Lepidiota degener Blackburn, 1888

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 : 462-463

Lepidiota degener Blackburn, 1888

Lepidiota degener Blackburn, 1888b: 853 .

Lectotype (here designated) male ( Figs. 17–19 ): N. Territory [Northern Territory] (typeset) | LEPIDIOTA de-gener, Blackb. (handwritten by Blackburn) | Type (handwritten in pencil) | I.509 Lepidiota degener Blkb N. Territory (handwritten) TYPE (handwritten in red, at right angle) | SAMA Database No. 25-035293 | my lectotype label; in SAM .

Blackburn (1888b) saw two specimens of unknown genders but did not designate a type (vide Article 72.1.1). Britton (1978) referred to a female “ holotype ” and a female “ paratype ”, both from “ Northern Territory ” and in SAM. This was followed by Houston & Weir (1992). As Britton (1978) and Houston & Weir (1992) provided no discussion and did not label any specimen in SAM as the holotype, neither mention of a holotype constitutes a valid lectotype designation (vide Article 74.5). To stabilise nomenclature, I designate the specimen in SAM labelled as “TYPE” the lectotype. I have not located the second specimen; it must be considered a paralectotype.

Figures

FIGURES 17–28. 17–19, Lectotype male of Lepidiota degener Blackburn, 1888. 17, dorsal; 18, lateral; 19, labels. 20–22, Lectotype female of Lepidiota delicatula Blackburn, 1888. 20, dorsal; 21, lateral; 22, labels. 23–25, Holotype female of Lepidiota flavipennis Lea, 1926. 23, dorsal; 24, lateral; 25, labels. 26–28, Holotype female of Lepidiota lepidosterna Lea, 1926. 26, dorsal; 27, lateral; 28, labels. Photographs courtesy of the South Australian Museum Board.