Culex pulcripalpis Rondani, 1872

Sforzi, Alessandra & Sommaggio, Daniele, 2021, Catalog of the Diptera types described by Camillo Rondani, Zootaxa 4989 (1), pp. 1-438 : 100-101

Culex pulcripalpis Rondani, 1872

ORIGINAL DESCRIPTION: 1872a: 31.

TYPE LOCALITY: “ Italia [ Italy]”.

TYPE MATERIAL: 1 ♂, lectotype (terminalia on a slide) ( MZUF: Box 57): Culex Lin. / pulcripalpis Rndn. / 3022 / 670327–1 / pulchripalpis [sic!] Rondani 67, ♂, UCLA-ZOOL / lectotype Culex pulchripalpis [sic!] by Zavortink, 1968.

PARALECTOTYPE EXAMINED: 1 ♂ (missing all legs except the right mid-leg) ( MZUF: Box 57): Culex Lin. / pulcripalpis Rndn. / 3022 / pulchripalpis [sic!] Rondani, ♂, UCLA-ZOOL / Paralectotypus.

SLIDE: Genitalia on slide n° 19 (Box Diptera Rondani 2): Lectotypus / pulchripalpis Rondani , 67 UCLA-ZOOL ♂, Univ. Calif. Los Angeles, Zoology - Ent., 670327–1 # 3022.

CURRENT STATUS: valid species, as Orthopodomyia pulchripalpis [sic!] ( Minář 1991: 85); valid species, as Orthopodomyia pulcripalpis ( Boorman et al. 1995: 11, Severini et al. 2009: 222, Harbach 2018: 108).

REMARKS: Rondani (1872a: 31) included Culex pulcripalpis as a new species in a key but did not provide a detailed description, number or length of the specimens but provided specific characters for the male. The subsequent spelling “ pulchripalpis ” has been used ( Giles 1900: 275, Kertész 1903: 145, Zavortink 1968: 52, Minář 1991: 85) but it is not in prevailing usage ( Boorman et al. 1995: 11, Severini et al. 2009: 222, O’Hara et al. 2011: 213). Therefore, the original spelling “ pulcripalpis ” is to be used and “ pulchripalpis ” is an incorrect subsequent spelling. Zavortink (1968: 52) designated a lectotype (♂) and paralectotype (♂).