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Photo#230468
Dark-legged western - Galerita mexicana

Dark-legged western - Galerita mexicana
Amado reststop I 19, St Cruz County, Arizona, USA
September 27, 2008
Size: 17 mm

Images of this individual: tag all
Dark-legged western - Galerita mexicana Dark-legged western - Galerita mexicana Dark-legged western - Galerita mexicana

Moved

Galerita atripes [1] vs G. mexicana [2]
is what the key by Lindroth (1969) suggests for these two Arizona Galerita species with black antennae & legs but reddish pronotum. I'm not aware of a more recent key on Nearctic Galerita. Compare to G. atripes. If 17.0 mm apparent body length is indeed accurate (wishfully), this would favor [2]: 15.5 - 18 mm vs [1]: 17.5 - 20.8 mm. Lindroth says eyes are more prominent in [2], i.e., eye diameter somewhat greater than the extension of temple behind the eye. This main morphologic distinction is too subjective for me to apply reliably to the submitted image.

 
I am adding a head shot

 
Rarely do side shots help in carabid identification.
What is needed here is a clear, enlarged, perpendicular shot of head to asses eye size against temples. Even then I can't be sure that I'll feel confident in distinguishing the two species under consideration.

 
Ok, last try

 
Galerita mexicana
is now favored based on my subjective impression of markedly prominent eyes relative to posterior temples and your carefully measured body length of 16.9 mm. Thanks Margarethe for your persistence.

 
Thank you Peter!

 
16.9 mm
very accurately measured using callipers

Moved
Moved from Galerita bicolor.

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