Gyrinus viridimaculatus Atkinson, 1891

Fery, Hans & Hájek, Jiří, 2016, Nomenclatural notes on some Palaearctic Gyrinidae (Coleoptera), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 56 (2), pp. 645-663 : 655

‘ Gyrinus viridimaculatus Atkinson, 1891 ’

This name was given by ATKINSON (1891: 154) with the following words: ‘ viridimaculatus, Régimbart, Ann. Soc. Ent. Fr. (6a) x, 1890 [sic!]. Hab. India, Khasiya Hills.’ On p. 153 of the same work is given ‘ smaragdinus, Régimbart. Hab. Assam [Ind. Mus., N. Khasiya Hills]’.

Régimbart published G. smaragdinus twice, the text in both versions being largely identical – in the Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale ( RÉGIMBART 1891: 547) and in the Annales de la Société Entomologique de France (1892: 682). It is notable that Atkinson did not cite any journal under his entry for G. smaragdinus , although he did so in all other Gyrinidae species. We have also checked all volumes of the Annales de la Société Entomologique de France published between 1888 and 1892 whether anywhere a taxon with the specific name viridimaculatus might have been given – without any result.

For finding an explanation for Atkinson’s name, we assume on the one hand that he has studied RÉGIMBART’ s earlier work from 1891, but mixed up by mistake the titles of the journals and, additionally, gave the incorrect year 1890. On the other hand, Atkinson may have been misguided because in RÉGIMBART’ s works appears the Latin ‘viridi-fulgens’. Although viridimaculatus most probably means nothing else than G. smaragdinus , we refrain from making further speculations and interpret viridimaculatus either as lapsus calami or as nomen nudum. In both cases it is an unavailable name.