Aricia coeruleigaster, Macquart, 1851

Pont, Adrian C., 2012, Muscoidea (Fanniidae, Anthomyiidae, Muscidae) described by P. J. M. Macquart (Insecta, Diptera), Zoosystema 34 (1), pp. 39-111 : 55-56

coeruleigaster Macquart, 1851 , Aricia

Aricia coeruleigaster Macquart, 1851b: 230 ( 1851d: 257) , pl. 23, fig. 13. Lectotype ♂, “ Tasmanie. Muséum.” ( Australia, Tasmania), by present designation, in MNHN.

MATERIAL. — There are 3 ♂♂ syntypes under no. 2400 of the Macquart collection in MNHN. Albuquerque (1950b: 1, 2) synonymized this name with Aricia viridiventris Macquart, 1846 (see below), and apparently considered the syntypes of coeruleigaster and viridiventris as one series, as he wrote (under viridiventris ): “lectótipos ♂ e ♀ e 1 ♂ e 2 ♀♀ paralectótipos”. This is not a valid lectotype designation for either name since neither is fixed to one particular specimen.

1 ♂ syntype is labelled by Macquart “ Aricia / coeruleigaster / ♂. Macq. n. sp.”, and has the accession no. 2.47 ( Australia, collector Verreaux). It is in good condition, with left arista, left mid tarsomeres 4-5, and right mid leg missing. I have labelled it and designate it herewith as lectotype. The other 2 ♂♂ have been labelled as paralectotypes. One has the accession no. 4.46, and the head and right mid leg are missing ; the other has the accession no. 13.44 and is rather mouldy, with antennae and several legs missing. These two accession numbers refer to collections made in Tasmania by Verreaux.

CURRENT IDENTITY. — The lectotype belongs to a species of Helina Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830 , close to H. hirtibasis Malloch, 1923 , and Aricia coeruleigaster is a junior synonym of Helina viridiventris (Macquart, 1846) (Albuquerque 1950b: 1; Pont 1989b: 686). Its essential characters were listed by Albuquerque (loc. cit.). One paralectotype is conspecific, but the headless paralectotype is probably another species.