Anthracus Carabus consputus Balius Balius Carabus consputus Catalogue of Geadephaga (Coleoptera, Adephaga) of America, north of Mexico Bousquet, Yves ZooKeys 2012 2012-11-28 245 1 1722 AD31B3B7-A832-5C63-B4B4-750F3F35C449 Motschulsky, 1850 Motschulsky 1850 Insecta Carabidae Agonoderus GBIF Animalia (Anthracus) Coleoptera 681 682 Arthropoda subGenus Anthracus   AnthracusMotschulsky, 1850a: 21. Type species:  Carabus consputusDuftschmid, 1812 by original designation. Etymology. From the Greek anthrax(coal), probably alluding to the color of adults of the sole species Motschulsky had before him [masculine].  Balius Schiodte, 1861: 184 [junior homonym of  Balius Guerin-Meneville, 1857]. Type species:  Carabus consputusDuftschmid, 1812 by monotypy.  Diversity. Thirty-two species in the Nearctic (two western species), Australian (five species), Oriental (five species), Palaearctic (15 species), and Afrotropical (eight species) Regions.  Identification. The two North American species have never been compared and the specific independence of the two not tested.  Taxonomic Note. This taxon is considered a distinct genus by several authors, including Jaeger and Kataev (2003: 399). However, the main character state separating members of  Anthracusfrom those of  Acupalpusis the shape of the pronotum which is cordiform with the sides sinuate in basal half and the posterior angles well distinct, right (see Jeannel 1948a: 714; Basilewsky 1951: 232; Habu 1973a: 301-302). However this character is not constant. Antoine (1959: 453) reported that adults of  Acupalpus (Acupalpus) cantabricus cantabricusPiochard de la Bruleriein Morocco have the sides of the pronotum arcuate and the posterior angles rounded while those of  Acupalpus cantabricus zaerensisAntoine (these two taxa are now considered separate species) have the sides sinuate and the posterior angles right and that some specimens greatly resemble adults of  Anthracus. Basilewsky (1951: 237) separated  Acupalpus (Acupalpus) angulatusJeannel from most other species in his key to Afrotropical  Acupalpusby the clearly sinuate sides of pronotum with the posterior angles markedly acute. Other character states usually reported, such as the mandibles and antennae relatively longer, the prosternum with small setae, and the median line of the pronotum deeper, more or less sulciform in  Anthracusare also variable and not at all diagnostic of  Anthracus. Until the relationships between members of the acupalpine complex are better known, I prefer to follow Ball (1960b: 147), Lindroth (1968: 925), Noonan (1976: 24), and Ball and Bousquet (2000: 94) and treat  Anthracusas a subgenus of  Acupalpus.