Lepidiota rufa Blackburn, 1888

Allsopp, Peter G., 2020, Clarification of the status of the types of Australian Melolonthini (Coleoptera Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae) described before 1950, Zootaxa 4885 (4), pp. 451-486 : 470

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4885.4.1
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:2E69687C-74B4-4087-9BF6-039F5FE14A9E
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4340936
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/C264702F-4529-350D-2BE7-9C0EFCC1F851
treatment provided by	Plazi (2020-11-29 20:44:19, last updated 2024-11-26 00:56:59)
scientific name	Lepidiota rufa Blackburn, 1888
status

Treatment

Lepidiota rufa Blackburn, 1888b: 854 .

Lectotype (here designated) male ( Figs. 41–43 View FIGURES 38–50. 38–40 ): N.T. [Northern Territory] (handwritten) | Lepidiota rufa, Blackb. (handwritten) | Type (handwritten on orange label) | I.511 Lepidiota rufa Blackb N. Territory (handwritten) TYPE (handwritten in red, at right angle) | SAMA Database No. 25-035272 | my lectotype label | metatarsi in gel capsule on another pin and in same tray; in SAM.

Paralectotypes: 1 male: Port Darwin N. Territory (typeset) | 18210 Lepidiota rufa Blackb. N. Territory (handwritten) Cotype (handwritten in red, at right angle) | my paralectotype label | aedeagus on card ; 1 male, mounted on card: 1579 N. T . (handwritten in red with red and black transverse lines | Lepidiota rufa cotype (handwritten) | my paralectotype label; all in SAM.

Blackburn (1888b) saw three specimens that “appear[ed] to be of the same sex” but did not designate a ‘type’. Lea (1912) catalogued the ‘type’ as in SAM, and Britton (1978) referred to a “ holotype ” male and two “ paratype ” males in SAM all from the Northern Territory. Houston & Weir (1992) considered Britton’s (1978) incorrect reference to a holotype as being a lectotype designation. As Britton (1978) and Houston & Weir (1992) provided no discussion and did not label any specimen in SAM, neither mention of a holotype constitutes a valid lectotype designation (vide Article 74.5). To stabilise nomenclature, I designate the specimen in SAM with the ‘TYPE’ label the lectotype. The other two specimens in SAM are paralectotypes.

References

Blackburn, T. (1888 b) Notes on Australian Coleoptera with descriptions of new species. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, Series 2, 3, 805 - 875.

Britton, E. B. (1978) A revision of the Australian chafers (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae). Vol. 2. Tribe Melolonthini. Australian Journal of Zoology, Supplementary Series, 60, 1 - 150. https: // doi. org / 10.1071 / AJZS 060

Houston, W. W. K. & Weir, T. A. (1992) Melolonthinae. In: Houston, W. W. K. (Ed.), Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea. Vol. 9. Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra, pp. 174 - 358.

Lea, A. M. (1912) The late Rev. Canon Thomas Blackburn, B. A., and his entomological work. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia, 36, v-xl.

Figures

FIGURES 38–50. 38–40, Lectotype male of Lepidiota platyura Lea, 1924 (junior synonym of Lepidiota podicalis Moser, 1913). 38, dorsal; 39, lateral; 40, labels. 41–43, Lectotype male of Lepidiota rufa Blackburn, 1888. 41, dorsal; 42, lateral; 43, labels. 44–47, Holotype male of Lepidiota rugosipennis Lea, 1924 (junior synonym of Lepidiota squamulata Waterhouse, 1875. 44, dorsal; 45, lateral; 46, aedeagus; 47, labels. 48–50, Holotype male of Pararhopaea gigas Lea, 1916 (now Megarhopaea gigas). 48, dorsal; 49, lateral; 50, labels. Photographs courtesy of the South Australian Museum Board.