Dicheirotrichus (Pelagophilus) punicus BEDEL, 1899

Jaeger, Bernd, M, Boris & W, David, 2016, New synonyms, and first and interesting records of certain species of the subtribe Stenolophina from the Palaearctic, Oriental and Afrotropical regions (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Harpalini, Stenolophina), Linzer biologische Beiträge 48 (2), pp. 1255-1294 : 1281

Dicheirotrichus (Pelagophilus) punicus BEDEL, 1899

= Dichirotrichus punicus aegyptiacus SCHATZMAYR, 1936 , Syn. nov.

Material examined: Egypt: " Ikingi Mariout 18.3.35 Mex Egitto W. Wittmer ", " D. punicus aegypt. Schtz. det. A.Schatzmayr " (1♀ - cWR, possibly syntype) ; " Kairo ", " obtusicollis m. Cairo Ferraute ", " Pelagophilus punicus Bedel " (1♂ - TMB) ; " Amrich , H. H. 1912", " Coll. Alfieri, Egypte " (1♀ - FMNH) ; " Mey , Aout, 1909", " Coll. Alfieri, Egypte " (1♂ - FMNH) ; Burg el Arab , Mariut , West Desert Prov., 22.VI.1951, H. Hoogstraal (1♀ - FMNH) ; " Alexandrie, Aegypt, 1908 (Gassner)" (1 - NHMW); Alexandria City, 2.-7.XII.2015, R. Kmeco (4♀♀, 2♀♀, cKM, cWR) .

The description of Dicheirotrichus punicus aegyptiacus is based on specimens from Egypt ("Hamam-Alessandria; Mex; Abuchir; Decheila") distinguished from those of the nominotypical subspecies in having a short seta in posterior angles of pronotum ( SCHATZMAYR 1936: 80). The examination of the material from Egypt revealed that only few specimens possess such seta, sometimes only on one side; most specimens from Egypt lack a seta in the posterior pronotal angles, additionally we found setae in the posterior angles in one specimen from Tunisia and in two ones from Cyprus. Since the specimens with a seta in posterior angles of pronotum do not differ in other characters including the construction of the aedeagus and its internal sac structure from the specimens without such seta both from Egypt and from other geographical range, D. punicus aegyptiacus is treated here as a synonym of D. punicus .