Taxonomic and nomenclatural changes in Cassidinae (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)
Author
Sekerka, Lukáš
text
Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae
2016
2016-07-15
56
1
275
344
journal article
56063
10.5281/zenodo.5305725
31cb15bf-28f5-4b27-86df-6a1b28cbce41
0374-1036
5305725
E24F1028-C6AC-4323-9ED5-C9B7FF3434ACD
Microctenochira jousselini
(
Boheman, 1855
)
Coptocycla Jousselini
Boheman, 1855: 227
(original description).
Coptocycla semifasciata
Boheman, 1855: 228
(original description),
syn. nov.
Type localities.
Coptocycla Jousselini
: ‘Nova Grenada’;
Coptocycla semifasciata
: ‘Columbia’.
Type material examined.
Coptocycla Jousselini
:
SYNTYPE
: pinned,
‘
Colum- | bia [w, p, s] || Mhm. [w, p, s] || Type. [w, p, s] || NHRS-JLKB |
000022321
[w, p, cb]
’
(
NHRS
).
Coptocycla semifasciata
:
HOLOTYPE
: pinned, ‘Colum- | bia [w, p, cb] || Bhn. [w, p, s] || Type. [w, p, s] ||
Ctenochira
| semifasciata | = Microctenoch. | Jousselini ab.[w, hw by Spaeth, cb] || NHRS-JLKB |
000022352
[w, p, cb]’ (
NHRS
).
Remarks.
The description of
Coptocycla semifasciata
follows immediately that of
Coptocycla jousselini
and
BOHEMAN (1855)
differentiated them by elytral pattern. Both have the disc of pronotum and elytra brownish-red outside bordered by black and yellow explanate margins.
Coptocycla jousselini
has a yellow band running approximately in the basal third of elytra and reaching laterally the explanate margin, while in
C. semifasciata
the first band is shortened and laterally reaching only to the fifth row of punctures. Both taxa were transferred to
Charidotis
by
SPAETH (1914)
. Subsequently,
SPAETH (1926)
redescribed
C. jousselini
and designated it as the
type
species of
Microctenochira
and after a decade he also transferred
C. semifasciata
to the same genus (
SPAETH 1936
), leaving it as valid species.
I have studied
types
of both taxa and I could not find any relevant morphological differences to separate them except for the colouration of elytra. Species of
Microctenochira
are very variable regarding dorsal colouration. I hereby synonymize the two taxa. Since both were described in the same publication I followed the Principle of the first reviser (
ICZN 1999
: Article 24.2) and chose
M. jousselini
as valid, as it was constantly and correctly applied since
SPAETH (1926)
and moreover it is the
type
species of the genus
Microctenochira
.
Distribution.
Colombia
(
BOHEMAN 1855
) and
Trinidad
(
SPAETH 1926
).