Brongniartia Eights, 1833

Boyko, Christopher B., 2024, Taxonomic notes and nomenclatural corrections in Crustacea: Isopoda (exclusive of Oniscidea), Zootaxa 5497 (3), pp. 409-425 : 416-417

Brongniartia Eights, 1833 and Ceratoserolis Brandt, 1988 [ Serolidae ]

Remarks: Leach (1824) introduced Brongniartia as a new genus of beetle ( Coleoptera ) wih the sole species and type by monotypy, B. atra Leach, 1824 . Eaton (1832), who was clearly unaware of Leach’s (1824) paper, introduced “ Brongniatia Mihi” for three trilobite species: Asaphus platycephalus Stokes, 1824 , Isotelus isotelea Eaton, 1832 (an unnecessary replacement name for Isotelus gigas Dekay, 1824 ), and B. carcinodea Eaton, 1832 ; no type species was designated. Brongniatia was explicitly named for Brongniart and so is an incorrect original spelling; Eaton (1832) only used that spelling once when introducing the genus, in all other places in his paper it was spelled Brongniartia so it is evident from the paper itself that the intended original spelling was Brongniartia . Brongniartia Eaton (1832) is therefore a junior homonym of Brongniartia Leach (1824) and is currently considered a junior synonym of Isotelus Dekay, 1824 . In a footnote, Eaton (1832: 32) stated “It is my opinion, that Dr. Eights has specimens of two distinct species of this genus, which he collected in the Southern Ocean.” Evidently, Eaton (1832) considered Eights’ specimens to be true trilobites, although Eights (1833) recognized them as crustaceans.

Eights (1833) was aware of Eaton’s (1832) use of Brongniartia and knew that it was a synonym of Isotelus Dekay, 1824 but stated that Brongniartia “being unoccupied” could be used by him as a new name for the crustacean species he described, Brongniartia trilobitoides . The Code does not recognize as status of “unoccupied” and Brongniartia Eights, 1833 is a therefore a homonym of Brongniartia Leach, 1824 and Brongniartia Eaton, 1832 .

Cals (1977) introduced the new genus name Ceratoserolis for two previously described and four new species of serolids, including “ Serolis trilobitoïdes ” (sic), but did not designate a type species and the name is unavailable; he did not mention Brongniartia Eights, 1833 .

Brandt (1988) credited Ceratoserolis to Cals (1977) but restricted the genus to only three species, including “ Ceratoserolis trlobitoides ( Eights, 1833) ” which was designated as the type species thereby making the name available from the 1988 paper; again, Brongniartia Eights, 1833 was not mentioned. Because Brongniartia trilobitoides is the type species of Brongniartia and Ceratoserolis , the two names are therefore objective synonyms; but as the latter is a junior homonym of Brongniartia Leach, 1824 and Brongniartia Eaton, 1832 , the valid name for the taxon reverts to Ceratoserolis Brandt, 1988 , the next available name.