Revalidation, synonymies, and notes in American Callichromatini (Coleoptera Cerambycidae, Cerambycinae)
Author
Santos-Silva, Antonio
Museu de Zoologia, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
Author
Schmid, Herbert
Bitterlichstrasse 17, A- 1100 Vienna, Austria.
text
Zootaxa
2021
2021-11-25
5071
4
579
586
journal article
3010
10.11646/zootaxa.5071.4.6
5ed275c3-20dd-4e1f-8aad-298b24314a5f
1175-5326
5726540
3D285CD4-9326-493C-B8B7-D15D806BDE3A
Callichroma holochlorum holochlorum
Bates, 1872
Callichroma holochlorum
Bates, 1872: 185
.
Callichroma opiparum
Bates, 1874: 222
.
Callichroma chiriquina
Bates, 1879: 402
.
Callichroma compressipes
Casey, 1912: 314
.
Callichroma regalis
Casey, 1912: 314
.
Bates (1872)
described
Callichroma holochlorum
from
Nicaragua
as follows (translated): “Size similar to that of
C. plicatum
[currently
Plinthocoelium suaveolens plicatum
(LeConte, 1853)
]; very robust, green-bronze, elytra distinctly greenish, sericeous, legs black, pro- and mesofemora (except apex), and basal half of metafemora reddish; metatibiae slightly sinuous, gradually and very wide-compressed; antennal tubercles obtuse; antennae black, in male more than twice body length; thorax subshining, disc indistinctly transversely rugose; ventral surface of the body barely pubescent.” Later,
Bates (1874)
described
C. opiparum
(
Fig. 12
) from
Nicaragua
;
Bates (1879)
described
C. chiriquina
(
Fig. 11
) from
Panama
; and
Casey (1912)
described
C. compressipes
from
Guatemala
and
C. regalis
from
Mexico
(
Guerrero
).
Schmidt (1924)
erected the genus
Schwarzerion
, synonymized with
Callichroma
Latreille, 1817
by
Napp & Martins (2009)
, type species
Callichroma holochlorum
, and considered
C. chiriquina
,
C. opiparum
,
C. compressipes
, and
C. regalis
as subspecies of
S. holochlorum
.
Podaný (1965)
followed
Schmidt (1924)
, but considered the subspecies as “morph.” According to
Villiers (1972)
, the
holotype
of
C. opiparum
is a male and not a female as indicated in the original description. As it is possible to see,
C. chiriquina
,
C. opiparum
,
C. compressipes
, and
C. regalis
were never formally synonymized. Even so, they appear as synonymy from
Demets (1976)
, who formally synonymized
Callichroma euthalia
Bates, 1879
and
Callichroma carinatum
Schmidt, 1924
with
Callichroma holochlorum holochlorum
,
by then allocated in
Schwarzerion
(translated): “The latter [
S. h.
holochlorum
], extremely variable, includes two subspecies:
h.
holochlorum
(
Bates, 1872
)
and
holochlorum
melancholicum
(
Bates, 1872
)
. The
S. euthalia
(
Bates, 1879
)
and
S. carinatum
Schmidt, 1924
, are considered as synonyms of
S. h.
holochlorum
. The study of a great number of specimens of
holochlorum
, of
euthalia
, and of
carinatum
led me to conclude that there is only one subspecies and to consider the elytral sutural band of some specimens as an inconstant feature, varying in size and in sharpness.”
Giesbert (1998)
revalidated
S. euthalia
: “
Demets (1976)
placed
S. euthalia
as a junior synonym of
S. holochlorum holochlorum
(Bates)
. Examination of a large number of specimens from
Panama
shows a consistently distinguishing character between these two sympatric species:
S. euthalia
may be easily separated from
S. holochlorum
by the presence of a narrow metallic vita on the suture from scutellum to apex.”
Napp & Martins (2009)
agreed with Giesbert’s opinion (translated): “
Callichroma
h.
holochlorum
differs from the other species by the elytra without metallic longitudinal bands or, at most, with the suture metallic …” Examination of a photograph of the
lectotype
of
C. holochlorum
and of the
lectotype
of
C. euthalia
(see
Bezark 2021a
) suggests that
Giesbert (1998)
was right when considered them as different species, as also reported by
Napp & Martins (2009)
. Notwithstanding, the metallic sutural band on the elytra of
C. carinatum
(see photograph of a
syntype
on
Bezark 2021a
) is still more distinct than in the
lectotype
of
C. euthalia
, making incomprehensive to kept it in the synonym of
C. h.
holochlorum
. This is because if
C. euthalia
differs from
C. h.
holochlorum
by the presence of a distinct metallic sutural band, then
C. carinatum
also differs by the same feature. However,
Schwarzerion carinatum
was kept in the synonymy of
S. h.
holochlorum
by
Napp & Martins (2009)
.
Currently, the status of
C. chiriquina
,
C. opiparum
,
C. compressipes
,
C. regalis
, and
C. carinatum
remains unchanged (in the synonym of
C. h.
holochlorum
) in catalogs (
e.g.
Monné 2021
;
Tavakilian & Chevillotte 2021
) and checklists (
e.g.
Bezark 2021b
). Examination of photographs of the
holotype
of
C. compressipes
and of a
lectotype
of
C. regalis
really indicates that they are true synonyms of
C. h.
holochlorum
. In our opinion, the synonym between these true names needs to be attributed to
Demets (1976)
, who first listed
C. compressipes
and
C. regalis
in the synonym of
C. h.
holochlorum
. However, without examining the type material of
C. opiparum
and of
C. chiriquina
, it is not possible to know whether they are distinct species or even synonyms with
C. h.
holochlorum
or another species. See notes on
C. carinatum
below.