Galesus sexpunctatus Ashmead, 1893: 408

Notton, David G., 2014, A catalogue of the types of Diapriinae (Hymenoptera, Diapriidae) at the Natural History Museum, London, European Journal of Taxonomy 75, pp. 1-123 : 7

Galesus sexpunctatus Ashmead, 1893: 408 , 463, pl. 17, fig. 6.

Valid name

Coptera sexpunctata ( Ashmead, 1893) comb. nov.

Summary of types

Lectotype ♀, BMNH number 9.1003, here designated . Paralectotype ♂.

Primary type data

St. Vincent / W.I./ H.H. Smith; Galesus / bipunctatus / ♀ Ashm.; W.Indies/ 99-331.

Type locality

West Indies, St Vincent.

Remarks

This species is named at the end of the generic description of Galesus Haliday in Curtis 1829 with a reference to the figure of the female and male; the figure serves as an indication to make this species name available (Article 12.2.7). Although Ashmead (1893) says this species was from St. Vincent, in his study of St. Vincent diapriids the following year, the only species of Galesus mentioned is G. bipunctatus Ashmead in Riley, Ashmead & Howard, 1894 . It is reasonable to assume that this is one and the same species redescribed under another name because: a) both species were described from St. Vincent from type series including both sexes; b) both species are referred to as having six punctures; G. sexpunctatus in the specific epithet and G. bipunctatus in its original description which includes the phrase “vertex with six small punctures”; c) an examination of Ashmead’s labels shows how the change of names could have happened as 6- punctatus and bipunctatus look quite similar in Ashmead’s handwriting. Minor differences between the figures of G. sexpunctatus in Ashmead (1893) and the description of G. bipunctatus Ashmead in Riley, Ashmead & Howard (1894) may be discounted because the figures in Ashmead (1893) are often inaccurate in details. It is reasonable therefore to regard the syntype series of G. sexpunctatus as the same as that of G. bipunctatus . The original description of G. bipunctatus was based on two females and two males, of which a pair was found in the BMNH. The same specimen is designated lectotype for both G. sexpunctatus Ashmead, 1893 and G. bipunctatus Ashmead in Riley, Ashmead & Howard, 1894 q.v. to ensure objective synonymy. The lectotype is glued to a micropin and is entire. G. sexpunctatus belongs in the genus Coptera . Coptera sexpunctata Montilla & García, 2008 is now a secondary junior homonym and the new replacement name Coptera pijiguaorum Notton, Montilla & García nom. nov. is proposed. Pijiguaorum is the genitive plural of a Latinized form of the name of the Pijiguaos people of Venezuala.