Calosoma (Callitropa) laeve Dejean, 1826

Length 25-28 mm. All the species previously collected in Blaptosoma have a squat and convex body shape and this is particularly true for C. laeve and C. atrovirens. C. laeve has a strongly transverse pronotum with large rear lobes and it has smooth elytra. It differs, however, at glance from C. atrovirens because his head has only a superficial punctuation.
It is commonly encountered in central Mexico: Hidalgo, Puebla, Vera Cruz, Michoacán, Mexico, Morelos. It is also found farther north: Nuevo Leon and Chihuahua.
From the state of Chihuahua (Madeira), Gidaspow (1959) described Calosoma (Blaptosoma) chihuahua. It is very similar to C. laeve, of which it has the same type of male copulatory organ, but from which it would differ for the consistently smaller size, the head more finely punctate, and for the lateral margin of the pronotum less wide at the base, as well as for a series of characteristics that could bring it closer to the subgenus Carabomimus, such as the pronotum lacking the apical margin bead, and the less wide than long scutellum. It is difficult to decide about the actual systematic position of this proposed species. The differences from C. laeve, listed in the description, and checked on the typical series, would lead us rather to believe that it is a population of C. laeve, slightly differentiated but not necessarily distinct.

Examined specimens and literature’s data
Mexico. Chihuahua: Madera (sub C. chihuahua; AMNH, NMB), 8.9 km W of Madera, Colonia Garcia (sub C. chihuahua; UASM), 15 Km N. Madera, 2100m (sub C. chihuahua; SB; RS), Pedernales (Gidaspow, 1959: 284), Minaca (UASM); Guanajuato (Bates, 1884: 22); Hidalgo: Tula (EM, SB), Atotonilco (SB), El Solino (SB), Ajacuba (Lassalle & Van Den Berghe, 2013:162); Jalisco: 43 km NE of Tamazula (UASM); Nuevo Leon: Alta Vista (Gidaspow, 1959: 284); Mexico: Chapingo (Gidaspow, 1959: 284), Mexico City (Bates, 1884: 22), Sierra de Guadalupe (SB), Colonia Coyoacán, San Juan Teotihuacán (www.gbif.org), Ixtapaluca (/www.inaturalist.org); Michoacán: Morelia, Patzcuaro (Gidaspow, 1959: 284), Maravatio (Breuning, 1928b: 46); Morelos: Cuernavaca (Breuning, 1928 b: 46); Puebla: Esperanza (Bates, 1884: 22), Puebla city (Breuning, 1928 b: 46), Tlaxaca (www.inaturalist.org); San Luis Potosi: around the city (Lassalle & Van Den Berghe, 2013:162); Vera Cruz: Jalapa, Perote (Bates, 1884: 22).

Notes: Brachypterous. It lives on upland around 2000 - 2400m. Active individuals have been found from May to August, according to the data of the examined materials, or up to to November, according to Erwin (2007: 97).

Calosoma (Callitropa) laeve ♂ Dejean, 1826 Mexico, Hidalgo: Atotonilco, 24.V.1947, 2.400m., G.v.V. Alffter leg.

Calosoma (Callitropa) laeve ♀ Dejean, 1826 Mexico, Hidalgo: El Solino, 28.VII.1963, F. Sánchez leg.

Calosoma (Callitropa) laeve ♂ Dejean, 1826 Mexique (holotype of Calosoma chevrolati Dejean, 1837) (coll. Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris)

Calosoma (Callitropa) laeve ♂ Dejean, 1826 (sub Calosoma (Blaptosoma) chihuahua Gidaspow, 1959) Mexico, Chihuahua: 15 Km N. Madera, 2100m. 30,VII,1990, W Heinz lgt.

Calosoma (Callitropa) laeve ♀ Dejean, 1826 (sub Calosoma (Blaptosoma) chihuahua Gidaspow, 1959) Mexico, Chihuahua: 15 Km N. Madera, 2100m. 30,VII,1990, W Heinz lgt.