Megarhopaea gigas ( Lea, 1916 )

Allsopp, Peter G., 2020, Clarification of the status of the types of Australian Melolonthini (Coleoptera Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae) described before 1950, Zootaxa 4885 (4), pp. 451-486 : 473

Megarhopaea gigas ( Lea, 1916)

Pararhopaea gigas Lea, 1916: 288 .

Megarhopaea gigas: Britton 1978: 32 .

Rhopaea demarzi Frey, 1969: 113 ; Britton 1978: 32 (synonymy).

Holotype of Pararhopaea gigas (by original designation) male ( Figs. 48–50 ): gigas (handwritten) Lea, Type (typeset) Ouldea [Ooldea, 30.46°S, 131.84°E] (handwritten) | I.517 ♂ ♀ Pararhopaea gigas Lea S. Australia (hand-written) TYPE (handwritten in red, at right angle) | SAMA Database No. 25-034452 | my holotype label | one set of protarsi in vial on separate pin in same tray; in SAM.

Paratypes: 1 male: Lake Arcoona, A. Loveday, Mt Pleasant 3.1.1901 (handwritten) | my paratype label ; 1 male: Co-type (typeset) | Nat. Mus. Victoria (typeset) Coll. By Mr. Chandler Jan. to Mar. 1901 (handwritten) | South Australia, on railway route coll Jan to March by Mr Chandler 10 miles East of Golden Well (handwritten) | my paratype label; both in SAM .

Lea (1916) did not define the type series, seeing an unknown number of males and one female (vide Articles 73.1.2, 72.1.1) from Ouldea [Ooldea], Lake Arcoona and 10 miles east of Golden Well, all in South Australia. However, he stated the “Type” to be SAM registered number I.517 (vide Article 73.1.1), with at least one specimen in MV. Britton (1978) referred to a “ holotype ” male in SAM from Ooldea and 3 male “ paratypes ” from Lake Arkoona [sic] or 16 km E Golden Well in SAM and MV (split not defined). This was followed by Houston & Weir (1992). There are an additional two males in SAM collected at Ooldea by Lea but there is no indication that they are part of type series and I have not considered them paratypes.

Figures

FIGURES 38–50. 38–40, Lectotype male of Lepidiota platyura Lea, 1924 (junior synonym of Lepidiota podicalis Moser, 1913). 38, dorsal; 39, lateral; 40, labels. 41–43, Lectotype male of Lepidiota rufa Blackburn, 1888. 41, dorsal; 42, lateral; 43, labels. 44–47, Holotype male of Lepidiota rugosipennis Lea, 1924 (junior synonym of Lepidiota squamulata Waterhouse, 1875. 44, dorsal; 45, lateral; 46, aedeagus; 47, labels. 48–50, Holotype male of Pararhopaea gigas Lea, 1916 (now Megarhopaea gigas). 48, dorsal; 49, lateral; 50, labels. Photographs courtesy of the South Australian Museum Board.