Holotrichapion (Nesiapion) rotundipenne ( Wollaston, 1854 )

Morris, Michael G., Sw, London & Dt, Dorset, 2011, The Apionidae (Coleoptera) of the Canary Islands, with particular reference to the contribution of T. Vernon Wollaston, Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 51 (1), pp. 157-182 : 176-177

Holotrichapion (Nesiapion) rotundipenne ( Wollaston, 1854) stat. restit.

( Fig. 11 )

Apion rotundipenne Wollaston, 1854 is here resurrected as a valid species, Holotrichapion (Nesiapion) rotundipenne ( Wollaston, 1854) . This species is distinct from Hemitrichapion (Lotapion) wollastoni ( Chevrolat, 1852) . The confusion over Holotrichapion rotundipenne (Wollaston) and Hemitrichapion wollastoni (Chevrolat) is discussed below under the latter species.

WOLLASTON (1854, 1865) included both Apion rotundipenne and Apion wollastoni Chevrolat, 1852 . He had described A. rotundipenne as new from Madeira ( WOLLASTON 1854), and also gave an account of it in his first publication on Canarian Coleoptera ( WOLLASTON 1864) . Subsequent authors, including LINDBERG & LINDBERG (1958), have used the name rotundipenne Wollaston for this species and have not mentioned Chevrolat’s A. wollastoni (as it is a Madeiran species). However, ALONSO- ZARAZAGA (1990a) formally synonymised the two names, with priority going to A. wollastoni . This action was based on the identity of two specimens in the Stockholm Museum (‘typus’ and ‘paratypus’), examined by Alonso-Zarazaga (and separately by myself) which purport to be the type material of A. wollastoni and are certainly conspecific with A. rotundipenne . However, it is clear from WOLLASTON (1854) that his descriptions (in both English and Latin) and coloured plates refer, correctly, to two distinct species that are currently not even regarded as congeneric. The specimens purporting to be Chevrolat’s type material are clearly anomalous, not agreeing with Chevrolat’s description, nor with the virtually contemporaneous ones of WOLLASTON (1854), and clearly do not belong to the type series of A. wollastoni .

Chevrolat’s description of A. wollastoni ( CHEVROLAT 1852) is reasonably detailed and includes characteristics which identify his species as a Hemitrichapion (Lotapion) as currently recognised. Additionally, specimens loaned from the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, proved instead to be specimens of Holotrichapion rotundipenne .

BRITO & OROMÍ (1986) recognised that Apion wollastoni Chevrolat was distinct from A. rotundipenne . It should be noted that, presumably because of erroneous pagination in Chevrolat’s account, WOLLASTON’ S (1854, 1865) references to the description of A. wollastoni are incorrect; the correct citation is given in the References section below.

Holotrichapion rotundipenne is a very common species throughout the western islands (in all of which I have recorded it), in association with species of Vicia , Lathyrus and possibly other Fabaceae .

Six male and 2 female specimens are in Wollaston’s main BMNH collection, with representatives from El Hierro, La Palma, Tenerife and Gran Canaria ; 6 males and 3 females, from the same four islands, are in the OUMNH collection. They all stand under the name Apion rotundipenne Wollaston .

A lectotype designation of the specimen labelled as such by Alonso-Zarazaga in 1989 was never published. In order to fix the identity of the species a BMNH syntype is hereby designated the lectotype of Apion rotundipenne Wollaston, 1854 , and has been so labelled: LECTOTYPE (here designated): J which bears four labels: (1) T. V. Wollaston / Collection / MADEIRA / BM1855- 7 [printed] / Ribwiro Frio [MS]; (2) LECTOTYPUS / Apion rotundipenne / Wollaston 1854 / M. G. Morris des. 2011 [printed on red label]; (3) PARALECTOTYPE / Apion Rotundipenne Woll. [printed, reversed]; (4) PARA- / LECTO- / TYPE [Printed disc with blue margin, reversed]. The underside of the mounting card has handwritten number ‘178’ indicating Ribiero Frio .

Figures

Figs. 9–12. Habitus of the Apionidae of Canary Islands. 9 – Taeniapion delicatulum (Wollaston, 1857), author’s Coll.; 10 – Hemitrichapion gomerense Stüben & Behne, 2010, author’s Coll; 11 – Holotrichapion rotundipenne (Wollaston, 1854), author’s Coll.; 12 – Catapion pubescens (Kirby, 1811), holotype of Apion ceuthorhynchoides Wollaston, 1864, Wollaston Coll. (BMNH).