or at least a member of the "illustris complex" was the opinion of Dr. Kip Will. The catalogue by Bousquet (2012) lists only P. illustris in the "illustris group". Given this information and LeConte's nearly identical appearing holotype (also from San Diego!) imaged at mczbase.mcz.harvard.edu/guid/MCZ:Ent:82, I think it is safe for now to place this specimen with P. illustris. The inserted millimeter scale at MCZ is misleading. Leconte's account gives body length 0.65 inches ~ 16.5 mm. This specimen has ABL 16.5 mm. P. illustris is treated neither by Lindroth nor Casey and so Kip's accurate direction is well appreciated.

is my initial best placement for this singleton specimen in the Moore batch. It does not fit the key by Lindroth and unfortunately no comprehensive modern key exists for western Hypherpes. I will solicit the photographic opinion of Pterostichus researcher Kip Will. He is our only hope for a better comprehensive key. I will attempt to revisit this specimen later.

NB: Lindroth's key would have this specimen key to couplet 16 but it is too large for P. algidus and details of the pronotum do not match.

Addendum: See above placement at P. illustris.

Moved from Ground Beetles.