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 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, there is an intriguing report of a Calosoma obsereved in the Hawaiian Islands (www.inaturalist.org/observations/39565821). At first this specimen has been attributed to C. blaptoides, in the past imported from Mexico, together with other Calosoma species, as an auxiliary in the biological fight against various species of caterpillars and that at present seems to have naturalized (http://www2.bishopmuseum.org /HBS/checklist). This attribution is certainly incorrect as the few recognizable features in the image would rather indicate C. laeve which, however, does not appear among the imported species.

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), 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); 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).

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.