Dasysphaera Volkens ex Gilg, 1897

Iamonico, Duilio, 2018, Generic typifications in Amarathaceae s. str., Phytotaxa 350 (2), pp. 147-154 : 149

Dasysphaera Volkens ex Gilg

Gigl (1897: 153) provided a diagnosis for this genus and listed two species, Dasysphaera tomentosa Volkens ex Lopriore (1900: 53) from the area of “Kilimandscharogebiet” (“around Kilimanjaro”), and D. lanata Gilg (1897: 153) from the “Somaliland” ( Somalia). Both names were published without a diagnosis and they are therefore nomina nuda and not validly published (see Art. 38.1). Lopriore (1900: 53) proposed the new species D. robecchii reporting, after the diagnosis, “Diese Art steht der Dasysphaera tomentosa Volkens nahe.... Den manuscriptnamen D. lanata Gilg habe ich fallen lassen” (= “This taxon refers to Dasysphaera tomentosa Volkens ...; the name D. lanata by Gilg is to be abandoned”). Lopriore (l.c.) accidentally validate the D. tomentosa by Volkens (see also Townsend 1979). Currently (see e.g., SANBI 2012c), D. rubecchii Lopr., and D. tomentosa Volkens ex Lopr. are considered as separate species. Concerning D. lanata , its status remains unresolved at the time being and, e.g., SANBI (2012c) listed it as a species with “status undefined”. In the same online Database (SANBI l.c.), D. tomentosa is mapped as occurring in Tanzania (as originally reported by Gilg 1897: 153), and Somalia.

Taking the above into account, I designate here the name Dasysphaera tomentosa as the type of the genus Dasysphaera .

Townsend (1985: 79) stated for D. tomentosa “Type: Tanzania, Moshi District, Lake Chala, Völkern 1800 (Z, iso.!)”. However, no holotype was indicated by Lopriore (1900: 53) (see Art. 9.1). According to the Art. 9.9 (see Ex. 10), the Towsend’s choice and use isotype is an error to be corrected as lectotype.