Luciola dregei (Motschulsky, 1854)

Keller, Oliver & Ballantyne, Lesley, 2023, Taxonomic notes on the Luciolinae (Coleoptera: Lampyridae), Insecta Mundi 2023 (965), pp. 1-6 : 2-4

Luciola dregei (Motschulsky, 1854)

Delopyrus dregei Motschulsky, 1853 [sic]: 50, nomen nudum.

Delopyrus dregei Motschulsky, 1854c: 26 name made available; McDermott 1966: 103.

Note. Delopyrus dregei was first mentioned in Motschulsky (1853) as the type species of the genus Delopyrus Motschulsky, 1853 , but without a description. In the same publication Motschulsky (1853, p. 27) states: “La description des espèces paraitra dans un N:o suivant des ‘Etudes Entomologiques’” which translates to: “The description of the species will appear in a N:o following ‘Entomological Studies’”. This statement by the author suggests that the species would be described in a subsequent work and that the generic descriptions were not considered to be combined new genus/new species descriptions. The footnote on page 27 can be interpreted as a disclaimer in the sense of Art 8.3 ICZN (1999) that the description should not count for the species, and that Art 12.2.6 cannot be applied here. Therefore D. dregei Motschulsky (1853) is a nomen nudum. The actual description of the species was in Etudes Entomologiques volume 3 ( Motschulsky 1854c), making the name available. The volume containing the description was published in 1854 as explained in Blackwelder (1949). McDermott (1966: 99) synonymized Delopyrus Motschulsky with Luciola (Luciola) Laporte.

Type Species Designations

Delopleurus Motschulsky, 1853: 50 (now a synonym of Luciola Laporte in McDermott 1966). Type species: Delopleurus fuscus Motschulsky, 1854d: 47 (subsequent monotypy)

Delopyrus Motschulsky, 1853: 50 (now a synonym of Luciola Laporte in McDermott 1966). Type species: Delopyrus dregei Motschulsky, 1854c: 26 (subsequent monotypy)

Note. As stated above, these type designations were invalid because the species designated were nomina nuda and therefore not available. Motschulsky (1853, p. 27) stated: “La description des espèces paraitra dans un N:o suivant des ‘Etudes Entomologiques’” which translates to: “The description of the species will appear in a N:o following ‘Entomological Studies’”. We interpret this statement by Motschulsky (1853) as a disclaimer in the sense of Art 8.3 ICZN (1999) that the descriptions should not count for the species and that the author planned to describe the species later. Article 67.2.1 of the ICZN (1999) states that type-species designations based on unavailable names are invalid. By applying ICZN (1999) Article 69.3 we conclude that the type designation was by subsequent monotypy for both genera which currently are synonyms of Luciola .

Determination of Subspecific or Infrasubspecific Rank

We evaluated all remaining taxa described as variations in the subfamily Luciolinae ( McDermott 1966) and determined their availability based on Article 45.6 of the Code ( ICZN 1999) using Lingafelter and Nearns (2013) for elucidation of this article. We disagree with the action by Geisthardt & Satô (2007) in validating Lampyroidea quadrinotata binotata Wittmer, 1935 in the genus Lampyroidea Costa, 1875 as a subspecies, because it was described as an aberration and is therefore automatically infrasubspecific and unavailable. In the table below we show the taxa have been elevated to subspecies level. The table is first organized alphabetically by McDermott’s (1966) catalog, then alphabetically by subfamily and species within each subfamily in the original combination column.

Original combination Name used in McDermott (1966) Current status, comments

Lampyroidea quadrinotata ab. binotata Lampyroidea quadrinotata var. binotata Originally described as an aberration, Wittmer, 1935: 248 Wittmer, 1935: 248 ( McDermott 1966: therefore automatically infrasubspecific

115) and unavailable

Luciola aegrota var. scutellaris Olivier , Luciola aegrota var. scutellaris Olivier Abscondita aegrota scutellaris Olivier, 1891: 603 1891: 603 ( McDermott 1966: 99) 1891

Luciola aegrota synonymized with

Luciola promelaena Walker in

Ballantyne et al. (2013: 32) and Luciola promelaena assigned to Abscondita

Ballantyne

Luciola bimaculicollis v. nov. Luciola bimaculicollis var. flavocostata Luciola bimaculicollis flavocostata Pic , flavocostata Pic, 1928: 21 Pic, 1928: 21 ( McDermott 1966: 100) 1928

See under other nomenclatural issues below

Luciola brahmina var. nov. vitalisi Pic, Luciola brahmina var. vitalisi Pic, 1923 : Sclerotia brahmina vitalisi ( Pic, 1923) 1923: 27 27 ( McDermott 1966: 100)

Luciola brahmina Pic transferred to

Sclerotia Ballantyne in Ballantyne et al.

(2016: 224)

Luciola collarti var. kivuensis Pic, 1952 : Luciola collarti var. kivuensis Pic, 1952 : Luciola collarti kivuensis Pic, 1952

270 270 ( McDermott 1966: 101)

Luciola coxalis var. inlimbata Pic, 1952 : Luciola coxalis var. inlimbata Pic, 1952 : Luciola coxalis inlimbata Pic, 1952

270 270 ( McDermott 1966: 102)

Luciola gaudens v. nov. latevittata Pic, Luciola gaudens var. latevittata Pic , Luciola gaudens latevittata Pic, 1928 1928: 21 1928: 21 ( McDermott 1966: 105)

Luciola gemina v. nov. juncta Pic, 1925: Luciola gemina var. juncta Pic, 1925: 6 Luciola gemina juncta Pic, 1925

6 ( McDermott 1966: 105)

Luciola grandjeani var. nov. infrapallida Luciola grandjeani var. infrapallida Pic , Luciola grandjeani infrapallida Pic,

Pic, 1934: 46 1934: 46 ( McDermott 1966: 105) 1934

Luciola insignis var. lineatopennis Luciola insignis var. lineatopennis Luciola insignis lineatopennis Olivier, Olivier, 1914: 241 Olivier, 1914: 241 ( McDermott 1966: 1914

106)

Luciola lusitanica var. erythrocephala Luciola lusitanica var. erythrocephala Luciola lusitanica erythrocephala Olivier, 1885: 362 Olivier, 1885: 362 ( McDermott 1966: Olivier, 1885

108)

Luciola lusitanica var. minor Baudi di Luciola lusitanica var. minor Baudi di Luciola lusitanica minor Baudi di Selve, Selve, 1873: 229 Selve, 1873: 229 ( McDermott 1966: 1873

108)

Luciola mendax var. obliterata Pic , Luciola mendax var. obliterata Pic , Luciola mendax obliterata Pic, 1952 1952: 270 1952: 270 ( McDermott 1966: 110)

Original combination Name used in McDermott (1966) Current status, comments

Atyphella obsoleta var. immaculata Luciola obsoleta var. immaculata Pygatyphella obsoleta immaculata

Olivier, 1911: 174 ( Olivier, 1911: 174) (McDermott ( Olivier, 1911) 1966:110) Atyphella obsoleta Olivier transferred to Pygatyphella (Ballantyne) in Ballantyne & Lambkin (2009: 93)

Luciola overlaeti var. lokandusa Pic , Luciola overlaeti var. lokandusa Pic , Luciola overlaeti lokandusa Pic, 1952 1952: 271 1952: 271 ( McDermott 1966: 111)

Luciola sordida v. nov. pectoralis Pic, Luciola sordida var. pectoralis Pic, 1930 : Luciola sordida pectoralis Pic, 1930 1930: 6 6 ( McDermott 1966: 113)

Luciola spilodera variété cyathigera Luciola spilodera var. cyathigera Luciola spilodera cyathigera Fairmaire, Fairmaire, 1898: 405 Fairmaire, 1898: 405 ( McDermott 1966: 1898

113)

Luciola tetrasticta var. nov. Luciola tetrasticta var. brevemaculata Luciola tetrasticta brevemaculata Pic , brevemaculata Pic, 1921: 342 Pic, 1921: 342 ( McDermott 1966: 114) 1921

Luciola tetrasticta v. nov. pallidicollis Luciola tetrasticta var. pallidicollis Pic , Luciola tetrasticta pallidicollis Pic, 1931 Pic, 1931: 40 1931: 40 ( McDermott 1966: 114)

Luciola turneri var. hecqi Pic, 1956: 194 Luciola turneri var. hecqi Pic, 1956: 194 Luciola turneri hecqi Pic, 1956 ( McDermott 1966: 114)

Pyrophanes quadrimaculata var. Pyrophanes quadrimaculata var. Pyrophanes quadrimaculata bimaculata bimaculata Olivier in Baer, 1886: 187 bimaculata Olivier in Baer, 1886: 187 Olivier in Baer, 1886 ( McDermott 1966: 116) Ballantyne et al. (2015: 26) considered Pyrophanes quadrimaculata bimaculata , based on a single female, as species incertae sedis as there was no evidence of reliable association with males of this species

Other Nomenclatural Issues

Luciola bimaculicollis var. flavonotata [sic], a subsequent incorrect spelling of Luciola bimaculicollis var. flavocostata Pic, 1928

Note. The name Luciola bimaculicollis var. flavonotata [sic] Pic, 1938 as listed in McDermott (1966) was never described by Pic and therefore is interpreted here as a subsequent incorrect spelling for Luciola bimaculicollis var. flavocostata Pic, 1928 , following ICZN Article 32.5.1.

Pyrophanes similis var. crassicrus

Note. Ballantyne et al. (2015) indicated that Olivier (1902, 1907, 1910) had incorrectly recorded a variety crassicrus as a variety of the species Pyrophanes similis , all attributed in each reference to Olivier (1885), however, Olivier (1885: 370) does not list that name. No variety or subspecies “ crassicrus ” exists in Luciolinae .

Type species for Luciola

The type species of the genus Luciola , and the correct author for Luciola pedemontana , is addressed elsewhere (Ballantyne and Jusoh, in review).