Leistus Froelich , 1799

Bousquet, Yves, 2012, Catalogue of Geadephaga (Coleoptera, Adephaga) of America, north of Mexico, ZooKeys 245, pp. 1-1722 : 128

Genus Leistus Froelich, 1799

Leistus Frölich, 1799: 9. Type species: Leistus testaceus Frölich, 1799 (= Carabus ferrugineus Linnaeus, 1758) designated by Daniel (1903: 171). Etymology. From the Greek leistos (to be carried off as booty, to be won by force) [masculine]. Note. Daniel (1903: 171) designated Carabus ferrugineus Linnaeus, 1758 as type species of Leistus Frölich, 1799, a species not originally included; however, since he listed the name in synonymy with Leistus testaceus Frölich, 1799, a species originally included, he is deemed to have designated the latter taxon as type species (ICZN 1999: Article 69.2.2).

Diversity.

Northern Hemisphere, with about 180 species (Lorenz 2005: 116-118) in the Nearctic (four species, one of them adventive) and Palaearctic (about 180 species) Regions. The species are arrayed in six subgenera: Evanoleistus Jedlička (about 95 Asian species), Leistus s.str. (about 40 species), Nebrileistus Bänninger (two species on Madeira and Canary Islands), Neoleistus (three species), Sardoleistus Perrault (one Mediterranean species), and Pogonophorus Latreille (about 35 Palaearctic species).