Antitrogus burmeisteri Blackburn, 1911

Allsopp, Peter G., 2020, Clarification of the status of the types of Australian Melolonthini (Coleoptera Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae) described before 1950, Zootaxa 4885 (4), pp. 451-486 : 455

Antitrogus burmeisteri Blackburn, 1911

Antitrogus burmeisteri Blackburn, 1911: 200 .

Lectotype (designated by Britton 1978: 17) male: Type H. T. (circular red ringed, typeset) | 281 S.A. [South Australia] (handwritten in red) T (handwritten) | Blackburn coll. 1910-236 (typeset) | Antitrogus burmeisteri, Blackb. (handwritten) | my lectotype label; in NHML.

Paralectotype male: Antitrogus Burmeisteri Blackb. Cotype (handwritten) | 281 S.A (handwritten in red) | I.525 Antitrogus burmeisteri Bl. S. Australia (handwritten) TYPE (handwritten in red, at right angle) | my paralectotype label | mouthparts on card on separate pin labelled: Club of Ant. Very strong. Bl. 281 (handwritten); in SAM.

Blackburn (1911) saw two males, one of which was “badly damaged”, but evidently companion specimens. Lea (1912) noted that the ‘type’ was sent to NHML. Britton (1978) referred to a “ holotype ” male from South Australia in NHML and a “ paratype ” male in SAM. Houston & Weir (1992) interpreted Britton’s (1978) incorrect reference to a holotype as a lectotype designation and the reference to a paratype as a paralectotype designation. Given that Britton (1978) clearly nominated the specimen (one of only two syntypes) in NHML as the holotype, I follow Houston & Weir (1992) in accepting a lectotype designation by Britton (vide Article 74.5). The second syntype in SAM, somewhat damaged, is a paralectotype.