Craspedophorus gabonicus Thomson, 1858

Craspedophorus gabonicus Thomson, 1858: 34 (type locality “Gabon”). Lorenz 2005: 320. Häckel and Farkač 2012: 81. [?] Epicosmus gabonicus Chaudoir 1861: 351 . Eudema gabonicum Gemminger and Harold 1868: 208 .

Note. This species was based on a single specimen collected in Gabon. Description (in part, see Thomson 1858: 34). “Length 18 mm, width 8–9 mm. It strongly resembles C. festivus [Klug, 1833] differing from it by differently shaped pronotum and elytral maculae. Black. (Quatre taches jaunes sur les élytres, traversées chacune par cinq espaces longitudinaux [Elytra with four yellow-red maculae, each occupies five longitudinal intervals] as in C. festivus, with regular margins, not serrate, Head smooth. Pronotum less rounded than in C. festivus, narrowing anteriorly, disc strongly punctured. Elytra with long intervals, strongly punctured, legs irregularly punctured” [from French]. The position of this taxon was twice confused by Chaudoir. Firstly by his incomplete report (1861: 351) and later by his selection of the lectotype. In my opinion, Chaudoir erroneously selected the specimen (1879: 95), matching it with other species than with that described by Thomson (see discussion). The original Thomson‘s type could be found neither in MNHN nor in BMNH, MRAC OUMNH and it is most probably lost. No specific species or type can thus be assigned to Thomson‘s name [some specimens in Basilewsky‘s collection labeled “? gabonicus Thoms. ” answer to Thompson’s description—not quite, yet the most. Partially those specimens here newly described as C. ruficroides thomsoni n. ssp. (Plate 6, Figs 46–48) occur in Gabon, Cameroon and the Central African Republic. Its populations contain specimens larger than 20 mm (i. e. substantially larger than in Thomson’s description). Partially those could also concern smaller specimens from the same series which are here described as C. phenacoides n. sp. (Plate 7, Figs 56–57), but their presence is only known from Cameroon.] In my opinion, the chance of finding Thomson’s type in future remains low. Therefore, I put the name out of the system as nomen dubium.