Callimicra lucida Waterhouse

Woodley, Norman E., 2023, Taxonomic placement and nomenclatural revisions for five species of Neotropical Buprestidae (Coleoptera), Insecta Mundi 2023 (983), pp. 1-6 : 4-5

Callimicra lucida Waterhouse , resurrected name

The nomenclature for Callimicra lucida and its synonyms has had a rather tortured history. In Dejean’s (1833: 83, 1836: 95) catalogs of his collection of Coleoptera , he used the generic name Callimicra under which he listed two species, including “Lucida. Dej. Brasilia .” as well as “Venustula. Dej. Id.” Neither of the species names were otherwise published, so are nomina nuda, and the generic name Callimicra Dejean is unavailable because no valid species were originally included in the publications ( Bousquet and Bouchard 2013: 16). The genus Callimicra was subsequently described by Deyrolle (1864: 219), but only in a key with a footnote indicating the three species he included in the genus (which were Coraebus bicolor Gory and Laporte, 1839 , C. subcyanea Gory, 1841 , and C. taciturna Gory, 1841 ). Gemminger and Harold (1869: 1430) put Callimicra lucida Dejean as a synonym of Coraebus bicolor Gory and Laporte , in the genus Coraebus . They included Callimicra Dejean as a synonym of Coraebus and did not recognize Callimicra Deyrolle in their catalog. The type species for Callimicra , Coraebus bicolor Gory and Laporte , was subsequently designated by Cobos (1979: 425).

Waterhouse (1889: 165) described Callimicra lucida based on ten specimens from Bugaba, Panama (lectotype designated by Hespenheide (1979: 111), by Article 74.5 of the ICZN Code). Kerremans (1892: 300) treated C. lucida Waterhouse as a valid species, and treated C. lucidula Dejean, 1837 [=1836], as a synonym of C. bicolor , not associated with the Waterhouse name; this was the first misspelling of lucida as “ lucidula ”.

Kerremans (1903: 331) listed lucidula Waterhouse as species number 7 under Callimicra , which is the first use of this incorrect spelling for the Waterhouse name. The name bicolor (Gory and Laporte) was listed as species number 23, without any synonyms, as apparently synonyms were not included in the species lists in this publication. Fisher (1922: 71) treated C. lucida Waterhouse as a valid species, but Obenberger (1937: 1430) listed C. lucida Dejean and C. lucidula Kerremans ( Kerremans 1892) in synonymy under C. bicolor (Gory and Laporte) , and on page 1432, C. lucidula Waterhouse as a valid species from Panama, continuing the error of Kerremans (1903).

Blackwelder (1944: 339) proposed Callimicra loonae as a new name, listing C. lucida Waterhouse and C. lucidula Obenberger, 1937 , in synonymy, without any explanation as to why he thought a new name was needed.

Hespenheide (1979: 111) discussed the names for this species taxonomically, and considered C. hoscheki Obenberger ( Obenberger 1922: 163) the valid species name, with C. lucida Waterhouse and C. loonae Blackwelder as synonyms, apparently thinking that C. lucida was preoccupied, following the entry in Blackwelder.

Bellamy (2008c: 2637), under C. hoscheki Obenberger, listed C. lucida Waterhouse and C. loonae Blackwelder as synonyms, following Hespenheide, and listed C. lucidula Waterhouse sensu Obenberger as a misidentification. The last is incorrect, as Obenberger simply followed the misspelling of Kerremans (1903) in his catalog, with the correct Waterhouse reference, so it is not a misidentification.

Bellamy (2008c: 2637) listed C. lucidula Waterhouse (1889: 165) as a valid species, using the same reference as for C. lucida Waterhouse which he treated as a synonym of C. hoscheki ! There is no spelling “ Callimicra lucidula ” in Waterhouse, this was simply a spelling error starting with Kerremans (1903). He included the subsequent references Kerremans (1892: 300) and Fisher (1922: 71), neither of which used a C. lucidula spelling associated with C. lucida Waterhouse.

Taking all of the above history into account, this nomenclatural history and correct synonymy can be summarized as follows:

Callimicra lucida Waterhouse 1889: 165 . Resurrected valid name.

Callimicra lucidula [sic] Waterhouse in Kerremans 1903: 331. Incorrect subsequent spelling.

Callimicra hoscheki Obenberger 1922: 163 . New synonym.

Callimicra lucidula [sic] Waterhouse in Obenberger 1937: 1432. Incorrect subsequent spelling.

Callimicra loonae Blackwelder 1944: 339 . Unnecessary new name for C. lucida Waterhouse.

Callimicra lucidula [sic] Waterhouse in Bellamy 2008c: 2637. Fictitious name with no nomenclatural standing.