Cantheconidea migratoria, (Cantheconidea)

Roell, Talita, Lemaître, Valérie A., Webb, Michael D. & Campos, Luiz A., 2023, An annotated and illustrated Type Catalogue of the predacious Shieldbugs (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomidae: Asopinae) in the Collection of the Natural History Museum, London, Zootaxa 5232 (1), pp. 1-105 : 56-57

migratoria (Cantheconidea) Distant 1913: 144–145. [ Fig. 113 ]

Original data: “ Loc. Aldabra, 1907 (Thomasset).” [syntype (s)]

SYNTYPE ♀: blue-margined syntype disc; red-margined type disc; “Aldabra. HPT [= H. P. Thomasset]. 1907.”; “Percy Sladen Trust Expedition. 1911–497.”; “ Canthecona migratoria type Dist. [Distant’s handwriting]”; “NHMUK 010592166”. Carded specimen. Fifth left antennomere, right antenna, and right posterior leg missing ( Fig. 113 ) .

Current status: Afrius (Subafrius) flavirostrum (Signoret, 1861) (synonymised by Roell et al. 2019: 15).

Note: Thomas (1994: 151) explained: “I am convinced that the specimen labeled “ Afrius nigritarsis Distant,” “ Type,” and, “Aldabra,” is actually the lost type of C. migratoria Distant. The specimen from Aldabra is markedly similar to Afrius flavirostrum , a Madagascan species, but I hesitate to synonymize Distant’s name because of the uncertainty attending the true identity of the specimen, it’s [sic!] exotic geographic origin, and the paucity of material for study. With those provisos in mind I am transferring Cantheconidea migratoria Distant to the genus Afrius , subgenus Subafrius .” It seems clear to us that he misread the specific epithet migratoria for nigritarsis and we do not doubt the identity of the specimen (see Roell et al. 2019: 15).

Figures

FIGURES 113–120. Type and non-type specimens deposited in NHMUK. 113, Cantheconidea migratoria; 114–115, Ealda minax; 116–119, Arma modesta; 120, Edessa moesta. Scale bars: 4 mm.