Hedychrum spina Lepeletier, 1806

Rosa, Paolo & Xu, Zai-fu, 2015, Annotated type catalogue of the Chrysididae (Insecta, Hymenoptera) deposited in the collection of Maximilian Spinola (1780 - 1857), Turin, ZooKeys 471, pp. 1-96 : 66-68

Taxon classification Animalia Hymenoptera Chrysididae

Hedychrum spina Lepeletier, 1806

Hedychrum spina : Lepeletier 1806: 121.

Label

[♀]: Elampus spina Lep. - Panzeri var.; Coll. Latr. France / 6262.

Catalogue Casolari & Casolari Moreno. Elampus panzeri , 148, 97, 51, 5 (box 50).

Remarks.

The type of Elampus spina (Lepeletier) could be housed at MNHN or in the Spinola collection. A specimen of this species at MNHN is labelled: E. Panzeri F. <handwritten by Lepeletier> / Hedychrum spina Lep. type? <handwritten by du Buysson> / Museum Paris Meudon (S. et. O.) Coll. Le Peletier 160-45 <partially printed, locality handwritten by du Buysson>. This specimen was not considered as a type by du Buysson (1898: 563; 1899: 160), because when arrived at MNHN it was labelled only as Elampus panzeri by Lepeletier, without locality or identification label. It perfectly matches the original description by Lepeletier and the colour drawing furnished by the author. We would nowadays identify this specimen as Elampus constrictus ( Förster, 1853) (sensu Móczár 1964a). The specimen in the Spinola collection could alternatively represent the type, but even in this case, there is no certainty. It perfectly matches Lepeletier’s description and it belongs to the species Elampus constrictus ( Förster, 1853) also.

Lepeletier’s description is clear: " Tête et corcelet d’un vert bleuâtre; yeux et antennes noirs. Corcelet très-prolongé sous l’écusson. Abdomen doré, troisième segment échancré. Pieds d’un vert bleuâtre; tarses pâle. Ailes à peine enfumée. Mâle. De Meudon". The description is completed by a colour drawing (pl. 6: 2) which shows a specimen with light green head and mesosoma, golden metasoma and small dimensions, being smaller than Hedychrum nitidum [= Holopyga fervida ] and Hedychrum lucidum [= Holopyga lucida ], and approximately as long as Hedychridium roseum [= Hedychridium roseum ]. Description, colouration, and dimensions are different from the species considered Elampus spina sensu Linsenmaier (1959) and Móczár (1964b). This species is one of the largest Elampus species (up to 9 mm) in Europe, with head and mesosoma dark blue to violet and with a flame red metasoma, sometimens dark red to red-violet on the lateral sides. Even the type locality of Elampus spina seems to be out from the current distributional limits of Elampus spina sensu auctorum.

The misinterpretation of the species that the name Elampus spina refers to started with Dahlbom (1845: 41): Spinola sent a specimen to Dahlbom identified as Elampus spina (or Elampus panzeri var. spina ), which he had received from Latreille, and that clearly differs from the specimen now placed in the Spinola collection under the name spina Lep. coll. Latreille.

Dahlbom (1854: 42) did not describe Elampus spina Lepeletier, but instead he described a new species received by Spinola and named Elampus spina Spinola: "Habitat in Gallia, a D. Latreille detectus, e cujus Collectione Illustr. Spinola accepit individuum quod describendi caussa mihi benevole misit". Dahlbom's description matches the description of Elampus bidens ( Förster, 1853): "Submagnus 2 1/4 lin. decimal. long. violascenti et purpurascenti-aeneus abdomine cyaneo-viridi, segmento 3:tio ante emarginatnram utrinque bisinuato postscutello mucronato".

Abeille (1878: 1, 2) replaced the name Elampus spina Dahlbom with superbus ("nomen à changer"). Both Elampus spina Dahlbom and Elampus superbus Abeille are synonyms of Elampus bidens .

Based on the type material examined in MNHN, HNHM, and LZM, the original description and drawing, Elampus spina (Lepeletier) (sensu Linsenmaier 1959 and Móczár 1964a) is Elampus frivaldszkyi ( Förster, 1853) (= Elampus productus Dahlbom, 1854); Elampus constrictus ( Förster, 1853) is the junior synonym of Elampus spina (Lepeletier, 1806). We suggest the neotype designation of Elampus spina and a revision of the European species, based on recent findings.

Moreover, we note that Elampus panzeri (Fabricius, 1804) is the valid name for Elampus scutellaris (Panzer, 1798). A future revision of the European species belonging to the genus Elampus is already planned to put in order the complex taxonomical problems of this genus.

Since 1845 the name spina has been considered as a noun and not as an adjective; in fact it was used as an invariable name in the genus Elampus , Ellampus , Omalus , and Notozus in more than fifty publications. Kimsey and Bohart (1991) introduced the name Elampus spinus in accordance with the genus gender, but in conflict with the historical interpretation of the name and the articles 23.5 (applications to spellings) and 33.3.1 of the ICZN (when an incorrect subsequent spelling is in prevailing usage and is attributed to the publication of the original spelling, the subsequent spelling and attribution are to be preserved and the spelling is deemed to be the correct original spelling).

Only three authors followed the interpretation given to the name by Kimsey and Bohart ( Elampus spinus ( Tyrner 2007), Omalus (Elampus) spinus (Arens 2014, Linsenmaier 1999)) while in other publications the name Elampus spina remained in use (Liubomirov 2007, Mingo 1994, Rosa 2005a, 2005b, 2006, 2009, Strumia 1995, 2005, Strumia and Yildirim 2007, 2012, Strumia, Gayubo, Gonzalez 2010, Tussac and Zumeta 2004, Vinokurov 2008).

Current status.

Elampus spina (Lepeletier, 1806) (transferred by Kimsey and Bohart 1991: 171).