Lampyris gridellii, Pic, 1935

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 : 47-48

L. gridellii Pic, 1935

Lampyris Gridellii Pic, 1935: 147 . Loc. typ. “ Barce ” (G. Krüger).

= Lampyris gridelli Geisthardt & Satô, 2007: 227 incorrect subsequent spelling McDermott 1966: 3, 135; Geisthardt 1983: 24; Geisthardt & Satô 2007: 227; Keller 2024

( Figs. 1–3 )

Distribution. Endemic of Libya (Cyrenaica): Barce ( Pic 1935) , Cyrenaica ( McDermott 1966).

Note. Similar to L. exilis but more elongated, with a shorter pronotum and straighter sides ( Pic, 1935).

As can be seen in the original publication, the author Maurice Pic (1935) received the species collected by G. C. Krüger via Edoardo Gridelli. Recently the Type was not found in the National Museum of Natural History of Paris - MNHN ( Geisthardt 1983), although it should be noted that the Pic collection is disorganized and part of the typical series could still be preserved and found in the future. In the original description there is no mention of how many specimens the species was described from, nor in which collection they are now found. In reality the species had been sent to M. Pic by E. Gridelli and described and published in the Acts of the Museum of Trieste. In fact, in this museum there is still in good condition a specimen of L. gridellii , which is unequivocally a syntype. In fact, as can be seen from the syntype’s labels, it was collected in the type locality of Barce in Cyrenaica by G. Krüger and was entrusted to

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the care of Edoardo Gridelli , who was first curator (from 1928), and then director (1945–1957) of the Civic Museum of Natural History of Trieste. Given that Pic says that the species has a size of 9–20 mm (however, it could also be a printing error and in reality it was described on only one specimen of 19–20 mm) and that Geisthardt believed it to be present in Museum of Paris in the Maurice Pic collection, there could certainly be more than one specimen of the typical series, and therefore be Syntypes ( ICZN 1999: Art. 72.1.1.) . Obviously , the taxon could also have been described on just one specimen, the one present in the Museum of Trieste. However, given that Pic does not fix the holotype ( ICZN 1999: Art. 73.1.3.) , that there could be more than one specimen, and that the holotype therefore cannot be considered with certainty fixed by monotypy ( ICZN 1999: Art. 73.1.2.). Thus, the specimen of Trieste ( Italy), should be designated a lectotype rather than assume it a holotype ( ICZN 1999: Recommendation 73F. Avoidance of assumption of holotype) .

Therefore, the specimen preserved at the Civic Museum of Natural History of Trieste

( Figs. 1–3 , and see the label data and information reported in “Materials and methods”) is the lectotypus by present designation. The designation of the lectotype is considered important here as the species is not well documented, except for the old description and the type whose fate had not been known prior to this work. Any eventual discoveries in the Pic collection in Paris of other specimens would automatically make them paralectotypes ( ICZN 1999: Art. 73.2.2.; Art. 74.1.3.; Recommendation 74F.).

Figures

Fig. 1. Lampyris gridellii Pic, 1935. Lectotype, dorsal view.

Fig. 2. Lampyris gridellii Pic, 1935. Lectotype, lateral view.

Fig. 3. Lampyris gridellii Pic, 1935. Lectotype, labels.