Ochodaeus grandiceps Fairmaire

Paulsen, M. J., 2014, Correction of the misidentifications and confusion surrounding Ochodaeus grandiceps Fairmaire, 1897 (Coleoptera: Ochodaeidae), and the description of a new species of ochodaeid from Cuba, Insecta Mundi 2014 (369), pp. 1-6 : 1-2

The true Ochodaeus grandiceps Fairmaire

Fairmaire (1897) clearly and carefully described Ochodaeus grandiceps , with a type locality of Sichuan, China. He stated that the specimen was remarkable for its large head and produced clypeus with two distinct tubercles; he also described the dark spots on the elytra and base of the pronotum ( Fairmaire 1897). Because the MNHN type specimen matches the description perfectly there is no doubt that it is the type ( Fig. 1 ). These characters together with the trapezoidal interlocking mechanism of the propygidium identify it as a representative of the Asian genus Nothochodaeus Nikolajev, 2005 . The species must be transferred to that genus, resulting in the new combination N. grandiceps (Fairmaire) .

Further complicating matters, Nikolajev (2009) based a new genus, Mimochodaeus , on what was purported to be O. grandiceps Fairmaire from Sichuan. The species illustrated, however, is not O. grandiceps , and it is not immediately clear which species is actually depicted. After receiving images of the holotype of O. grandiceps from me, Nikolajev (in litt.) has indicated that he will publish a correction concerning Mimochodaeus in the near future.

Figures

Figure 1. Holotype of Ochodaeus grandiceps Fairmaire (MNHN), now Nothochodaeus grandiceps, with labels.