Orthomus velocissimus akbensis Mateu, 1955

Gueorguiev, Borislav, Wrase, David W. & Farkac, Jan, 2014, Revision of the East Mediterranean Orthomus (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Pterostichini), with description of Parorthomus gen. n. socotranus sp. n. from Socotra Island and key to the Old World genera of subtribe Euchroina, ZooKeys 427, pp. 21-57 : 36-37

Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Carabidae

Orthomus velocissimus akbensis Mateu, 1955 Figs 7, 11, 15

Orthomus barbarus akbensis Mateu, 1955: 57, 74 (type locality: "Akbes, Siria", patria falsa)

Feronia hesperica ? Motschulsky, 1849: 73 (type locality: "le midi de l’Espagne”)

Orthomus barbarus expansus form. transiens Mateu, 1957: 99, unavailable

Orthomus barbarus expansus form. malacensis Mateu, 1957: 99, unavailable

Orthomus barbarus andalusiacus Mateu, 1957: 103 (type locality: "Prov. de Málaga: Gobantes"), syn. n.

Orthomus expansus malacensis Jeanne, 1981: 45 (type locality: “Málaga”)

Type material.

Orthomus barbarus akbensis Mateu, 1955. Holotype ♂ (IRSNB): “Holotypo” [print on red label], "Syrie Akbes" [print on white label], " Orthomus barbarus subsp. akbesensis [sic!] mihi J. Mateu det., 1951" [mixed handwritten & print on white label]. Genitalia extracted, well preserved, glued to a separate card pinned beneath the specimen.

Other material studied.

PORTUGAL: - Faro: 1 ♂, Lagos env. 27./28.X.2006, V. Neuman leg. (cWR). 1 ♀, E Bensafrim, N Lagos, 28.III.1995, Chr. Bayer leg. (cWR). 1 ♀, Sagres, 4.IV.1989, M. Sachez (cWR). 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Sagres, 1 km from coast, 9.IV.1992, V. & C. Neumann leg. (cWR). 1 ♂, Sierra Monchique, Cabo de Sáo Vicente, 11.V.1992, V. & C. Neumann leg. (cWR). 1 ♂, 2 ♀♀, Carvoeiro, 10.V.1997, B. Nickel leg. (cWR).

SPAIN: - Córdoba: 1 ♂, Córdoba, escuela, 10.IV.2003, T. Tichý leg. (cWR). - Granada: 1 ♂, La Herradura, 27.XII.1998-3.I.1999, G. Siering leg. (cWR). - Málaga: 1 ♂, Malaga, 28.VIII.1996, P. Beron leg. (NMNHS). 1 ♀, "Sierra de Tejeda, Competa S, 600 m, 6.4.2001, Ch. Bauer leg." (NMNHS).

Remarks.

Orthomus berytensis akbensis was described from "Akbes, Siria", based on a male and a female specimen. Mateu characterized it as having the pronotal base not bordered bilaterally, the pronotum widest at about middle, and with basal fovea punctured, the elytral striae hardly punctured, the metatibia in male crenulate at internal side, and the median lobe ( Mateu 1955: 75, Fig. 9) somewhat differing from Orthomus barbarus berytensis .

The study of the structure of the median lobe of aedeagus and the parameres, as well as selected external features in the holotype of Orthomus barbarus akbensis demonstrated that it is really different from the other three East Mediterranean species. Its comparison with various taxa of the genus revealed that it is identical with specimens of Orthomus velocissimus andalusiacus Mateu, 1957 (compare Figs 4, 8, 12 and Mateu 1957, Lámina IV, Figs 5-8, Pupier and Coulon 2013: 224, Fig. 1d). Hence, we synonymize the latter with Orthomus barbarus akbensis which becomes the senior synonym and therefore the name of a valid subspecies of Orthomus velocissimus (Waltl, 1835).

Lorenz (2005: 265) formally declared Feronia hesperica as a nomen oblitum, in spite of the fact that a junior name has never been declared as nomen protectum. This statement is incorrect, since after 1899 this taxon was cited at least twice in the coleopterological literature. Heyden et al. (1906: 86) and Csiki (1930: 612) recorded it as synonym of Pterostichus (Orthomus) barbarus . The type locality cannot be fixed exactly geographically, Motschulsky (1849: 52) wrote that the coleopterological yields the collector Handschuh made in 1847 in southern Spain came from "principalement aux environs de Carthagène“, which means that other parts of southern Spain cannot be excluded. Thus, we accept the view of Mateu (1957: 103) and list Feronia hesperica as a questionable senior synonym of Orthomus velocissimus akbensis , before the identity of the former can be settled.

The name malacensis Mateu was used as an infrasubspecific one (as also transiens) and is therefore not available according to Article 45.5 of the Code ( ICZN 1999). The name malacensis Jeanne is the available name for malacensis Mateu (see also Serrano 2003: 45), adopted by Jeanne (1981) in agreement with Art. 45.5.1.

Lorenz (1998: 249, 2005: 265) combines Orthomus malacensis Jeanne with the year 1978. Though Jeanne’s work is part of "Tome VIII, 1978-1980" of the Bulletin de la Société linnéenne de Bordeaux, it was not printed until 1981 (see last page of that paper).

The application of Art. 72.4.4 specifies the type locality of Orthomus malacensis Jeanne.