Lepidiota rufa Blackburn, 1888

Allsopp, Peter G., 2020, Clarification of the status of the types of Australian Melolonthini (Coleoptera Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae) described before 1950, Zootaxa 4885 (4), pp. 451-486 : 470

Lepidiota rufa Blackburn, 1888

Lepidiota rufa Blackburn, 1888b: 854 .

Lectotype (here designated) male ( Figs. 41–43 ): N.T. [Northern Territory] (handwritten) | Lepidiota rufa, Blackb. (handwritten) | Type (handwritten on orange label) | I.511 Lepidiota rufa Blackb N. Territory (handwritten) TYPE (handwritten in red, at right angle) | SAMA Database No. 25-035272 | my lectotype label | metatarsi in gel capsule on another pin and in same tray; in SAM.

Paralectotypes: 1 male: Port Darwin N. Territory (typeset) | 18210 Lepidiota rufa Blackb. N. Territory (handwritten) Cotype (handwritten in red, at right angle) | my paralectotype label | aedeagus on card ; 1 male, mounted on card: 1579 N. T . (handwritten in red with red and black transverse lines | Lepidiota rufa cotype (handwritten) | my paralectotype label; all in SAM.

Blackburn (1888b) saw three specimens that “appear[ed] to be of the same sex” but did not designate a ‘type’. Lea (1912) catalogued the ‘type’ as in SAM, and Britton (1978) referred to a “ holotype ” male and two “ paratype ” males in SAM all from the Northern Territory. Houston & Weir (1992) considered Britton’s (1978) incorrect reference to a holotype as being a lectotype designation. As Britton (1978) and Houston & Weir (1992) provided no discussion and did not label any specimen in SAM, neither mention of a holotype constitutes a valid lectotype designation (vide Article 74.5). To stabilise nomenclature, I designate the specimen in SAM with the ‘TYPE’ label the lectotype. The other two specimens in SAM are paralectotypes.

Figures

FIGURES 38–50. 38–40, Lectotype male of Lepidiota platyura Lea, 1924 (junior synonym of Lepidiota podicalis Moser, 1913). 38, dorsal; 39, lateral; 40, labels. 41–43, Lectotype male of Lepidiota rufa Blackburn, 1888. 41, dorsal; 42, lateral; 43, labels. 44–47, Holotype male of Lepidiota rugosipennis Lea, 1924 (junior synonym of Lepidiota squamulata Waterhouse, 1875. 44, dorsal; 45, lateral; 46, aedeagus; 47, labels. 48–50, Holotype male of Pararhopaea gigas Lea, 1916 (now Megarhopaea gigas). 48, dorsal; 49, lateral; 50, labels. Photographs courtesy of the South Australian Museum Board.