On the family- and genus-series nomina in Gyrinidae Latreille, 1810 (Coleoptera, Adephaga)
Author
Gustafson, Grey T.
Author
Miller, Kelly B.
text
Zootaxa
2013
3731
1
77
105
journal article
http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3731.1.3
b8d20e17-0b0e-476c-8fc2-5460b9002b7e
1175-5326
217043
BBDB8453-1703-40E5-8F84-2FEF10435619
Dineutus
,
correct spelling
The genus
Dineutus
was established by the British entomologist William S. MacLeay (
1825
) to accommodate a large gyrinid, which he named
D
.
politus
. His original spelling of the nomen is unambiguously
Dineutus
. In later editions of his
Annulosa Javanica
(e.g. MacLeay,
1833
), its spelling remained
Dineutus
, consistent with its original spelling. The first use of the spelling
Dineutes
of which we are aware is by Cuvier (
1832
:
253
) who stated: “Mr. Macleay (the younger), Annal.
Jav
. I. p.
30
forms a peculiar genus, under the name of
Dineutes
…” However, several authors, including Wood (
1962
), in his unpublished revision of the North American
Dineutus
, and Roughley (
2000
), attributed the first use of the spelling
Dineutes
to Aubé (
1838
). Aubé (
1838
) credited MacLeay (
1825
) for the genus nomen, but spelled it
Dineutes
and indicated that he was not going to accept MacLeay’s genus until after it was confirmed and described by Brullé. Brullé (
1835
) did mention
Dineutus
, but spelled it
Dineutes
, with credit to MacLeay (
1825
). So it would appear that Aubé (
1838
) was simply following Brullé’s (
1835
) lead. Aubé’s (
1836
) earlier work includes a similar statement further suggesting that he was deferring to Brullé on the spelling of the nomen and other matters related to the genus.
The spelling
Dineutes
continued use in parallel with
Dineutus
with the former used mainly by French entomologists such as Cuvier (
1832
), Brullé (
1835
), Aubé (1836, 1838) and Régimbart (1882, 1902), while the spelling
Dineutus
was most commonly in use among British and American entomologists like Kirby (
1829
), Crotch (
1873
), and later Leech (
1939
;
1948
) and Balfour-Browne (
1945
). Exceptions to this include the French entomologist Lacordaire (
1854
), who used the spelling
Dineutus
, and the British entomologist Sharp (
1873
), who used
Dineutes
.
Some authors used both spellings including Hope (
1838
) who used
Dineutus
in the text, but
Dineutes
in his table of gyrinid genera. Le Conte (1863, 1868) began using
Dineutus
but switched to
Dineutes
later (Le Conte,
1878
). Recent authors have similarly alternated between spellings (e.g. Beutel & Roughley 1988, 1994) and the incorrect spelling has unfortunately persisted to the present (i.e. Bouchard
et al.
,
2011
).
Since the two spellings,
Dineutus
and
Dineutes
, have been used in parallel nearly since the time of original description of the genus with neither prevailing over the other (
Table
1
), it is clear that correct spelling of the genus needs resolution. According to Article
33.3
of the
Code
, the spelling
Dineutus
is the correct original spelling, and
Dineutes
is an incorrect subsequent spelling dating from Cuvier (
1832
). The first potential attempt to justify the spelling
Dineutes
was by Régimbart (
1882
) who used that spelling as valid, but cited the original spelling,
Dineutus
, attributed to MacLeay. Régimbart’s (
1882
) acknowledgement of the original spelling but chosing to use
Dineutes
suggests an intentional emendation of the nomen (Régimbart performed other similar acts: see the
discussion
under
Epinectus
Dejean,
1833
).
As
Régimbart (
1882
) is the only author to have intentionally attempted to emend the name, however unjustifiably,
Dineutes
Régimbart,
1882
enters synonymy as an unjustified emendation, i.e. as a distinct available nomen (which an incorrect subsequent spelling is not). We therefore appeal for discontinuing use of the name
Dineutes
in accordance with Article
33
, as previously has been done (Ochs,
1924
a
:
233
;
1924
b
:
1
,footnote;
1926
c:
133
, footnote), and we here regard it as a junior synonym attributed to Régimbart (
1882
).
It is also important to point out that several authors have erected valid genus-group nomina with spellings based on the incorrect subsequent spelling
Dineutes
, including the extant group
Spinosodineutes
Hatch,
1925
, and the fossil genera
Miodineutes
Hatch,
1927
, and
Mesodineutes
Ponomarenko,
1992
. These spellings are the correct original spellings of these nomina.
Finally, another incorrect subsequent spelling of
Dineutus
,
Dyneutes
, was introduced by Laporte (
1835
). It is incorrect and unavailable.