Lampyris letourneuxi, J. E. Olivier, 1884

Fanti, Fabrizio, 2024, Lampyridae: History of the type species of the genus Luciola, updated checklist of North African fireflies, and other taxonomic and faunistic notes, Baltic Journal of Coleopterology 24 (1), pp. 43-64 : 48-49

L. letourneuxi J. E. Olivier, 1884 stat. rest.

Lampyris Letourneuxi J. E. Olivier, 1884: 24-25 . Loc. typ. “Ramlé ( Egypte)”, hypothesized by Geisthardt 1983: 24 as “ Ägypten, Ramlé =? Ramla/ Israel ”. The type locality reported by Geisthardt (1983) is evidently erroneous and is here specified as

48 being “Mahatet El Raml (= Ramleh)” a neighborhood in Alexandria, Egypt *.

Lampyris Raymondi v. Letourneuxi J. E. Olivier, 1884 : Catalogue

Lampyris lusitanica var. Letourneuxi J. E. Olivier, 1907a: 44, 68; J. E. Olivier, 1910: 36, 62; McDermott, 1966: 4, 138

= [ Lampyris ] lusitanica letournexi sic.! Keller & Martin, 2024: 6 (repeated three times) incorrect subsequent spelling

Distribution. Endemic of Egypt: Ramlé = Mahatet El Raml ( Olivier 1884; present work).

Note. Type not found in the MNP, collection Bourgeois ( Geisthardt 1983). In Olivier (1907a, 1910) synonym of Lampyris lusitanica Motschulsky. Described as a different species, with not complete certainty because Olivier knew of only one specimen, and inserted it under Lampyris raymondi . Then, a few pages later, it was instead considered in the catalogue by the same author as Lampyris raymondi var. letourneuxi ( Olivier 1884) . In previous times, determinations based only on external morphology were extremely difficult and uncertain, and Lampyris raymondi was believed to have a distribution that included southern France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Sardinia, Corsica, Capri, Tremiti Islands, Egypt and Syria ( Olivier 1884, 1907a, 1910; McDermott 1966; Geisthardt 1985). Obviously, it is well known currently that in Sardinia, Corsica, North Africa, and Syria, there are species different from Lampyris raymondi ( McDermott 1966; Geisthardt 1983, 1987; Geisthardt & Satô 2007; Fanti 2022; Guzmán Álvarez & De Cock 2023).

As seen above for other species, due to an incorrect interpretation of the Code, Keller & Martin (2024) consider it a subspecies:

[ Lampyris ] lusitanica letournexi [sic]

and

Status unclear, Lampyrinae incertae sedis while:

family Lampyridae , species incertae sedis in Geisthardt & Satô (2007).

First of all, according to the Code ( ICZN 1999), it must be noted that it is already described as a species ( Geisthardt 1983; Geisthardt & Satô 2007) and not as a variety, so taking it from variety to subspecies is useless, as well as taxonomically incorrect, because Lampyris letourneuxi is certainly not a subspecies, but has the rank of species (stat. rest.). In the type locality of Lampyris letourneuxi ( Egypt), there are only the representatives of Lampyrinae and no Luciolinae ( Geisthardt & Satô 2007), with the latter having a very different appearance and coloration from the Lampyris . Also given that in Olivier's (1884) original description, no character can be associated with Luciolinae , considering Lampyris letourneuxi status unclear and in particular Lampyridae or Lampyrinae incertae sedis ( Geisthardt & Satô 2007; Keller & Martin 2024) makes no sense. Finally, Lampyris letourneuxi is a very different species from Lampyris raymondi / Lampyris lusitanica given the morphological differences ( Olivier 1884) and the considerable distance of the distribution range of the two species ( Geisthardt & Satô 2007; Fanti 2022). However, only the study of the holotype that Geisthardt (1983) did not find in the Bourgeois collection, or the discovery of other specimens will provide us with a precise understanding of its taxonomy, and therefore the possibility of synonyms remains, but certainly not with the taxa compared so far.

* Aristide-Horace Letourneux , born on 21 February 1820 in Rennes ( France), and died on March 3, 1890 in Algiers ( Algeria), was a French lawyer, botanist, and entomologist while working as a civil servant in North Africa. He became a prosecutor in Bône , Algeria, adviser of the court of Algiers and other positions, was invited to participate in the Scientific Exploration of Tunisia (1883- 1885), and at the end of career, in 1876, he was sent to Egypt to sit and defend the interests of France in a mixed court in Alexandria (Note: precisely the type locality of L. letourneuxi ) (web resource: https://www.conchology.be/?t=9001&id=23 363) .