Chelifer rutilans, Tomosvary, 1883

Novák, János & Dányi, László, 2018, Catalogue of the type material of pseudoscorpions (Arachnida: Pseudoscorpiones) deposited in the Hungarian Natural History Museum, Budapest, Zootaxa 4527 (3), pp. 301-322 : 314

rutilans Tömösváry, 1883

Chelifer rutilans Tömösváry 1883: 202 –203, pl. I figs 25–26; Daday 1889a: 122, 177.

Lectotype (by present designation). HNHM Pseudoscorp-124: tritonymph “ Chelifer rutilans Tömösváry, 1882 lectotype = Chelifer cancroides (Linnaeus 1758) tritonymph, rev.: J. Novák 2018 ”; Also present in the tube, but now placed in separate microvial, was 1 ex. “ Neobisium carcinoides (Hermann, 1804) rev.: J. Novák 2018 ”, which is not considered a type (see Remarks); previous labels: “1891/1929 Chelifer rutilans Töm., Det. Dr. Daday Jenő ”, “ Chelifer cancroides (L.), Tritonymphe, TYPE von Chelifer rutilans Tömösvary + N. carcinoides (Hermann) ”, “Ponor-Ohaba (Hunyad vm.)” [cave at Ohaba-Ponor (probably current Peștera Șura Mare), Hunedoara County, Romania].

Current status. Chelifer cancroides (Linnaeus, 1758) syn. nov.

Remarks. The specimen designated as the lectotype here is assumed to be one of the syntypes of the species. Tömösváry’s original labels were probably replaced later, without indicating the original identifier or type status (see Introduction). There is another specimen in the vial beside the syntype, identified as Neobisium carcinoides (Hermann, 1804) by an unknown reviser, an identification confirmed here by the first author. Since this specimen was not mentioned in the original description, it was probably placed in the vial later, through a curatorial mistake. Tömösváry mentioned another specimen of C. rutilans from Crimea (sent to him earlier by A. Sseliwanoff), but he did not make it clear whether he considered it a type. Because he did not state which specimens were used for the description, we treat both of them as syntypes. Unfortunately, we have not been able to identify the person who added the label indicating that Chelifer rutilans is a synonym of C. cancroides (Linnaeus, 1758) and this synonymy has not been published before. Our revision of the lectotype confirms that it is a tritonymph of Chelifer cancroides (Linnaeus, 1758) , hence Chelifer rutilans Tömösváry, 1883 becomes a junior subjective synonym of that species (syn. nov.). The designation of the tritonymph from ‘Ponor-Ohaba’ (vial HNHM Pseudoscorp-124) as the lectotype is motivated by the probable loss of the paralectotype from Crimea, which prevents a verification of its identity, and the previous presence of a specimen of N. carcinoides in the vial containing the lectotype.