Titanochrysa circumfusa ( Burmeister, 1839 )

Tauber, Catherine A., Albuquerque, Gilberto S. & Tauber, Maurice J., 2012, The Neotropical genus Titanochrysa (Neuroptera, Chrysopidae): larval descriptions, biological notes, a new species, and taxonomic changes, Zootaxa 3514, pp. 1-26 : 20-22

Titanochrysa circumfusa ( Burmeister, 1839)

Figs 16 – 20

Chrysopa circumfusa Burmeister, 1839: 980 [original description; locality: “ Brasilien, von Herrn Thoren in Hamburg”]. Schneider 1851: 87 [redescription, illustration]; Walker 1853: 247 [brief redescription]; Navás 1913: 92 [brief redescription]; Navás 1913 – 14: 86 [species list]; Banks 1944: 10 [species list]; Penny 1977: 17 [species list]; Adams 1985: 7 [lectotype designation, comparison with Chrysopodes limbata (Navás) ].

Cintameva circumfusa Burmeister. Navás 1927: 38 [first reference to species in Cintameva , locality data]; Navás 1929: 859 [locality data, as Cintomeva, misspelling].

Chrysopodes (Chrysopodes) circumfusus (= circumfusa ) (Burmeister). Brooks & Barnard 1990: 272 [transfer to Chrysopodes (Chrysopodes) , species list]; Oswald 2007 [catalog listing].

Titanochrysa circumfusa ( Burmeister, 1839) . Sosa & Freitas 2012: 3 [transfer to Titanochrysa , redescription, images].

Chrysopa nigripalpis Banks 1910: 153 [original description; locality: “ Colombia, St. Antonio, 1,800 ft., Febr. (Fassl)”]. Navás 1913: 92 [brief redescription]; Banks 1944: 10 [species listing]; Brooks & Barnard 1990: 280 [species list]; Oswald 2007 [catalog listing]. New Synonym.

Chrysopa burmeisteri Navás, 1929: 858 [original description; locality: “ Brasil. Espírito Santo, Coll. Alichaelis M. H.”]. Banks 1944: 10 [synonymy with Chrysopa circumfusa ]; Penny 1977: 19 [species list, as synonym of C. circumfusa ].

Type material. Chrysopa circumfusa . Lectotype ( Figs 16 – 18 ). Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin [ ZMB]; one specimen, sex unknown (examined). Labels: [1] S. João d. Rey, Sellow [green, hand written]; [2] “ circumfusa Burm. / Schneider.*” [hand written]; [3] “338”; [4] “ Chrysopodes ”; [5] “ LECTOTYPE / Chrysopa circumfusa / Burmeister desig. / by P. A. Adams 1985 / det. C. A. Tauber 2011 ” [red]. The type locality is probably São João del Rei in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil.

In his original description, Burmeister (1839) did not mention how many specimens he worked with, where they were from, nor where they were deposited. Schneider (1851) redescribed and illustrated the species; he also mentioned a collection locality in Brazil (“ Brasilia, apud San João del Rey”, presumably the type locality) and three depositories (“Mus. Halenski” [ HALLE], “Berolin” [ ZMB] and “collectione de Selys-Longchamps” [ IRNSB]). All three museums have specimens that carry “ circumfusa ” type designations. One of the specimens in the ZMB clearly fits Burmeister’s original description and Schneider’s redescription and figure; it is also the specimen that Adams (1985: 7) referred to as the “ type ” of the species. Although not specifically stated by Adams, his notation constitutes designation of the lectotype, and we concur. The specimen is in good condition, except the terminal segments of the abdomen are missing ( Figs 16 – 18 ). The abdomen was present on Schneider’s drawing, but absent when Adams examined the specimen in the 1980s.

The non-type specimen in the ZMB is a male of Chrysopodes , species undetermined; the specimen at Halle is a teneral male of Ceraeochrysa cubana (Hagen) . The specimen in the IRNSB is a Chrysopodes male, species undetermined. Its head and tail are cleared and contained in a vial of glycerine; it bears a determination label “ Chrysopodes sp. / det. S. J. Brooks 1986”. It probably is the specimen that Brooks and Barnard (1990) considered to be the lectotype of Chrysopa circumfusa , and that formed the basis for their transfer of C. circumfusa to Chrysopodes (Chrysopodes) . However, Schneider’s and Adams’ actions that constituted designation of the lectotype (see above) have precedence. Also, this specimen (head cleared, in an attached vial of glycerine) probably served as the source for the illustrations of the C. circumfusa mouthparts in Brooks and Barnard (1990: Figs 331, 332) that do not correspond to those of T. circumfusa (see Sosa & Freitas 2012: Fig. 17 A).

Chrysopa nigripalpis . Lectotype ( Figs 19 – 20 ). Museum of Comparative Zoology, [Harvard University, Cambridge]; one specimen, sex unknown (examined). Labels: [1] “San Antonio / Colombia Fassl / Feb. 1 800[?]” (hand written); [2] “Collection / N. Banks”; [3] “ type ” (red, hand written); [4] “ Type / 11977” (red, print & hand written); [5] “ Chrysopa / nigripalpis / Bks type ” (white, red border, hand written).

Banks (1910) did not mention how many specimens he used to prepare his description of this species. There is only one type in the MCZ, and we consider it to be the lectotype. The specimen is in fairly good condition, except that it is somewhat compressed dorsoventrally and the last ~six segments of the abdomen are missing ( Figs 19 – 20 ).

The synonymization of Chrysopa nigripalpis with T. circumfusa is based on the following shared characteristics: red genal markings, red lateral stripe on the scape, pattern of wing venation, and pattern of fumose markings on the forewing membrane.

Chrysopa burmeisteri . Navás deposited the type in the Hamburg Museum, presumably destroyed during WWII. In the absence of the type, the synonymy, made by Banks on the basis of R. C. Smith’s notes from the 1930s, pertains.

Figures

FIGURE 16. Chrysopa circumfusa, Lectotype, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. A. Habitus, dorsal; B. Head, prothorax, and mesothorax, dorsal; C. Body and legs, lateral; D. Body, dorsal.

FIGURE 17. Chrysopa circumfusa, Lectotype, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. Head. A. Frontal; B. Dorsal; C. Lateral; D. Ventrolateral. Scale applies to all images.

FIGURE 18. Chrysopa circumfusa, Lectotype, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. Upper, Forewing; Lower, Hindwing. Scale applies to both images.

FIGURE 19. Chrysopa nigripalpis, Lectotype, Museum of Comparative Zoology. A. Head and thorax, dorsal; B. Head and prothorax, dorsal; C. Head, ventral; D. Head, prothorax, lateral.

FIGURE 20. Chrysopa nigripalpis, Lectotype, Museum of Comparative Zoology. A Habitus, dorsal; B. Wings.