Centris moldenkei Toro & Chiappa, 1989

Vivallo, Felipe, 2023, Taxonomic notes on the primary types of some species of Centris bees described by some entomologists from the Americas (Hymenoptera: Apidae), Iheringia, Série Zoologia (e 2023003) 113, pp. 1-18 : 6

Centris moldenkei Toro & Chiappa, 1989

Centris moldenkei TORO & CHIAPPA, 1989: 246 .

Type data. This species was described based on a large series of specimens of both sexes collected in northern Chile, visiting flowers of Prosopis tamarugo F. Phil. ( Fabaceae ). The holotype male was collected by Toro and it is currently housed at AMNH. The specimen bears the following data label: I Region La Tirana 20-X-1988 H. Toro [handwritten]\ [red label] HOLOTIPO [printed]\ Centris moldenkei n. sp. [printed]\ AMNH _IZC 00324675 QR code [printed]. Paratype female with the following data label: I Región La Tirana 20- X-1988 H. Toro [handwritten]\ [red label] ALLOLOTIPO [printed]\ Centris moldenkei n. sp. [printed] TM [handwritten]\ Centris moldenkei Toro y Chiappa [printed]\ AMNH _IZC 00324676 QR code [printed] ( AMNH).

Type locality. Chile: Tarapacá Region: La Tirana .

James Crawford. James Chamberlain Crawford (1880–1950) was anAmerican entomologist. For many years Crawford was an active member of the Entomological Society of Washington, acting as recording secretary and member of its editorial committee ( GAHAN et al., 1951). In 1904, he joined the Bureau of Entomology as special field agent, studying the cotton insects in Texas, United States. While in that city, Crawford published a number of papers focused on taxonomy of Hymenoptera . Some years later he was brought to Washington and appointed as curator of the Division of Insects in the United States National Museum staying in that institution until 1917. During that time, he specialized in the taxonomy of hymenopteran insects publishing numerous papers in different journals and magazines. He passed away in Bethesda, Maryland, United States, aged 70.

Crawford’s Centris bees. In Centris Crawford described one species and one variety from Central America, based on specimens collected in Costa Rica. The contribution made by this author was failed, because both taxa are currently considered junior synonyms. He also failed in mentioning which specimens were the holotypes or citing any additional data to recognize them. In the type series of both taxa found at NMNH there is a single specimen of each series labeled as “Type”, while the others bear a label of “cotype”. This procedure is found in the species of Centris bees described by Cockerell (see VIVALLO, 2020c) and whose primary types are also deposited in NMNH. Considering this, I am interpreting that Crawford made both descriptions based on single specimens, therefore, holotypes.