Microrhopaea flavipennis Lea, 1920

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 : 473

Microrhopaea flavipennis Lea, 1920

Microrhopaea flavipennis Lea, 1920: 737 .

Lectotype (here designated) male ( Figs. 51–53 ): mounted on card | flavipennis (handwritten) Lea, TYPE (typeset) Darwin [12.46°S, 130.84°E] (handwritten) | 19663 Microrhopaea flavipennis Lea N. Territory (handwritten) TYPE (handwritten in red, at right angle) | SAMA Database No. 25-035326 | my lectotype label; in SAM.

Paralectotypes: 5 males mounted on two cards on the same pin | 7/10 | Port Darwin N. Territory typeset) (two identical labels) | Microrhopaea flavipennis Lea E.B. Britton det 1955 (handwritten and author name typeset) | my paralectotype label; in SAM .

Lea (1920) did not define the type series, seeing an unknown number of males (vide Articles 73.1.2, 72.1.1) and did not designate a register number for the type or indicate where the specimen(s) were housed. Britton (1978) referred to a “ holotype ” male and a “ paratype ” male from Darwin in SAM, and Houston & Weir (1992) considered this incorrect reference to a holotype as being a lectotype designation. As Britton (1978) and Houston & Weir (1992) provided no discussion and did not label any specimen in SAM, neither mention of a holotype constitutes a valid lectotype designation (vide Article 74.5). To stabilise nomenclature, I designate the specimen in SAM with the ‘TYPE’ label the lectotype. The other five specimens in SAM are paralectotypes.

Figures

FIGURES 51–62. 51–53, Lectotype male of Microrhopaea flavipennis Lea, 1920. 51, dorsal; 52, lateral; 53, labels. 54–56, Lectotype male of Rhopaea callabonnensis Blackburn, 1894 (now Pararhopaea callabonnensis). 54, dorsal; 55, lateral; 56, labels. 57–59, Holotype male of Pararhopaea rhipidocera Lea, 1916. 57, dorsal; 58, lateral; 59, labels. 60–62, Holotype male of Paralepidiota cavifrons Lea, 1919 (now Pseudholophylla cavifrons). 60, dorsal; 61, lateral; 62, labels. Photographs courtesy of the South Australian Museum Board.