Carpophilus antiquus Melsheimer

Powell, Gareth S. & Cline, Andrew R., 2017, Type designations and taxonomic remarks for Nearctic sap beetles in the subfamily Carpophilinae Erichson (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae), Zootaxa 4268 (2), pp. 293-295 : 294

Carpophilus antiquus Melsheimer

Carpophilus antiquus Melsheimer 1844: 105 .

Lectotype (here designated) housed at the MCZ. Specimen was found in the Melsheimer collection identified and labeled as the holotype of Cercus punctulatus Melsheimer 1844 , whereas a specimen labeled as the holotype of Carpophilus antiquus Melsheimer was not recovered from the Melsheimer collection nor from any other material housed at the MCZ . Parsons (1943) stated that the type for C. antiquus was indeed housed in the Melsheimer collection but made no mention of C. punctulatus . Upon close inspection and comparison to the original description by Melsheimer it was determined that the specimen studied can only be the actual type specimen for C. antiquus —the two species were described in the same manuscript and the type localities are both listed as “ Pennsylvania ” creating the opportunity for a misdiagnosis. The specimen treated here as the single syntype for C. antiquus does not match the coloration, punctation, dull surface, elytral length, or pronotal angles of C. punctulatus . The specimen does, however, match the original description Melsheimer gave for C. antiquus with the elytral apices being much darker that the rest of the dorsal surface, pronotal disc minutely punctured, acute hind pronotal angles, and overall reddish-brown coloration. The actual type specimen for Cercus punctulatus has not yet been recovered and may not have been designated with the appropriate labels when the error occurred. Several major collections have been searched ( NHM, USNM) without success. Labels read as follows: “ Melsh ” “ M.C.Z. Type 26488” “ C. punctulatus ”. A red label was added as follows: “ Lectotype / Carpophilus antiquus / Melsheimer, 1844 / Designated by Powell & Cline 2016”.