Pothea haematogaster Breddin, 1903

(Figs. 69–72)

Pothea haematogaster Breddin (1903: 108) (original description), Wygodzinsky (1949: 23) (catalog), Gaedike (1971: 131) (catalog of types deposited in SDEI), Carpintero (1978: 204) (checklist), (Maldonado (1990: 66) (catalog).

Pothea hematogaster: Dougherty (1995: 212) (citation, geographical distribution).

Pothea sanguiniventris Miller (1956: 7–8) (description, Fig. 8, a–c), Wygodzinsky (1959: 297–298) (Synonymized with P. haematogaster Breddin), Gaedike (1971: 138) (catalog of types deposited in SDEI), Maldonado (1990: 66) (catalog, as a junior synonym of P. haematogaster Breddin), Dougherty (1995: 212) (citation as a valid species, geographical distribution). Confirmed synonym.

Distribution. Peru, Bolivia.

Discussion. Pothea haematogaster was described based on an unspecified number of males (Breddin 1903). Gaedike (1971) listed a male deposited in SDEI (Figs. 69–70) as holotype, thus validly designating it as a lectotype. Pothea sanguiniventris was described based on a single male (the holotype), deposited in SDEI (Miller 1956, Gaedike 1971) (Figs. 71–72). Wygodzinsky (1959) established P. sanguiniventris as a junior synonym of P. haematogaster arguing that in Miller’s description of the former species there were not any characteristics to distinguish it from the latter species, and both were described from Bolivia. Dougherty (1995) cited both species separately as valid. It is not possible to know if she did not consider the synonym because of the reasons presented by Wygodzinsky (1959) to state it or if she simply overlooked his statement. In any case, the synonym proposed by Wygodzinsky (1959) is confirmed now, based on the examination of the type specimens of Pothea haematogaster and P. sanguiniventris by their direct examination (Figs. 69, 71). It is noteworthy that among the labels attached to the holotype of P. sanguiniventris there is a handwritten label which reads “ Pothea sanguineiventris Bredd ” (Fig. 72) in G. Breddin’s handwriting (cf. Horn & Kahle 1935; pl. VI, fig. 9). As this specimen was part of Breddin’s collection, it probably represents a syntype of P. haematogaster, labeled by Breddin himself, albeit with an unpublished earlier manuscript name (the Greek and Latin epithets haematogaster and s anguiniventris respectively both mean ‘of red venter’).

Material examined. Pothea haematogaster Breddin, 1903 . Male lectotype (designated by Gaedike 1971: 131, by use of ‘holotypus’): Pothea / haemato- / gaster Bredd [handwritten label] // Holotypus [red label] // Typus [red label] // Amazone… [last or few characters apparently cut off at the right margin the label] // Coll. / Breddin (SDEI). Pothea sanguiniventris Miller, 1956 . Male holotype: Pothea / sanguini - / ventris sp. n / (holotype) [all these lines handwritten] / N.C.E. Miller det. 1955. [printed, with exception of the last “5.”, which was handwritten] // Pothea / sanguinei- / ventris Bredd [handwritten label] // Typus [red label] // Dtsch. Entomol. / Institut Berlin // Type [rounded white label with red circle] // Holotypus [red label] // Bolivia / Yungas de la / Paz, 1000 m. [handwritten label] // Coll. / Breddin (SDEI).