Psalidognathus friendii Gray, 1831

Santos-Silva, Antonio & Spooner, Amoret, 2021, On some species of Psalidognathus Gray, especially those of the group “ superbus ” (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Prioninae), Zootaxa 5023 (3), pp. 389-404 : 392-397

Psalidognathus friendii Gray, 1831

( Figs 9 –19)

Psalidognathus Friendii Gray, 1831 : pl. 6.

Prionus (Psalidognathus) Friendii ; Gray, 1832: 116.

Psalidognathus superbus Fries, 1834: 325 . Syn. nov. Remarks. Gray (1831) published an illustration of Psalidognathus friendii ( Figs 9 , 14–15) making both, the genus and species available. Gray (1832) described the genus (as subgenus of Prionus Geoffroy, 1762 ) and the species as follows: “The antennae long, with spines at the apex of each joint; basal joint long, oblong; the second joint short, globose; third long as the fifth and sixth together; seventh to eleventh moderate, and grooved on the outer side. The labrum coriaceous, very small, rounded. The mandibles long, curved under, the exterior ridge rounded; the apex with a sharp edge interiorly, the base with three small teeth; the maxillary palpi as long as the head and thorax; the first joint as long as the third, and the second as long as the fourth; the latter has an enlarging, flattened, and rounded club; the head square, with a strong spine on each side, also a spine at the base of the mandibles; the thorax much broader than long, with three spines on each side; the scutellum triangular, rounded at the tips; the body long, broader at the base, narrowing towards the tip; the legs long; the anterior tibia flattened, grooved, and hairy beneath; the tarsi rather slender. The species we have named Friendii, after Lieutenant Friend, of the Royal Navy, who discovered this fine inset in Columbia. It is rugose, of a metallic green, tinted with purple; the antennae and legs of a metallic purple; the length of the body is two inches and a half. It is in the cabinet of J. G. Children, Esq.”

Fries (1834) described P. superbus ( Figs 10–13 ) and commented that it is equal to Acalus superbus Dalman , and that it was difficult to be sure if it was equal to P. friendii Griffith [actually, Gray]. Still according to him, because the original description of P. friendii did not mention the shape of the labium, which may separate species of the genus and, based on the figure provided in the original description, the labium would be deeply divided in P. friendii . This affirmation reinforces that the differences pointed out by Fries (1834) separating P. superbus from P. friendii are very poor and questionable.

White (1845) reported on P. superbus : “his species, Psal. superbus , seems to be distinct from the P. Friendii of Mr. Gray. M. Nisser in 1827 sent four specimens from Sant Remedios to the Stockholm Academy, and Dalman named the species Acalus superbus , but was prevented by death from describing it; the name Acalus has been preoccupied, otherwise I would assign it to the subgenus [ Prionacalus ]. P. superbus seems to me to be the P. Friendii , var. viridis , of French authors, which has a comparatively shallow groove between the antennae, and has the tibiae in the male much more dilated, as well as other characters, which we have not space to give here. Specimens of both are in the British Museum; Mr. G. Gray’s type specimen of P. Friendii from Mr. Children’s collection, and specimens of P. superbus from the collection of M. Buquet.” White’s (1845) arguments are difficult to understand since he had access to the P. friendii holotype and the drawings in the original description of P. superbus (male) clearly contradict what he said about the shape of the head and of the fore tibiae. It seems evident that he based his statements not on the original description of P. superbus , but on the specimens from Buquet collection.

The work by Bengt Fredrik Fries, describing Psalidognathus superbus and P. modestus has been mentioned as published in 1833. However, the cover of the magazine made clear that the correct year is 1834: “Kongl. Vetenskaps- Academiens Handlingar, för âr 1833. Stockholm, tryckte hos P. A. Norstedt & söner, 1834 [printed by P.A. Norstedt & sons, 1834].” Accordingly, both species were published in 1834.

According to Fries (1834), Mr. Nisser sent three males and one female collected in the small town of Remedios in Colombia (Antioquia). Monné (2021) and Tavakilian & Chevillotte (2021) reported the species as having a holotype. However, the species was described based on syntypes, and a lectotype was never designated. We received photographs of specimens from NHRS as being types of P. superbus . Of those, only one female (NHRS-JLKB 000027522) (Figs 16–19) may be the syntype female mentioned by Fries (1834). Unfortunately, it is possible that the three syntype males were lost forever.

From Gray (1831, 1832), P. friendii was mentioned and redescribed by several authors. Unfortunately, it is impossible to be sure about the true identity of the specimens examined by nearly all of those authors. In some cases, the redescription suggests that the specimen(s) are not the true P. friendii (following the current concepts) as, for example, in Thomson (1859b), who described the fore tibiae in males are being “très-renflés [very bulged].” This description does not agree with the drawing in the original description. Accordingly, without examining the specimens studied by these authors, we need to keep all of them as references to P. friendii .

Lameere (1910) separated P. friendii from P. superbus in his key as follows (translated): “Elytra more or less shiny, with fairly uniform sculpturing; jugular process not curved in the male, and relatively short; anterior edge of the prothorax forming a tooth on each side of the head”, leading to P. friendii ; “Elytra more or less mat, with coarse sculpture at the base, fine and dense on the rest of their surface; jugular process very large and curved in the male, very acute in the female; anterior edge of the prothorax not forming a tooth on each side of the head”, leading to P. superbus . According to him, he examined the holotype of P. superbus . Nevertheless, the information about P. superbus is partially false. The anterolateral angles of the prothorax are somewhat projected on each side of the head, nearly identical to those in the specimen male of P. friendii illustrated by Fries (1934), and the elytral sculpturing in the holotype of P. superbus , apparently is identical to that in the male of P. superbus (Fries 1934) . Later, Quentin & Villiers (1983) practically repeated Lameere’s (1910) information in their key to species of Psalidognathus .

Comparing the description and drawings of P. superbus and P. friendii , the only reliable differences that we can see is the shape of the maxillary palpomere IV, which is much widened at the apex in P. friendii than in the drawings of P. superbus , and the genal process is shorter and less arched in P. friendii .

Examination of several male specimens, as well as the study of the photographs of nearly all types ( Pirkl 2021), show that nearly all features used to separate P. friendii from P. superbus are just intraspecific variations: with long and arched genal process, and moderately narrow protibiae; with long and arched genal process, and distinctly wide protibiae; with short genal process, and moderately narrow protibiae; with short genal process, and distinctly wide protibiae. Additionally, the shape of the head is too variable, independent of the shape of the genal process and protibiae, making the distance between upper eye lobes somewhat variable; the shape and length of the maxillary palpomere IV is also very variable; and the elytral sculpturing is practically identical on basal third of all specimens, although may be somewhat variable on remaining surface. However, other features are very constant, independently of the shape of the other features as, for example, the shape, length and apex of the antennomere III.

According to Thomson (1877a) (translated): “Asked by us about this type, our colleague Dr. Stähl from Stockholm replied the following: “You asked me if, in my opinion, P. superbus Fries is identical with P. friendii Gray. Having at my disposal only a male of P. superbus and a specimen of the same sex of P. friendii , it seems to me difficult to judge the question. But P. superbus , at the same time that it is larger, is above more strongly rugose, and has the anterior tibiae of a different form. The two species could therefore be distinct.” The answer from Stähl did not provide a reliable feature allowing separating the two species. At least, in the explanation published by Thomson, it is not possible to known how the protibiae are different. Furthermore, it is not possible to know if the P. friendii examined by Stähl really belonged to this species. However, it is important to note that according to Stähl, at the time of the question by Thomson, there was only one male of P. superbus , but Fries (1834) affirmed he had three males. It is possible that even at that time, part of the syntype series was lost.

We designate as lectotype of P. superbus the specimen male illustrated by Fries (1834): plate VIII, figures 1, 3, and 4 (here, Figs 10–12 ).

Despite the synonymy between P. friendii and P. superbus proposed here, we believe it is pertinent to expose some considerations about the types of species currently in synonymy. This can be especially important for those who may not agree with our opinion.

White (1856) published a note on P. friendii that, apparently, has been forgotten by previous authors. Although it is not possible to be sure if the specimens referred by him really belong to P. friendii , we think it is of interest to reproduce the information here:

“It may interest the general reader to quote a short passage from a privately circulated paper, written by my friend Mr. Empson of Bath, a distinguished natural-history traveler in South America. The insect alluded to is the noble Psalidognathus Friendii (G. R. Gray) , which is named by the natives of Columbia ‘Alaja,’ that is, ‘the jewel.’ Mr. Empson remarks, “the first of these splendid insects which I ever saw, was at a feast given by the Cabildo, at Mariquita; upon that occasion Don Domingo Conde had placed one of them as a button to loop up, after the Spanish fashion, the broad brim of this Panama hat; to this brilliant ornament a loop of living Fireflies was attached, in a mode common in South America, and which does not injure dazzling insect gems; thus decorated, the sombrero of the cavalero was more conspicuous in the ball-room than the jeweled tiaras of his more wealthy neighbours, although sparkling with the choice emeralds from the mines of Muzo. “After many a weary search,” adds Mr. Empson, “with Don Domingo for my guide, in the primaeval forests on the eastern slopes of the Andes, we captured three of those Alajas.” One of those, he remarks, “was resting on the perishing trunk of a palm-tree; in our eagerness to secure it, my hand was so much lacerated that I was obliged to relinquish my prize, and we saw its gorgeous colours flashing beneath the full blaze of a tropical sun; it settled on the stem of a cedar, and was then more cautiously transferred into my possession.”

Material examined. No data: 7 males, 8 females, former Hope-Westwood coll. ( OUMNH) ; 2 females, former Miers coll. ( OUMNH) ; 2 males, 1 female, former Tylden coll. ( OUMNH) . ECUADOR, Napo: Tena , 1 female, XII.1993, no collector indicate ( DHCO) . Chimborazo: Riobamba , 1 male, 1 female, 1920, Feyer leg. ( MZSP) . COLOMBIA, no more data, 2 males, 2 females ( MZSP) ; 6 males, 5 females ( OUMNH) ; 1 male, former Cox coll. ( OUMNH) ; 9 males, 6 females, former Baden-Sommer coll. ( OUMNH) . Boyacá: Otanche , 5º39’35”N 74º11’20”W, 1050 m, 1 female, 22.III.1992, G. Cubillos leg. ( UNAB) ; 1 female, 3.V.1992, F. Bocachica leg. ( UNAB) ; Muzo , 1 male, no more data ( MZSP) . Cundinamarca: Fusagasugá , 4º20’49”N 74º21’53”W, 1731 m, 1 female, X.1987, D. Castillo leg. ( UNAB) ; 1 female, 13.II.1993, S. Avendaño leg. ( UNAB) ; La Mesa , 4º38’05”N 74º27’57”W, 1298 m, 1 male, 1.V.1995, Alex C. leg. ( UNAB) ; 5º13’16”N 73º58’51”W, 1 male, 15.V.1994, Fique & Reina leg. ( UNAB) ; Sasaima , 4º57’59”N 76º26’15”W, 1191 m, 1 male, no date indicated, J. Murillo leg. ( UNAB) ; La Palma , 5º21’51”N 54º23’51”W, 1462 m, 1 male, 8.I.1995, D. Angel leg. ( UNAB) ; Juan Quintero , 1 male, 15.III.1968, Alban leg. ( UNAB) ; Tudela , 1 female, 1.VI.1996, Diaz C. leg. ( UNAB) ; Arbelaez , 4º16’37”N 74º24’35”W, 1417 m, 1 male, 1 female, 7.IV.1997, González & Hortua leg. ( UNAN) ; Tocaima , 4º27’40”N 74º23’51”W, 400 m, 1 female, 11.X.1995, A. Pérez leg. ( UNAB) ; Villagoméz , 1 female, 10.VII.1968, C. Hernández leg. ( UNAB) . Risaralda: Pereira , 1 female, 2.VI.1999, F. Ome leg. ( UNAB) . Quindio: Barcelona, Finca Villa La Esperanza , 2034 m, 4º08’11”N 75º47’13”W, 1 male, X.2011, J. Torres leg. ( UNAB) . Tolima: Alvarado , 4º34’07”N 74º57’25”W, 439 m, 1 male, 3.IX.1995, J. Tique leg. ( UNAB) ; Teruel , 2º44’11”N 75º33’40”W, 910 m, 1 female, V.1995, Silva leg. ( UNAB) ; Guamo , 323 m, 04º02’N 74º58’W, 1 female, 19.II.1994, P. Saavedra leg. ( UNAB) . Santander: Olival , 06º09’31”N 73º20’36”W, 1 female, 12.X.1996, C. Sotelo leg. ( UNAB) . Cauca: Calarca , 1 male, VI.1969, Correa leg. ( UNAB) ; Cafetal, Mesitas del Colegio , 1 male, IV.1977, Nuñez leg. ( UNAB) ; La Vega , 1 female, II.1978, F. Bernal leg. ( UNAB) ; 1 male, VI.1978, Nuñez leg. ( UNAB) . Valle del Cauca : Cali, 1 male, V.1966, R. Vallejo leg. ( UNAB) ; Villa Carmelo , 1 female, II.1978, I. Zenner leg. ( UNAB) ; 1 female, 8.V.1966, I. Zenner leg. ( UNAB) ; 1 female, 1.XI.1968, I. Zenner leg. ( UNAB) . Antioquia: Remedios , 1 female, former Baden-Sommer coll. ( OUMNH) . PERU, Junín: Satipo , 1 male, IV.1941, no collector indicated ( MZSP) . BOLIVIA, Cochabamba: Chapare, Paracti , 1 male, 1993, no colector indicated ( MZSP) . BRAZIL, no more data, 1 female, Hope-Westwood coll. ( OUMNH) . Amazonas: São Paulo de Olivença, Rio Solimões , VI.1961, 1 female, former Diringshofen col. ( MZSP) ; V.1962, 1 female, former Diringshofen col. ( MZSP) ; Benjamin Constant, Rio Javari , 1 male, II.1960, former Diringshofen col. ( MZSP) .

Figures

FIGURES 9–13. 9) Psalidognathus friendii, holotype male, by Gray (1831). 10–12) Psalidognathus superbus lectotype male, by Fries (1834): 10) Dorsal habitus; 11) Head, ventral view; 12) Lateral habitus. 13) Psalidognathus superbus, paralectotype female, dorsal habitus, by Fries (1834).