Platycerus caraboides ssp. delagrangei Fairmaire, 1892
Platycerus Delagrangei Fairmaire, 1892 - Description de coléoptères des envions d'Akbès (Syrie). Annales de la Société Entomologique de Belgique, 36: 145
Platicerus nigripes Macleay, 1819, Horae Ent; I: p.117 - Synonymous
The specie has been described as good specie as follows: "Platycerus Delagrangei. – Long. 11 mill. – Oblongus, subparallelus, convexiusculus, fusco-coeruleus, paulo nitidulus; capite dense ruguloso-punctato, antice paulo concavo, clypeo sat fortifier emarginato, tuberculis antennariis laevigatis; prothorace valde transverse, antice magis quam postice angustato, lateribus sat late marginato, et ante medium obtusissime angulato, angulis posticis obtusis, dorso dense rugoloso-punctato, linea media tenui laevigata; scutello laevi, fere truncato, fere laevi; elytris ad humeros angulatis, lateribus postice marginatis, dorso dense fortiber punctatis, subtiliter strialis, sutura elevate; subtus magis nigrans, dense ac fortiter punctatus; Male magis parallelus, mandibulis longioribus, sed capite brevioribus."
"Bien distinct du caraboides par sa forme allongee, plus parallele, sa coloration foncee, peu brillante, son corselet densement et assez fortement ponctue ainsi que la tete et les mandibules bien moins longues; les angles anterieurs du corselet sont plus obtus."
Fairmaire also wrote that the delagrangei is easily recognizable from its Caucasus ally, P.caucasicus Saunders 1864, by its smaller size, darker color without blue shining, the punctuation more dense and by the small and less slender mandibles.
Described from Akbes (now in Turkey, vilhayet Hatay), this rare form is also known from Syria and Antilebanon according to Baudi (1894), and recently from Akteppe in the Nur Daghari Mountains (Turkey, vilhayet Hatay) just near the border with Syria.
Concerning the rank of this poorly known taxon, we follow the opinions of Reitter (1892) and Didier & Seguy (1953), who considered the specie only a variety of P.caraboides Linne 1758. Actually, it is hardly distinguishable from caraboides by the smaller size (9 to 11mm), the more parallel and dense punctate elytra, the shorter mandible and by the upper part of the body with a black green shining.
In the last Catalogue of Palaearctic Coleoptera, Lobl & Smetana (2006: 67) delagrangei is however considered as good specie.
 from Akteppe (Hatay Turkey) |
 photo R.F. de Gamboa |