Veronatus tricostellus (White, 1846)

(Fig. 16L)

Anobium tricostellum White 1846: 8 . Broun 1880: 315 (note on plausible synonymy with Veronatus longipalpis). Pic 1914: 15 (catalogue, as a plausible synonym of V. longipalpis). Hudson 1934: plate VII (figure of larva). Macfarlane et al. 2011: 421 (catalogue).

Type locality. New Zealand.

Broun number: -

Type material examined. 1 ex. Holotype (NHM): card-mounted, genitalia and abdomen mounted on a separate card, “ Anobium tricostellum White \ Zool. Erebus & Terror” [handwritten], “1912. \ 113” [round label, handwritten], “Type” [round label with red border], “ Anobium \ tricostellum \ Type White \ (Zool. Ereb. & Terror) \ ex coll. Saunders” [handwritten].

Remarks. Veronatus tricostellus was described on the basis of a specimen from the Saunders Museum (White 1846). Sharp (1884) noted that the Anobium tricostellum type was absent from the Natural History Museum in London. Broun (1880) mentioned that “on a careful comparison of White’s description of Anobium tricostellum (…) with the specimens of Veronatus longipalpis, one might be inclined to suppose that the latter was identical with the former”. This brief note was a reason why the species was listed under synonyms of Veronatus longipalpis in Pic’s (1914) catalogue. Both species were never formally synonymised. We were unable to confirm this synonymy as male genitalia of Veronatus only subtly differ interspecifically and longer series of both species need to be compared.