Palaeophylia tricolor ( Fabricius, 1781 )

Bezděk, Jan, 2019, Annotated review of Cryptocephalinae (Clytrini), Synetinae and part of Galerucinae (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae) described by Carl Peter Thunberg, European Journal of Taxonomy 499, pp. 1-42 : 33-34

Palaeophylia tricolor ( Fabricius, 1781)

Fig. 17

Chrysomela tricolor Fabricius, 1781: 129 (original description).

Crioceris tetrapuncta Thunberg, 1787: 47 (original description). Syn. nov.

Crioceris dimidiata Thunberg, 1827: 9 (original description). Syn. nov.

Type localities

Chrysomela tricolor : not stated; Crioceris tetrapuncta : “Cap” [= from the publication title]. Crioceris dimidiata : “Cap” [= from the publication title].

Material examined

Holotype

SOUTH AFRICA • 1 spec. unsexed; “ Chr. Tricolor / Fabr. Sp. Ins. n. 77 [w, h] // AfriGa / specimen ID: [p] / 251 [h] / specimen data / documented [p] / 4.IX. [h] 20 [p] 0 8. [g, h]”; BMNH – Banks coll.

Additional material

SOUTH AFRICA • 1 spec. unsexed, syntype of Crioceris tetrapuncta ; “Uppsala Univ. Zool. Mus. / Thunbergsaml. nr. 9521 / Crioceris tetrapuncta / Mus. Thunb. TYP [r, p] // tetrapuncta / 15 / Mus. Thunb. [box label, w, h]”; UUZM • 1 spec. unsexed, syntype of Crioceris tetrapuncta ; “Uppsala Univ. Zool. Mus. / Thunbergsaml. nr. 9219 / Crioceris tetrapuncta / Cap. TYP [r, p] // tetrapuncta . / Cap. 3 [w, h]”; UUZM • 2 specs, lectotype (head and pronotum, designated here) and 1 paralectotype (elytra and thorax) of Crioceris dimidiata ; “Uppsala Univ. Zool. Mus. / Thunbergsaml. nr. 9220 / Crioceris dimidiata / Cap. TYP [r, p] // dimidiata . / Cap. 4 [box label, w, h] // LECTOTYPUS, / head and pronotum / Crioceris dimidiata / Thunberg, 1827 / J. Bezděk des., 2018 [r, p] // PARALECTOTYPUS, / elytra and thorax / Crioceris dimidiata / Thunberg, 1827 / J. Bezděk des., 2018 [r, p]”; UUZM.

Comments

Thunberg’s collection in UUZM contains two syntypes of Crioceris tetrapuncta ( Fig. 17G ). Both specimens were compared with the holotype of Palaeophylia tricolor and the taxa are conspecific. Consequently, Crioceris tetrapuncta is synonymized with Palaeophylia tricolor .

The only known type specimen of Crioceris dimidiata ( Fig. 17C ) is a composite of two different species, but this does not influence the use of the name (see article 17.1 of the Code). The head and pronotum belong to Palaeophylia tricolor ( Fabricius, 1781) , while the rest of body originates from a beetle unknown to me (but not Chrysomelidae ). As Thunberg’s description of Crioceris dimidiata perfectly fits the composite specimen, I have no doubt that the specimen was already composite when Thunberg wrote the description. The head and pronotum are designated as the lectotype of Crioceris dimidiata , in order to fix the name to a particular identity, and C. dimidiata is synonymized with Palaeophylia tricolor .

Currently, the genus Palaeophylia Jacoby, 1903 includes nine species ( Nie et al. 2017) and Palaeophylia tricolor ( Fabricius, 1781) is its type species. The genus was never revised and it seems to be evident that some of the species are not congeneric with Palaeophylia and will be transferred to another genus/other genera in the future.

Figures

Fig. 17. A–I. Palaeophylia tricolor (Fabricius, 1781). A–B. Holotype, unsexed, not measured, BMNH. A. Dorsal view. B. Labels. C–F. Lectotype/paralectotype of Crioceris dimidiata Thunberg, 1827, unsexed, 6.0 mm, UUZM. C. Dorsal view. D. Label. E. Lectotype and paralectotype labels. F. Box label. G–I. Syntype of Crioceris tetrapuncta Thunberg, 1787, unsexed, 6.5 mm, UUZM. G. Dorsal view. H. Label. I. Box label.