Cerambycinae, Latreille, 1802

SANTOS-SILVA, ANTONIO, 2015, ON SOME " LOST " TYPES OF CERAMBYX AND LEPTURA SPECIES DESCRIBED BY LINNAEUS (1758), AND A NEW SYNONYMY IN RHINOTRAGINI (COLEOPTERA, CERAMBYCIDAE), Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia (São Paulo) 55 (29), pp. 397-403 : 400-402

( Cerambycinae , Trachyderini ))

Described by Linnaeus (1758) as follows (translated): “ Cerambyx sub-short, roundish, coarsely punctate, body dark, elytra smooth: with white macula. Habitat in America. Rolander. Totally black. Thorax hemispherical, sub-margined, abundantly coarsely punctate, posteriorly excavated close to lateral tooth. Scutellum smooth, longer in the other species. Elytra smooth, black, on each side of scutellum with white line outward oblique.”

Monné (2015a) pointed out where the type of C. stigma was collected: “ Type locality – America. (Depository unknown).”

According to De Geer (1775) (translated): “This Capricorn, that Mr. Rolander sent me from Surinam, is of a shape quite different from that of other species, having great body, but dorsally flattened and ventrally convex.” De Geer (1775) was describing the same specimen used by Linnaeus to describe C. stigma . The holotype of C. stigma belonged to De Geer’s Collection (see introduction).

Following De Geer (1775) it is possible to give a more accurate type locality: Suriname (originally recorded as “America”) .

Leptura necydalea Linnaeus, 1758

(Currently, Isthmiade necydalea

( Cerambycinae , Rhinotragini ))

According to Linnaeus (1758) (translated): “ Leptura with thorax subglobose, elytra notably acuminate towards apex, grayish-blue yellowish. Habitat in America. Rolander. Similar to L. aquatica . Elytra reduced and very acuminate towards apex, very glabrous, grayish-blue yellowish, margins somewhat purple. Head black. Antennae filiform, black, as long as half of body. Femora clavate. Abdomen black, ichneumoniform, margins maculated with white.”

Later, Linnaeus (1767) transferred the species to Necydalis Linnaeus, 1758 , and gave it a new name (unjustified nomen novum), Necydalis glaucescens , and commented (translated): “ Necydalis with elytra notably acuminate towards apex, grayish-blue yellowish. Syst. Nat. 10. p. 399. n. 17. Leptura necydalea . Habitat in Suriname. Head black. Abdomen black with margins maculated with white. Antennae black, as long as half of body.”

Monné (2015a) recorded the type locality for L. necydalea : “ Type locality – America. (Depository unknown).”

However, the holotype belonged to De Geer’s collection and is (or should be) deposited at the Naturhistoriska Riksmuseet (see introduction). According to De Geer (1775) (translated): “This remarkable Necydale, that Mr. Rolander found in Suriname, has six lines of length and one line and a half of width.” De Geer (1775) made clear that it is the same species described by Linnaeus (1758) as Leptura necydalea and gave a new name for it: Necydalis nitida .

Regarding Necydalis glaucescens Linnaeus, 1767 , and N. nitida De Geer, 1775 , Monné (2015a) reported, respectively: “ Type locality – Surinam. (Depository unknown)”; and “ Type locality – Surinam. (NHRS) [Naturhistoriska Riksmuseet, Stockholm, Sweden].” But both N. glaucescens and N. nitida are new names (both are unjustified nomen novum) for Leptura necydalea and, consequently, have no different “ type ” or type locality from Leptura necydalea ( ICZN 1999: Article 72.7).

Linnaeus (1767) gave a more accurate type locality: “Habitat Surinami” (originally recorded as “America”). Fabricius (1787) incomprehensibly recorded: “N. elytris subulatis glaucis, corpora nigro, abdominis incisures albis. Necydalis glaucescens elytris subulatis glauco flavescentibus, femoribus clavatis. Linn. Syst. Nat. 2. 642. 7. Schaeff. Icon. Tab. 94. fig. 6. Habitat in Europa australiori.” Gmelin (1790) followed Fabricius (1787) and wrongly pointed out that the species is from Europe. Schönherr (1817) transferred Necydalis glaucescens to Molorchus Fabricius, 1793 , but correctly pointed out that the species is from “America, Surinam.” According to Schönherr (1817), Necydalis glaucescens sensu Fabricius (1787, 1793 , 1801) is equal to Necydalis rufa Linnaeus, 1767 (currently, Stenopterus rufus ): “ Nec. glaucescens , * Fabr. S. El. II. p. 373. 31. * Ent. S. I. II. p. 355.24. * Mant. I. p. 171. 13. variatio forte. (Minime [not comparable] N. glaucesc . Linn.).” However, Schönherr (1817) did not comment on the error by Gmelin (1790). Nevertheless, following the reasoning by Schönherr (1817), Necydalis glaucescens sensu Gmelin (1790) also corresponds to Necydalis rufa , because according to him: “N. elytris glaucis, corpora nigro, abdominis incisures albis. Fabr. mant. Ins. I. p. 171. n. 13 / […] / Syst. Nat. X. p. 399. n. 17. Leptura necydalea / […] / Habitat in Europa magis australi. ”

Olivier (1811) considered that species as belonging to Oedemera Olivier, 1789 (Oedemeridae) . I have not been able to find another citation of the species in Oedemeridae , nor if some author formally corrected the erroneous transfer.

Aurivillius (1912) transferred Necydalis necydalea to Isthmiade Thomson, 1864 . However, reading the description by De Geer (1775), it is possible to see that the species cannot belong to Isthmiade (length of antennae; presence of bands with dense setae on prothorax, etc.). Tippmann (1953) questioned the inclusion of that species in Isthmiade , when he described I. laevicollis (translated): “ I. necydalea Lin. ruled out, because it involves a clear Acyphoderes -like”. Linsley (1961) pointed out: “ Leptura necydalea Linnaeus, 1758 (= Necydalis glaucescens Linnaeus, 1767 ) (= Necydalis nitida DeGeer, 1775 ), from Surinam, has been referred to this genus by Aurivillius (1912). I do not know this species, but judging from the description and figure provided by DeGeer (1775) is does not appear to be congeneric with the Brazilian species, which include the type of the genus. However, the generic assignment provided by Aurivillius may have resulted from examination of the type specimen.” It is not possible to know whether or not Aurivillius examined the holotype, but there is no doubt that the inclusion in Isthmiade was a mistake.

Tavakilian & Peñaherrera-Leiva (2007) discussed the holotype of Leptura necydalea (translated): “… at Linnaeus’ time, “glauca” in Latin meant a pretty color between green and blue that today fallen into disuse”; “We could not find the typical material of this species nor in Stockholm (former De Geer collection) or in Uppsala (Gustave-Adolphe collection) or London (C. Linnaeus collection)… It is quite possible that Aurivillius have considered the type of De Geer and at least interpreted the pattern shown by him in 1775: pl. XV, Fig. 2 . To date, no green species belonging to the genus Isthmiade is known and no species found in French Guiana have the proposed features.” Regarding the elytral color, according to De Geer (1775), the elytra are “flavi nitidissimis” (or in French, “Les etuis sont d’un jaune de citron pâle, trèsluisants & polis comme une glace, ayant tout autour de leur étendue une espece de bordure brune”). That means that the elytra are pale lemon-yellow, shiny, margined with brown.

Dobreff (2010: appendix 1) listed Leptura necydalea , but apparently, he did not see the specimen, because the number of the box in NHRS was not mentioned. According to Johannes Bergsten (personal communication): “I looked in the De Geer collection and there is a label in the drawer for N. nitida / N. glaucesens ; there is a hole after a pin under the label, but there is no specimen. I do not know where the specimen could be, it is not due to any loan. I also looked in world collection and in our database but it is not indicated in our database which means it has not been in the collection for quite some time, it has not disappeared recently.”

According to Linnaeus (1758) and De Geer (1775) the antennae are about half length of body. However, seeing the drawing ( Fig. 3 ), apparently they are just longer than one-third of the body length.

I believe that L. necydalea is equal to Acyphoderes odyneroides White, 1855 (currently, Acutiphoderes odyneroides ( Rhinotragini )), described from Brazil (Pará), because the description and drawings by De Geer (1775) ( Figs. 3-4 ), and the specimens examined ( Figs. 1-2 ), agree well with both. Thus, Acyphoderes odyneroides is a junior synonym of L. necydalea . Following the transference by Clarke (2015): Acutiphoderes necydalea comb. nov.

Figures

FIGURES 1‑4: (1, 2) Acutiphoderes odyneroides (White, 1855), male: (1) Lateral view; (2) Dorsal view. (3, 4) Necydalis nitida De Geer, 1775 (after De Geer (1775), Plate 15, figures 2-3) (= Leptura necydalea Linnaeus, 1758; = Necydalis glaucescens Linnaeus, 1767): (3) Lateral view; (4) elytra.