Podisus mexicanus, (Podisus), 1880

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

mexicanus (Podisus) Distant 1880: 38.

Original data: “ Hab. MEXICO (coll. Sign.).” [syntype (s)]

Current status: Podisus mexicanus Distant, 1880 .

Note: Thomas (1992: 96) explained: “A female specimen located in the British Museum (Natural History) is labeled: (a) “Type,” (b) “Omilteme Guerrero 800 [Sic! Actually 8000.] ft July H.H. Smith.” (c) “Mexicanus Dist.” As with some of the other specimens labeled as types in the British Museum (Natural History), this is not the specimen referred to by Distant (1880) in his original description. My colleague William Dolling, curator of Hemiptera at the British Museum, informs me that these type labels were added early in the twentieth century at the direction of the museum management.” Indeed, the original description stating that the type(s) was/were in “coll. Sign[oret]”, we contacted Dr Herbert Zettel, who informed us (pers. comm.) that a female specimen, unique type, was under his care in NHMW, Vienna. We regard this Viennese specimen as a syntype. The only asopine mentioned in the Biologia Centrali-Americana as coming from Omilteme in Guerrero ( Mexico) had been identified as Podisus congrex (Stål) (see Distant 1889: 319).