Popillia johanni, Limbourg & Dekoninck & Seidel, 2024

Limbourg, Pol, Dekoninck, Wouter & Seidel, Matthias, 2024, Contribution to the knowledge of Afrotropical Rutelinae VII (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Rutelinae), Belgian Journal of Entomology 145, pp. 1-48 : 21-22

Popillia johanni nom. nov.

Fig. 10

Popillia congoana MACHATSCHKE, 1975: 377-381 (described, genitalia, head, pronotum and legs figured) nec Kolbe, KOLBE, 1894

Popillia congoana KRAJCIK, 2007: 106 (catalogued)

TYPE MATERIAL EXAMINED.

Holotype ♂ of Popillia congoana Kolbe, 1894 : [Mukenge, Pogge] [65939] [Type] [62501] [26/7-10/9 82] [ congoana n. sp. Kolbe] ( MFNB)

Type of Popillia congoana Machatschke, 1975 nec Kolbe, 1894: Not found in the followings collections: MFNB (comm. B. Jaeger), NHMB (comm. I. Zuercher), SDEI (comm. M. Schröter), ZSM (comm. M. Balke) and MNHN (comm. O. Montreuil).

DERIVATIO NOMINIS.

Dedicated to the German Rutelinae specialist Johann W. Machatschke, who first recognized this taxon as distinct.

DISTRIBUTION.

Known from the Republic of Congo.

BIOLOGY.

The species was collected in the month of November (original description).

NOMENCLATURAL REMARKS.

The species Popillia congoana Machatschke, 1975 was described based on specimens from Republic of Congo and is currently treated as a valid species. However, Popillia congoana Machatschke, 1975 is a junior homonym of Popillia congoana Kolbe, 1894 described from the Democratic Republic of Congo. The rejected primary junior homonym has no known available and potentially valid synonyms and is replaced by the new substitute name Popillia johanni following ICZN (1999).

The two species belong to different species groups. Popillia congoana Machatschke, 1975 belongs to the interpunctata species group as defined by (Machatschke, 1957) and characterized by: costae not convex, pygidium with a transverse band of squamous decumbent setae and parameres short of different sizes, the right paramere more sinuous outwardly (drawing of aedeagus (fig. 10A), is taken from original publication ( Machatschke, 1975) is close to Popillia interpunctata Erichson, 1842 ; Popillia congoana Kolbe, 1894 ( Fig. 10B, C ) was not listed by Machatschke (1957). However, the species belongs to the femoralis species group, which he characterized by strongly convex costae, pygidium with two separated small tufts of decumbent squamous setae and the apex of parameres elongated, apex of median lobe always visible dorsally; it is close to P. smaragdina Kraatz, 1892 .

Figures

Fig. 10. Popillia johanni nom. nov. A, aedeagus. dorsal view (not to scale). Popillia congoana Kolbe, 1894 Holotype ♂ (MFNB). B-C, aedeagus. B, lateral view. C, dorsal view.