Pseudoophonus Motschulsky, 1844

Kataev, Boris M. & Liang, Hongbin, 2015, Taxonomic review of Chinese species of ground beetles of the subgenus Pseudoophonus (genus Harpalus) (Coleoptera: Carabidae), Zootaxa 3920 (1), pp. 1-39 : 3-4

The subgenus Pseudoophonus Motschulsky, 1844

Pseudoophonus Motschulsky, 1844 : table between pp. 196 and 197 (as a genus). Type species: Carabus ruficornis Fabricius, 1775 (= Harpalus rufipes DeGeer, 1774 ), designated by Motschulsky (1864: 208).

Diagnosis. Beetles of medium or rather large size (length 8.0–24.0 mm). Body dorsally, particularly elytra, in most species more or less punctate and pubescent, in some species impunctate and glabrous. Tempora in most species glabrous, rarely (in H. eous Tschitschérine ) setaceous. Mentum and submentum separated by complete transverse suture. Labial basal palpomere with or without carina on ventral side. Antennae pubescent from antennomere 3. Pronotum with one or several lateral setae on each side, bordered or not bordered along basal margin. Elytra usually without discal pores (in H. capito Morawitz with a row of discal pores on intervals 1, 2, 5 and 7 along their entire length, and in some species, more often in H. eous , one discal pore occasionally present on interval 3 at stria 2 behind middle). Elytral subapical sinuation shallow or moderately deep. Apex of last visible sternite and tergite without pronounced sexual dimorphism. Metacoxa without posteromedial pore. Protibia with two to five ventroapical spines arranged in a transverse row and with three to seven preapical spines on outer margin of tibia isolated from spines of ventral side. Apical spur of protibia simple, lanceolate, or dentate at margins. Tarsi more or less densely pubescent dorsally, rarely (in some North American species) metatarsi almost glabrous. Mesotarsomere 1 of male with or without adhesive scales ventrally. Median lobe of aedeagus with or without apical capitulum; internal sac either without any sclerotized elements or with more or less developed sclerotized armature consisting of spiny patches, sometimes one or two separate macrospines.

Remarks. Pseudoophonus demonstrates a very high variation of some distinctive characters which are usually more constant in most of the related taxa. A similar phenomenon was observed in the subgenus Cryptophonus also displaying mosaic set of plesiomorphic and apomorphic character states ( Kataev 2012). In our opinion, it means that Pseudoophonus , like Cryptophonus , seems to be rather ancient taxon which evolved early from other Harpalus members. Wide variation of basal diagnostic features is a characteristic of taxa located at the basis of large phylogenetic branches ( Mamkaev 1968, 1979; Kataev 1995). The status of such taxa is always a subject of discussions and disagreements among specialists.

According to our data, the species of Pseudoophonus can be divided in three species groups: the capito , rufipes and calceatus groups, which are treated by some authors as separate subgenera ( Cephalomorphus Tschitschérine, 1897 ; Pseudoophonus Motschulsky, 1844 ; and Platus Motschulsky, 1844 , respectively); all three species groups are distributed in China.