453

Allosiopelus Ito, 1995

Allosiopelus Ito, 1995: 153 . Type species: Allosiopelus punctatipennis Ito, 1995 , by original designation.

This genus was erected for one species from South India. As stated in the original description [Ito, 1995: 154], this genus is closely related to Calathominus based on “the elongate mandibles and the elytra glabrous on the dorsal surface and protruded at the humeral angles … but it is differing from it in having the elytra coarsely and densely punctate and with row of setigerous pores on 5 th interval, and the ventral surface more densely pubescent”. More recently, Ito [2016] described new species A. fulvicollis Ito, 2016 , also from South India, differing from the type species (among other distinctive characters) in elytra much less sparsely punctate and abdominal sternites almost glabrous. The status of Allosiopelus needs further study because punctation of elytral intervals and pubescence of abdominal sternites are highly variable within Coleolissus ; for example, elytra are rather coarsely and densely punctate in C. iris Andrewes, 1924 , and abdominal sternites are throughout covering with fine short setae in C. perlucens , the type species of Coleolissus . Besides, I examined one species, apparently still undescribed, also from South India, which in all characters, including the male genitalia, is very similar to A. punctatipennis but with row of setigerous pores present only on interval 3. It is very possible that Allosiopelus should be included in Coleolissus . For example, the genus Siopelus comprises species both with and without rows of setigerous pores on elytral intervals 5 and 7.

Acknowledgements. I am very grateful to Thierry Deuve and Azadeh Taghavian ( MNHN) for loan of the type specimens from the collections under their care, and to Sergey V. Saluk (Minsk, Belarus) for donation of very interesting material of Harpalini from India, including this new species .

The study was performed within the frame of State project no. AAAA-À19-119020690101-6 and supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (grant no. 19-04-00565).