Platypus cylindricus, BURMEISTER, 1831

Cognato, Anthony I., 2015, Platypus cylindricusBurmeister, 1831 (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Platypodinae), in Reference to a Baltic Amber Fossil, is an Unavailable Name, The Coleopterists Bulletin 1831 (1), pp. 176-177 : 176-177

PLATYPUS CYLINDRICUS BURMEISTER, 1831 ( COLEOPTERA : CURCULIONIDAE : PLATYPODINAE ), IN REFERENCE TO A BALTIC AMBER FOSSIL, IS AN UNAVAILABLE NAME

ANTHONY I. COGNATO Department of Entomology , Michigan State University 288 Farm Lane , Room 243 East Lansing, MI 48824, U.S.A. [e-mail]

On 26 September 1830, an abstract concerning an amber collection in the University of Greifswald and written by Professor Hünefeld was read before the Assembly of Naturalists and Physicians of Hamburg (Versammlung der Naturforscher und Ärzte zu Hamburg) and subsequently published ( Hünefeld 1831). The abstract included a list of insects observed in Baltic amber and identified to various taxonomic levels by H. Burmeister. Two specimens of “ Platypus cylindr .” were listed, but a species description or reference to a description was not given. Burmeister (1832) later commented that he only recognized Platypus sp. in the University of Greifswald collection. The name Platypus cylindricus , attributed to Burmeister ( Hünefeld 1831), appeared later in a catalog of fossil insects ( Scudder 1891) and in a catalog of Platypodidae ( Wood and Bright 1992) . Schedl (1947) reviewed the Scolytidae and Platypodidae in Baltic Amber and interpreted “ Platypus cylindr .” as Platypus cylindrus (F., 1792), an extant European species. He viewed the identification as dubious and remarked that the specimens were no longer available for study. Adding to the confusion, the name Platypus cylindricus (F.) was also used in reference to Platypus cylindrus (F.), which appears to be a misspelling or the misuse of the French common name, Platype cylindrique ( Kugelann 1794; Olivier 1795; Latreille 1806; Rupertsberger 1879). In addition, Platypus cylindricus Bosc was used in reference to a North American species but is a nomen nudum because a description or reference to a description does not accompany the name ( Dejean 1821).

Platypus cylindricus Burmeister, 1831 is unavailable because Scudder (1891) created an incorrect subsequent spelling of Platypus cylindrus with his interpretation of “ Platypus cylindr .” as Platypus cylindricus . The previous name “ Platypus cylindr .” ( Hünefeld 1831) is without nomenclatural standing because the name contains a “.”, and it is not accompanied by a description or reference to a description. Other misuses of the name Platypus cylindricus previously mentioned should be disregarded.