Review of the genus Ceraturgus Wiedemann (Diptera: Asilidae) in North America north of Mexico
Author
Barnes, Jeffrey K.
text
Zootaxa
2008
1766
1
45
journal article
10.5281/zenodo.182011
3c6c50fa-29ac-4523-8151-43c350287c8e
1175-5326
182011
Subgenus
Ceraturgopsis
Ceraturgopsis
Johnson, 1903
: 111
.
Type
species:
Dasypogon cornutus
Wiedemann
, here fixed.
Johnson (1903)
described the new genus
Ceraturgopsis
with
D. cornutus
as the
type
species, although the specimens before him at that time actually belonged to an undescribed new species.
Martin (1965)
described
Ceraturgus johnsoni
from Johnson’s misidentified Florida specimens. He believed that “…
Ceraturopsis
being based on a name and not on a species, is not a valid genus,” and he declared, “
Ceraturgopsis
is not only invalid but if it were valid, it would be a synonym of
Ceraturgus
.” Subsequent authors have treated it as a synonym of
Ceraturgus
, even in the most recent catalog of robber fly genera (
Geller-Grimm 2003
). According to the
International Code of Zoological Nomenclature
, Article 70.3 (International Commission on
Zoological Nomenclature 1999
), “If an author discovers that a
type
species was misidentified …, the author may select, and thereby fix as
type
species, the species that will, in his or her judgment, best serve stability and universality, either…the nominal species previously cited as
type
species…or the taxonomic species actually involved in the misidentification.”
Ceraturgopsis
is here treated as a subgenus, and the
type
species is fixed as
Ceraturgus cornutus
(Wiedemann)
.
Back (1909)
stated that the third flagellomere of
Ceraturgopsis
is “entirely naked.” However, close examination of the third flagellomeres of all three species included in this subgenus reveals them to have dense, very short pubescence. This character, and the fact the third flagellomere is short, about as long as the scape, are sufficient to separate the species of this subgenus from those of subgenus
Ceraturgus
.