Calosoma (Callitropa) laeve Dejean, 1826

Length 25-28 mm. All the species collected by Jeannel 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 original 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.
Finally, some specimens of the genus Calosoma have recently and unexpectedly been observed and photographed on several occasions in the island of Hawaii where no autochthonous species of Calosoma should exist. The observations were made in the far north of the island, at Hawi (www.inaturalist.org/obs./152767877), and nearby, on the north west coast at Lapakahi (www.inaturalist.org/obs./39565821) and at Mahukona (www.inaturalist.org/obs./ 152578555), and, not far from there but inland and at a higher elevation, at Waimea (www.inaturalist.org/obs./122880255).
Various characteristics have led us to attribute all these specimens to the subgenus Callitropa, although the specimen observed at the Lapakahi has been at the time identified as C. blaptoides. This is partially justified because, Calosoma (Calopachis) blaptoides in the past has been imported from Cuernavaca, Mexico, together with other Calosoma species, as an auxiliary in the biological fight against various species of caterpillars (Pemberton, 1964: 698) and at present it seems to have naturalized in Hawaii (http://www2.bishopmuseum.org/HBS/checklist).
However, this attribution is certainly wrong as the few traits recognizable in the image would rather indicate C. laeve, which, however, does not appear among the imported species. Images of the other specimens are not as clear. and do not allow to identify with absolute certainty the species of the subgenus Callitropa to which they belong.
Anyway, neither C. laeve, nor other species of the subgenus Callitropa, have been cited among the many Calosoma species, experimentally imported to Hawaii in the 1920s and that now are considered part of the Hawaiian fauna (http://www.hear.org/images/organisms/hawaii/arthropods/gensp_c.htm). So it is possible that at that time they were confused among other species or misclassified and, therefore, more conclusive observations are desirable.

Examined specimens and literature’s data
Hawaiian Islands (United States): Hawaii county, Lapakahi State Historical Park (www.inaturalist.org/obs/39565821)
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), Meoqui (www.inaturalist.org), Pedernales (Gidaspow, 1959: 284), Minaca (UASM); Guanajuato (Bates, 1884: 22): Tarandacuao (www.inaturalist.org); Hidalgo: Tula (EM, SB), Atotonilco (SB), El Solino (SB), Ajacuba (Lassalle & Van Den Berghe, 2013:162); Jalisco: 43 km NE of Tamazula (UASM); Mexico: Chapingo (Gidaspow, 1959: 284), Mexico City (Bates, 1884: 22), Sierra de Guadalupe (SB), Colonia Coyoacán, San Juan Teotihuacán (www.gbif.org), Tequixquiac, Apaxco de Ocampo, Ixtapaluca (www.inaturalist.org); Michoacán: Morelia, Patzcuaro (Gidaspow, 1959: 284), Maravatio (Breuning, 1928b: 46); Morelos: Cuernavaca (Breuning, 1928 b: 46); Nuevo Leon: Alta Vista (Gidaspow, 1959: 284); Puebla: Esperanza (Bates, 1884: 22), Puebla city (Bates, 1991: 225); San Luis Potosi: around the city (Lassalle & Van Den Berghe, 2013:162)); Tlaxaca: Tetla de la Solidaridad (www.inaturalist.org); 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). In the Hawaii island, if our identification is correct, its habitat and phenology seem to be quite different. In fact the species is present on the nortrhern plateau from 50m., near the sea coast, to 800m., inland. Moreover, it was observed active mostly in Febtuary-March and in a single case in June.

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 (lectotype of Calosoma chevrolatii Dejean, 1837) (coll. Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris)

Calosoma (Callitropa) laeve ♀ Dejean, 1826 United States Hawaiian Islands Hawaii county, Lapakahi State Historical Park, March 3.2020 (www.inaturalist.org/observations/39565821)

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.