The “Catalogue of the Coleoptera of the Canary Islands” published in 2000 by Antonio Machado Carrillo and Pedro Oromí is a landmark in the documentation of the archipelago’s biodiversity[1]. This catalogue is notable for its meticulous methodology and structure, designed to provide a comprehensive overview of the distribution of beetle species and subspecies across the islands[1].
The catalogue is divided into several chapters, each with a specific function. The first chapter lists all species and subspecies in taxonomic order, including both native and introduced species established in the territory[1]. For the classification of families and subfamilies, the authors follow the system of Lawrence & Newton (1995), while the internal order of genera is based on various authors. Each species and subspecies is numbered sequentially, from #1 to #2061, allowing each taxon to be correlated with its documentary references[1].
The nomenclature used credits the original authors of each taxon. The validity of species and identifications is not revised, but if there are reasonable doubts about an identification, the taxon is marked with a question mark or transferred to the list of excluded species[1]. In cases of discrepancies between authors, the most recent publication is followed, unless an earlier work involved a deeper revision. Synonyms, emendations, or changes of genus are updated automatically, even if there is no specific reference related to the Canary Islands[1].
Endemic species and subspecies of the Canary Islands (including the Selvagens) are marked with an asterisk after the author and date. The presence of each taxon on a specific island is indicated by initials (H = El Hierro, P = La Palma, G = La Gomera, T = Tenerife, C = Gran Canaria, F = Fuerteventura, L = Lanzarote), and if the presence is doubtful, a question mark is used[1].
The second chapter is devoted to excluded species, those whose identification is doubtful, erroneous, or corresponds to fortuitous or accidentally imported specimens. The catalogue details that 107 species were eliminated from the Canarian fauna, some already proposed by previous authors and others by the authors themselves in this work[1].
The third chapter compiles all bibliographic references supporting the inclusion of each taxon, allowing the origin of each citation to be traced and facilitating future revisions[1]. The fourth chapter is dedicated to the bibliography used, with 956 references listed alphabetically by author and year.
The catalogue also includes a synonym index, listing 325 names considered synonyms of other taxa, and a taxonomic index that facilitates the location of families, subfamilies, genera, and subgenera covered in the work[1].
According to the authors, this structure and methodology aim to facilitate the work of specialists and stimulate the ongoing revision of the Canarian coleopteran fauna, recognizing that the inventory is still partial and under constant review[1].