Probolus Wesmael, 1845

Dal Pos, Davide, Heilman, Victoria & Welter-Schultes, Francisco, 2022, Platylabini (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Ichneumoninae) of the south-eastern United States: new distributional data, taxonomic notes, illustrated keys, and an annotated catalogue of the genera and species, Journal of Natural History 56, pp. 1869-1938 : 1920-1921

Probolus Wesmael, 1845

Ichneumon (Probolus) Wesmael, 1845: 150 .

Type species originally Ichneumon fossorius Linnaeus, 1758 , by monotypy. This type species was set aside because it was misidentified, and a new type species Ichneumnon culpatorius Linnaeus, 1758 was fixed under ICZN Article 70.3.2, by Horstmann (2000).

Notes

Type species originally fixed as Ichneumon fossorius Linnaeus, 1758 , by monotypy, with a second species Ichneumon alticola Gravenhorst, 1820 included with doubts (not belonging to the originally included nominal species under ICZN 1999, Article 67.2.5). Wesmael (1845) did not cite an authorship for I. fossorius . Subsequent authors attributed the name incorrectly to Gravenhorst (1820) and recognised this as a different species ( Ashmead 1900a, p. 19; Viereck 1914, p. 122; Townes et al. 1965, p. 509).

Gravenhorst (1820, p. 285) used the Linnean name subsequently and did not establish a new name. Under ‘No. 9 Ichneumon subsericans ’, Gravenhorst reported I. fosssorius as used by Linnaeus and other authors, to belong to the species I. subsericans Gravenhorst, 1820 . Under ‘No. 10 Ichneumon fossorius ’, Gravenhorst (1820, p. 285) presented a species under the name I. fossorius and explained that he used this name in the sense of Fabricius (and Walckenaer and Müller), not of Linnaeus. Gravenhorst (1820) did not intend to establish a new name, but used subsequently the previously established name I. fossorius Linnaeus, 1758 , in the taxonomic sense of Fabricius and other authorities. So, this usage was a misidentification of I. fossorius Linnaeus, 1758 sensu Fabricius, Walckenaer and Müller (Gravenhorst did not provide bibliographic references). Such a misidentified name cannot be taken to establish a new available name ( ICZN 1999, Article 49). Thus, no new name was established, either by Fabricius or by Gravenhorst (1820).

Carlson (1979, p. 513) interpreted ‘ Ichneumon fossorius Gravenhorst, 1820 ’ as a deliberate misidentification of Ichneumon fossorius Linnaeus, 1758 by Gravenhorst (1829, p. 164). Such a case would fall under ICZN Articles 11.10 and 67.13, but only if the deliberately misidentified species was employed to establish a new genus or subgenus. This situation does not apply here. Wesmael (1845) did not demonstrate awareness of a misidentification when establishing Probolus .

Horstmann (2000) reported that Wesmael (1845) misidentified the type species (confirming previous statements by Wesmael (1848) and Wesmael (1853)), and that three female specimens in the collection matched the description of the Probolus type species by Wesmael (1845). These specimens belonged to Ichneumon culpatorius Linnaeus, 1758 in the taxonomic judgement of Horstmann (2000). Horstmann (2000) cited Article 70.3, stating that I. culpatorius Linnaeus, 1758 shall be the type, originally misidentified as I. fossorius in the type fixation by monotypy by Wesmael (1845). Horstmann (2000) attributed I. fossorius to ‘ Gravenhorst 1820 ’; however, incorrect authorship and date citations are immaterial in such acts, and in any case the authorship does not form part of the name ( ICZN 1999, Articles 67.7 and 51.1). By this action Horstmann (2000) validly fixed I. culpatorius as the type species of Probolus .