Micandra Staudinger, 1888

Prieto, Carlos, 2011, The genus Micandra Staudinger (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae: Theclinae) in Colombia, with the description of a new species from the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Zootaxa 3040, pp. 55-68 : 57

Micandra Staudinger, 1888

Egides Salazar 1995: 46; nomen nudum.

Egides Johnson, Kruse & Kroenlein, 1997: 16. Type species: Pseudolycaena aegides C. Felder & R. Felder.

Nomenclatural remarks. The authorship of Micandra was correctly attributed to Staudinger by Hemming (1967), Eliot (1973), and Johnson (1992), whereas several other authors erroneously credited it to Schatz (e.g., Clench 1971; Robbins 2004; Robbins & Busby 2008). However, Hemming (1967) overlooked the fact that the earliest publication of Micandra as an available name appeared on plate 97 of Theil I of Staudinger & Schatz's Exotische Schmetterlinge (1884–1888), which was published in late April 1888, and not on pages 288–289 of the same work, which were published several months later, in early November 1888 ( Lamas et al. 1995). The publication of both the text and plates of Theil I of Exotische Schmetterlinge was clearly the sole responsibility of Staudinger, and any new names appearing in them ought to be attributed to Staudinger alone. Close examination of the text of both Theil I and II of Exotische Schmetterlinge reveals that Schatz was responsible only for Theil II, which started publication in 1885 and was completed in 1892 by Röber, after Schatz died in May 1887. Staudinger utilized Schatz's manuscript name Micandra for the first time in plate 97 of Theil I, and by doing so he unwillingly became the author of the new generic name, as established by Article 50.1 of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature ( ICZN 1999). A full description of Micandra appeared only much later (in March 1892) on page 265 of Theil II, under the editorship of Röber. In addition, because Staudinger originally included two species ( Pseudolycaena platyptera C. Felder & R. Felder , and Micandra sapho Staudinger ) in his newly established genus Micandra , rather than the single species platyptera as erroneously assumed by Hemming (1967), the generic name lacks a validly designated type species. In order to remedy this situation, and following the kind advice of Prof G. Lamas, I hereby select Pseudolycaena platyptera C. Felder R. Felder, 1865 as the type species of Micandra Staudinger , [April] 1888, by subsequent designation.

Micandra is assigned to Eumaeini on the basis of the presence of ten forewing veins, male genitalia lacking a juxta, and male foretarsus fused and stubby tipped ( Eliot 1973). The genus was placed within the “ Micandra section” of Eumaeini by Robbins (2004).