Genus Balcus Sharp

Balcus violaceus (Fabricius): Schenkling’s (1906: 265) inclusion of Australia in the distribution of Balcus signatus Broun was followed by a question mark in parentheses, indicating doubt. Opitz (2013) synonymised B. signatus with B. violaceus, rendering the genus monotypic. It is possible that Schenkling had before him the Australian species, Orthrius sepulcralis (Westwood), which bears strong superficial resemblance to maculate specimens of Balcus violaceus . This author has not encountered a single Australian-collected Balcus specimen.

Of relevance, and worth documenting here, is past confusion around the identity of Chalciclerus pantomelas Boisduval. While documenting Australian clerid types in MNHN, Paris, I found two possible syntype specimens of ‘ Chalciclerus pantomelas ’, a species described from Australia (Western Port in Victoria) and now assigned to the genus Eleale Newman: one labelled ‘ Chalciclerus pantomelas Boisduval, Australie, Port Western, D’Urville—1829 / TYPE’ (Fig. 1), clearly an Eleale; the other, labelled ‘N. Zealande, Pantomelas, Ex Museo Minisz (Coll. Oberthur) / SYNTYPE?’ (Fig. 2), clearly a specimen of Balcus violaceus (Fabricius) . Though presently assigned to Eleale and considered an Australian species (supported by the labels on the first-mentioned syntype, and the illustration of a very Eleale -like C. pantomelas published by Boisduval 1835, see t. 6, f. 14), ‘ pantomelas ’ had, in the past, been referred to as a New Zealand species (White 1846, Broun 1880, Hudson 1934, Corporaal 1950a). For the record, to prevent future confusion potentially resulting in erroneous synonymy of Eleale pantomelas with Balcus violaceus, I state clearly here that the second-mentioned, Ex Museo Minisz, type, potentially the reason White (1846) considered pantomelas a New Zealand species, is not a type specimen of Chalciclerus pantomelas Boisduval, Balcus violaceus Fabricius, either synonym of the latter (i.e., Balcus niger Sharp or Balcus signatus Broun), or of any other species.

Distribution: New Zealand (Opitz 2013).

Status: Balcus violaceus is non-native and absent in Australia.