Calathomimus Bates, 1886

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 : 452

Calathomimus Bates, 1886

Calathomimus Bates, 1886: 77 . Type species: Calathomimus maculatus Bates, 1886 , designated by Andrewes [1939].

The genus Calathomimus was erected for two species from Sri Lanka [ Bates, 1886] with very characteristic setation of dorsum. Noonan [1976, 1985a] considered this taxon as congeneric with Hyphaereon since, according to this author and Darlington [1968], it differs from the latter only in having strongly angulate humeri and elytral intervals 7 carinate basally, the characters variable among members of Hyphaereon sensu Noonan [1985a] . In my opinion, such interpretation is incorrect and Calathomimus cannot be a synonym of Hyphaereon because differences between these taxa are very distinct. Based on the original description and examination of the type specimen (? holotype) of Calathomimus maculatus at MNHN (female labeled “ Ceylon ” and “ Calathomimus maculatus Bates ” [Bates’ handwriting]), the genus Calathomimus is characterized by the following combination of distinctive characters: mandibles elongate; fronto-ocular furrows indistinct or very short, mentum with acute median tooth; pronotum with coarse setigerous punctation on disc and with several marginal setae; elytra with rows of setigerous pores on intervals 3, 5 and 7; wings highly reduced; and metepisternum wider than long. In addition to the two species included originally, this genus also comprises C. hornianus Schauberger, 1938 also described from Sri Lanka, which has elytra with rows of coarse and sparse setigerous punctation on all intervals. Other species described as Calathomimus , including those described by Andrewes [1926, 1937], should be transferred to other genera. The genus Calathomimus , which seems to be an early derivative of the Oxycentrus phyletic stock sensu Noonan [1985b], may be related to the genus Oesyperus Andrewes, 1923 with three species from South India [ Kataev, 2006], however, their true relationships requires special study and are still obscure. Like members of Calathomimus , all three species of Oesyperus are apterous, with transverse metepisterna, but well distinguished from them by having dorsum almost throughout (except for eyes, labrum and mandibles) covered with short erect setae, and head with fronto-ocular furrows reaching deep supraorbital furrows, which are more or less straight and prolonged to neck constriction behind eyes. Two these genera seem to be relicts of the ancient Indian fauna preserved in South India and Sri Lanka.