ON THE IDENTITY OF ORTHOMUS HESPERICUS MOTSCHULSKY, 1849 (COLEOPTERA: CARABIDAE: PTEROSTICHINI)

Orthomus hespericus Motschulsky, 1849, formerly placed by different authors as questionable synonym of either O. velocissimus akbensis Mateu, 1955 or O. velocissimus andalusiacus Mateu, 1957, is treated here as junior subjective synonym of O . barbarus barbarus (Dejean, 1828). A lectotype of O. hespericus Motschulsky is designated. O. rectangulus (Fairmaire, 1859) represents a possible junior subjective synonym of O . berytensis (Reiche & Saulcy, 1855). The treatment of Carabus rectangulus Cuvier, 1833, as a junior secondary homonym of Feronia rectangula Fairmaire, 1849 is rejected. A corrected version of the checklist of the species of Orthomus is included.