Hoplopelidnota metallica ( Laporte, 1840 )

Moore, Matthew Robert & Jameson, Mary Liz, 2013, Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Changes in the Pelidnotine Scarabs (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae: Rutelini), The Coleopterists Bulletin 67 (3), pp. 377-387 : 381

Hoplopelidnota metallica ( Laporte, 1840)

Pelidnota metallica Laporte 1840: 122 (original combination, available name).

Hoplopelidnota candezei Bates 1904: 274–275 (original combination, available name, type species of the genus based on ICZN Article 43.2).

Hoplopelidnota armata Ohaus 1912: 309 (not F. Bates) (original combination, available name).

Hoplopelidnota metallica (Laporte) (synonym of H. candezei in Machatschke 1972: 12).

Hoplopelidnota metallica (Laporte) (new status and new combination by Soula 2008: 17).

Hoplopelidnota candezei F. Bates (synonymy by Soula 2008: 17).

Hoplopelidnota armata Ohaus 1912 . New synonymy.

Pelidnota metallica is a distinctive species that is known from French Guiana ( Laporte 1840; Bates 1904). Laporte’ s (1840) original description clearly characterized the species by its metallic green coloration, elytral apex with an acute spine, and distribution in “Cayenne”. The type specimen was apparently lost. Bates (1904) described the monotypic genus Hoplopelidnota based on H. candezei , and he apparently was unaware that P. metallica was conspecific with his new taxon. Bates (1904) named his species in tribute to a specimen in Candèze’ s collection (now at the Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles, Brussels, Belgium) that bore the name “armata”. Hoplopelidnota “armata” is a label name attributed to Candèze, and it was cited in this manner in the original description of H. candezei ( Bates 1904) . Ohaus (1912) described the female of Hoplopelidnota as H. armata , crediting F. Bates as the author (“ Hoplopelidnota armata F. Bts ”). Because Ohaus (1912) validly described the taxon associated with this name, the name should be credited to Ohaus (not F. Bates). Machatschke (1972) synonymized P. metallica with H. candezei in his catalog, noting “ hoc loco (= candezei Bates ).” In so doing, Machatschke (1972) abandoned the Principle of Priority (ICZN Article 23.1). Soula (2008) designated a neotype for Laporte’ s lost type of P. metallica , and, noting Laporte’ s older name for a conspecific taxon, P metallica was given a new status. Hoplopelidnota armata Ohaus is conspecific with H. metallica and is a new synonym of this taxon. Soula (2008) incorrectly stated that H. armata was invalidly described. Based on Article 43.2 of the ICZN, the type species of Hoplopelidnota remains H. candezei F. Bates.