Dermolepida lixi ( Nonfried, 1894 ), 1941

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 : 460

Dermolepida lixi ( Nonfried, 1894)

Lepidioderma lixi Nonfried, 1894: 10 .

Dermolepida lixi: Arrow 1941: 448 .

Lepidioderma glaber Brenske, 1895: 42 .

Dermolepida glaber: Arrow 1941: 448 ; Britton 1957: 57 (synonymy).

Lectotype of Lepidioderma lixi (here designated) ( Fig. 10 ): Coll. Nonfried. Nova Guinea (black bordered, typeset) | Lepidioderma Lixi Type Nfr (handwritten) | my lectotype label; in ZMB.

Paralectotype ( Fig. 11 ): Coll. Nonfried. Nova Guinea (black bordered, typeset) | my paralectotype label; in ZMB .

Nonfried (1894) did not define the type series, seeing an unknown number of specimens of unstated gender (vide Articles 73.1.2, 72.1.1). Britton (1957) apparently did not see any types and did not define their status. Britton (1978) referred to a holotype from Cornwallis Island [Dauan, Torres Strait] but did not indicate a collection; this cannot be a paralectotype as it does not come from Nonfried’s type locality of Neu-Guinea. Houston & Weir (1992) followed this status and said that the specimen was in NHML, but in December 2019 I could find no such specimen in NHML. As Britton (1978) and Houston & Weir (1992) provided no discussion, referred to a specimen not from the type locality and did not label any specimen in NHML or ZMB, neither mention of a holotype constitutes a valid lectotype designation (vide Article 74.5). To stabilise nomenclature, I designate the specimen in ZMB with Nonfried’s label the lectotype. A second species in ZMB with the same collection label I designate as a paralectotype.

Lectotype of Lepidioderma glaber (here designated) ( Fig. 12 ): glabra [sic] Brsk. (handwritten by Moser ) | ♂ 5 gl. Fühlerkeule [antennal club with five antennomeres] ♀ 4 gl. [antennal club with four antennomeres] Klauen [claws] [remainder illegible] (handwritten) | Cornwallis Islands. [Dauan Island, 9.41°S, 142.54°E] D Heyne (handwritten) | Coll Brenske (black bordered, typeset) | my lectotype label; in ZMB.

Paralectotype ( Fig. 13 ): Cornwallis Islands . [Dauan Island, 9.41°S, 142.54°E] D Heyne (handwritten) | Coll Brenske (black bordered, typeset) | my paralectotype label; in ZMB .

Brenske (1895) did not define the type series, seeing an unknown number of specimens of unstated gender (vide Articles 73.1.2, 72.1.1). Britton (1978) referred to a “ holotype ” from an unknown location, and Houston & Weir (1992) followed this. As Britton (1978) and Houston & Weir (1992) provided no discussion, referred to a specimen not from the type locality and did not label any specimen in ZMB, neither mention of a holotype constitutes a valid lectotype designation (vide Article 74.5). To stabilise nomenclature, I designate the specimen in ZMB with the “ glaber ” label the lectotype. A second species in ZMB with the same collection label I designate as a paralectotype. Neither have any handwritten identification/type labels by Brenske but they are undoubtably syntypes.

Figures

FIGURES 8–16. Labels on types. 8. Lepidioderma lansbergei Brenske, 1895 (junior synonym of Dermolepida albohirtum (Waterhouse, 1875)). 9. Lepidioderma waterhousei Brenske, 1895 (junior synonym of Dermolepida albohirtum (Waterhouse, 1875)). 10–11. Lepidioderma lixi Nonfried, 1894 (now Dermolepida lixi). 10, lectotype; 11, paralectotype. 12–13. Lepidioderma glaber Brenske, 1895 (junior synonym of Dermolepida lixi). 12, lectotype; 13, paralectotype. 14–15. Lepidiota clypealis Moser, 1913. 14, lectotype male; 15, paralectotype female. 16. Purported holotype of Lepidiota consobrina Girault, 1918. Figs. 8–15 courtesy of Museum für Naturkunde.