Atelechira elegans ( Thunberg, 1821 )

Geiser, Michael & Bezděk, Jan, 2019, On the Identity of Crioceris aulica Fabricius, 1781, a Member of Malachiidae Misplaced in Chrysomelidae (Coleoptera) and Consequent Taxonomical Changes in Atelechira Lacordaire, 1848, The Coleopterists Bulletin 73 (1), pp. 179-184 : 182-183

Atelechira elegans ( Thunberg, 1821) , restored as valid species

Clythra elegans Thunberg 1821: 184 . Forsberg 1821: 263, 279.

11–12) Original labels.

Clythra (Atelechira) aulica: Lacordaire 1848: 85–87 (misidentification).

Miopristis aulica: Gemminger and Harold 1874: 3279 (misidentification).

Miopristis (Atelechira) aulica: Jacoby and Clavareau 1906: 13 (misidentification); Clavareau 1913: 29 (misidentification).

Atelechira aulica: Weise 1908: 144 (misidentification); Medvedev 1993: 381–382 (misidentification); Erber and Medvedev 2004: 80 (misidentification).

Type Material Examined. The holotype of C. elegans in the UUZM), bears a printed red label with “ Uppsala Univ. Zool. Mus. / Thunbergsaml. nr. 8211 / Clythra elegans / Cap. TYP” and a white handwritten box label with “elegans. / Cap. 22” ( Figs. 8–12 ). Because there is no indication that Thunberg used for his description the material from other collections, we treat this single specimen of C. elegans as the holotype (see also Bezděk 2016).

Due to the aforementioned misinterpretation of the type of C. aulica , the name of the species currently known as A. aulica needs to be changed. Thus, the only known synonym, Clythra elegans Thunberg, 1821 , is restored as a valid species.

Lacordaire (1848) proposed the subgeneric name Atelechira with two included species, C. (A.) aulica and Clythra (Atelechira) baculus Lacordaire, 1848 , but he did not choose the type species of the subgenus. Medvedev (1970) designated C. baculus as the type species of the Protoclytra Weise subgenus Hirtolenes Medvedev, 1970 . The type species of Atelechira was not designated until Medvedev (1993) designated A. aulica . Because Medvedev´s (1993) designation was based on misapplication of a previously established nominal species, the type species of Atelechira is Atelechira elegans ( Thunberg, 1821) (see ICZN, Art. 69.2.4).

Figures

Figs. 8–12. Clythra elegans, male holotype. 8) Dorsal habitus; 9) Lateral habitus; 10) Head and pronotum;