Lepidiota delicatula 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 : 463

Lepidiota delicatula Blackburn, 1888

Lepidiota delicatula Blackburn, 1888b: 852 .

Lepidiota suavior Blackburn, 1912: 56 ; Britton 1978: 81 (synonymy).

Lectotype of Lepidiota delicatula (here designated) female ( Figs. 20–22 ): N.T. [Northern Territory] (handwritten) | LEPIDIOTA delicatula, Blackb. (handwritten by Blackburn) | I.510 Lepidiota delicatula Bl N. Territory (handwritten) TYPE (handwritten in red, at right angle) | SAMA Database No. 25-034465 | my lectotype label; in SAM.

Blackburn (1888b) did not define the type series, seeing an unknown number of females (vide Articles 73.1.2, 72.1.1). Lea (1912, 1916) referred to a “type” in SAM. Britton (1978) referred to a “ holotype ” male from Northern Territory in SAM and Houston & Weir (1992) followed this, albeit with “(probable)”. 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 the lectotype.

Lectotype of Lepidiota suavior (here designated) male: Type H.T. (circular red ringed, typeset) | 7901 Roeb. B. Roebuck Bay [18.09°S, 122.28°E] (handwritten in red) ♂, T (handwritten) | Blackburn coll. 1910-236 (typeset) | LEPIDIOTA suavior, Blackb. (handwritten) | my lectotype label; in NHML.

Paralectotype female of Lepidiota suavior : Type H. T. (circular red ringed, typeset) | 7901 Roeb. B. Roebuck Bay [18.09°S, 122.28°E] (handwritten in red) ♀ T (handwritten) | Blackburn coll. 1910-236 (typeset) | LEPIDIOTA suavior, Blackb. (handwritten) | my paralectotype label; in NHML .

Blackburn (1911) did not define the type series, seeing an unknown number of males and females (vide Articles 73.1.2, 72.1.1). Lea (1912, 1916) noted that the ‘type’ had been sent to NHML. Britton (1978) referred to a “ holotype ” (gender not given) from Roebuck Bay in NHML and Houston & Weir (1992) interpreted Britton’s (1978) incorrect reference to a holotype as a lectotype designation (and stated it to be a male). Neither referred to a female syntype. As Britton (1978) and Houston & Weir (1992) provided no discussion and did not label any specimen in NHML, neither mention of a holotype constitutes a valid lectotype designation (vide Article 74.5). To stabilise nomenclature, I designate the male in NHML the lectotype. The females in NHML becomes 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.