Cleopus verbasci Dufour, 1843

Caldara, Roberto, Casalini, Roberto & Baviera, Cosimo, 2012, Taxonomic and nomenclatural notes on the Rhinusa tetra (Fabricius) species complex (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), Zootaxa 3329, pp. 31-40 : 34

Cleopus verbasci Dufour, 1843

Cleopus verbasci was quoted by Dufour (1843) as being described by Fabricius, but the name had not been used in this combination by any previous author. Fabricius (1787) actually described Curculio verbasci [currently Cionus and synonymous with C. tuberculosus (Scopoli, 1763) ], which Dufour reported on the same page as Cionus . Certainly Dufour followed Dejean (1821) who cited a Cionus verbasci (surely the above Fabrician species) from “Paris”, and immediately below a Cleopus verbasci (attributed to “Meg.[erle] Rossi?” from “ Gal.[lia] mer.[idionalis]”). Since, however, Dejean did not write any description, Dufour is the author of this species (type locality: Vallée d'Ossau, French Pirenees), as correctly reported by Desbrochers des Loges (1893), Zumpt (1933) and Klima (1934). This taxon was described by Dufour very briefly after some species of Cionus and quoted as being collected on Verbascum . Desbrochers des Loges (1893) placed Cleopus verbasci among the synonyms of R. vestita ( Germar, 1821) without explanation, a decision followed by Zumpt (1933) and Klima (1934). Péricart (1973) reported that there are no syntypes of this taxon in Dufour's collection at MNHN, but stated that the synonymy with R. vestita is very doubtful on the basis of the host plant ( R. vestita lives on Antirrhinum majus ) and the brief description. We agree with Péricart's opinion and consider Cleopus verbasci as synonymous with R. tetra . This position is corroborated by the arguments reported below with regard to Cleopus uncinatus . Therefore, following the provisions of the Article 75 of the ICZN (1999), with the express purpose of clarifying taxonomic status of this taxon, we designate a neotype for Cleopus verbasci Dufour which agrees with R. tetra . It is deposited at MNHN and has the following label data: “ France, Bilhères d'Ossau, 4.VIII.2011, sur Verbascum blattariae L., leg. P. Weill & J. Pelletier [printed on white card] / Neotype, Cleopus verbasci Dufour , des. R. Caldara 2011 [printed on red card]”. This specimen is a male, 3.0 mm long (rostrum excluded), in good condition and glued on a white rectangular card. The type locality of this taxon becomes now France, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Bilhères d'Ossau.

It should be noted that the name verbasci Dufour in the genus Rhinusa is a secondary homonym with R. verbasci ( Rosenschoeld, 1838) .