Brachinus (Brachinoaptinus) tianshanicus subsp. aktashiensis Kirschenhofer 1986

B. (Brachinoaptinus) tianshanicus aktashiensis Kirschenhofer, 1986 Material: 1 m: “ Paratypus [red label]”, “ USSR, Uzbekistan / Aktaš (Taškent) / 30.4.1978 / Mir. Dvořák lgt.”, “Brach. (Pseudapt.) / aktashensis / m / det.: Kirschenhofer 1983”, “ex coll M. Dvořák / National Museum / Prague, Czech Republic ” (NMPC); 1 m: “ USSR, Uzbekistan / Aktaš (Taškent) / 28.4.1988 / Mir. Dvořák lgt.”, “ex coll M. Dvořák / National Museum / Prague, Czech Republic ” (NMPC); 1 f: “ USSR, Uzbekistan / Aktaš (Taškent) / 24.4.1980 / Mir. Dvořák lgt.”, “ex coll M. Dvořák / National Museum / Prague, Czech Republic ” (NMPC); 1 ex: Uzbekistan, Karzhantau Mt. R., Aktash 29.IV – 18. V.1993, I. Kabak & A. Molchanov leg. (RSc). Differential diagnosis. This taxon is certainly close to B. tianshanicus Michailov, 1976 in the external structure of the aedeagus (Fig. 9), in the shape of pronotum (Fig. 6) and the metallic coloration of the elytra (Fig. 3). However, it differs from the nominative form in its more massive head and wider elytra, which are usually blue, while in the former they are usually green. For now I am leaving it as a subspecies, but it may turn out to be either a synonym or an independent species. Additional material, genetic analysis and endophallus structure needs to be studied to clarify the status of the taxon. Comments. The type locality of B. (Brachinoaptinus) aktashiensis Kirschenhofer, 1986 remained unclear due to ambiguous label data of type material (Uzbekistan, Tashkent-Aktash, 1500m), since there are several toponyms with this name in Uzbekistan. Most likely, judging by the accessibility and the indicated height, specimens were collected near Mount Aktash (2400 m, 41.248382, 69.866052), situated 40 km east of Tashkent, not the well known Mount Aktash (3462 m, 41.722222, 70.475556). The material attributed to this taxon in the paper by Belousov & Kabak (1992) should be re-checked, as the sites are widely separated on different mountain ranges, and no one is from the type locality. Distribution. Western part of the Chatkal Mountain range.