In the North Banat coexist in the same stations and biotopes two species of the genus Morphocarabus attributed to C. (Morphocarabus) hampei telekii Csikii 1937 and C. (Morphocarabus) rothi rothi Dejean 1829. On the left bank of the Mureș River, the restricted area of tthese species distribution is situated from Groși – Căpâlnaș in the East until Pojoga - Tisa in the West. Beyond this perimeter, the researches remained fruitless. The cohabitation of these two species seems to be a unique case, not found in Transylvania, region with habitat type of C. (Morphocarabus) rothi rothi Dejean 1829. For lack of relevant morphological characters, the distinction between both aforesaid species is difficult. The absence of the 5-th primary interval at hampei telekii and the presence of the quadricatenatus Kraatz 1878 which is a rothi form with sculpture near to hampei put in doubt the existence of two species. As telekii and rothi have elytral sculpture with four primary intervals, S ZEL G. (2007) has attached hampei telekii to rothi. For the mixed population from Pojoga, the morphological and morphometric criteria are insufficient to distinguish telekii by rothi. The examination of an important effective of hampei telekii type individuals, point out that 4% of insects have an elytral sculpture with 5 primary intervals. The mitochondrial DNA comparison, NADPH gene, subunit 5, provides a clear distinction between the hampei and rothi types. The population of rothi from Pojoga also has a polymorphism which brings closer some individuals to those from Transylvania (origin Danes near Sighișoara). This study confirms the suspected presence of two species (C. (Morphocarabus) hampei telekii Csikii 1937 and C. (Morphocarabus) rothi rothi Dejean 1829) in the prospected area. Two problems remain posed = that of the relationships with rothi populations from Transylvania and that of the possible crossbreeding between hampei telekii and rothi, difficult to identify using the mtDNA at maternal heredity.

carabus, hampei telekii, rothi, taxonomy, morphology, inventory, mapping.

Presentation: oral