Dineutus

Gustafson, Grey T. & Miller, Kelly B., 2013, On the family- and genus-series nomina in Gyrinidae Latreille, 1810 (Coleoptera, Adephaga), Zootaxa 3731 (1), pp. 77-105 : 93-94

Dineutus , correct spelling

The genus Dineutus was established by the British entomologist William S. MacLeay (1825) to accommodate a large gyrinid, which he named D. politus . His original spelling of the nomen is unambiguously Dineutus . In later editions of his Annulosa Javanica (e.g. MacLeay, 1833), its spelling remained Dineutus , consistent with its original spelling. The first use of the spelling Dineutes of which we are aware is by Cuvier (1832: 253) who stated: “Mr. Macleay (the younger), Annal. Jav. I. p. 30 forms a peculiar genus, under the name of Dineutes …” However, several authors, including Wood (1962), in his unpublished revision of the North American Dineutus , and Roughley (2000), attributed the first use of the spelling Dineutes to Aubé (1838). Aubé (1838) credited MacLeay (1825) for the genus nomen, but spelled it Dineutes and indicated that he was not going to accept MacLeay’s genus until after it was confirmed and described by Brullé. Brullé (1835) did mention Dineutus , but spelled it Dineutes , with credit to MacLeay (1825). So it would appear that Aubé (1838) was simply following Brullé’s (1835) lead. Aubé’s (1836) earlier work includes a similar statement further suggesting that he was deferring to Brullé on the spelling of the nomen and other matters related to the genus.

The spelling Dineutes continued use in parallel with Dineutus with the former used mainly by French entomologists such as Cuvier (1832), Brullé (1835), Aubé (1836, 1838) and Régimbart (1882, 1902), while the spelling Dineutus was most commonly in use among British and American entomologists like Kirby (1829), Crotch (1873), and later Leech (1939; 1948) and Balfour-Browne (1945). Exceptions to this include the French entomologist Lacordaire (1854), who used the spelling Dineutus , and the British entomologist Sharp (1873), who used Dineutes . Some authors used both spellings including Hope (1838) who used Dineutus in the text, but Dineutes in his table of gyrinid genera. Le Conte (1863, 1868) began using Dineutus but switched to Dineutes later (Le Conte, 1878). Recent authors have similarly alternated between spellings (e.g. Beutel & Roughley 1988, 1994) and the incorrect spelling has unfortunately persisted to the present (i.e. Bouchard et al., 2011).

Since the two spellings, Dineutus and Dineutes , have been used in parallel nearly since the time of original description of the genus with neither prevailing over the other ( Table 1 ), it is clear that correct spelling of the genus needs resolution. According to Article 33.3 of the Code, the spelling Dineutus is the correct original spelling, and Dineutes is an incorrect subsequent spelling dating from Cuvier (1832). The first potential attempt to justify the spelling Dineutes was by Régimbart (1882) who used that spelling as valid, but cited the original spelling, Dineutus , attributed to MacLeay. Régimbart’s (1882) acknowledgement of the original spelling but chosing to use Dineutes suggests an intentional emendation of the nomen (Régimbart performed other similar acts: see the discussion under Epinectus Dejean, 1833 ). As Régimbart (1882) is the only author to have intentionally attempted to emend the name, however unjustifiably, Dineutes Régimbart, 1882 enters synonymy as an unjustified emendation, i.e. as a distinct available nomen (which an incorrect subsequent spelling is not). We therefore appeal for discontinuing use of the name Dineutes in accordance with Article 33, as previously has been done (Ochs,1924 a: 233; 1924 b: 1,footnote; 1926c: 133, footnote), and we here regard it as a junior synonym attributed to Régimbart (1882).

It is also important to point out that several authors have erected valid genus-group nomina with spellings based on the incorrect subsequent spelling Dineutes , including the extant group Spinosodineutes Hatch, 1925 , and the fossil genera Miodineutes Hatch, 1927 , and Mesodineutes Ponomarenko, 1992 . These spellings are the correct original spellings of these nomina.

Finally, another incorrect subsequent spelling of Dineutus, Dyneutes , was introduced by Laporte (1835). It is incorrect and unavailable.