Centris (Melanocentris) melanochlaena Smith, 1874

Vivallo, Felipe, 2020, Lectotype designations taxonomic notes and new synonymies in some species of the bee genus Centris Fabricius, 1804 described by Frederick Smith (Hymenoptera: Apidae), Zootaxa 4729 (2), pp. 151-176 : 162

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.4729.2.1
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:A5200288-5C6F-44F9-A0FB-0E479F871A62
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5918766
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/79138796-FFD4-F558-FF71-58D3612DFBFE
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Centris (Melanocentris) melanochlaena Smith, 1874
status

Treatment

Centris (Melanocentris) melanochlaena Smith, 1874 View in CoL

Centris melanchlaena Smith, 1874 View in CoL . 360.

Centris melanochlaena View in CoL ; Dalla Torre, 1896. 10: 306 (emendation of the specific epithet).

Type data: Smith (1874) described this species based on males collected in an undetermined locality in Veracruz state, southeastern Mexico. A syntype is currently housed at NHMUK and is here designated the lectotype. The specimen has the following data label: [circular light blue label] Mex [handwritten]\ B.M. TYPE HYM. [printed] 17b.1170 [handwritten]\ melanclaena Smith Vera Cruz [handwritten]. The lectotype has a plastic bag with the right hind leg inside and the text “ C. melanochlaena detached upon receipt at LACM ” and is coded NHMUK 010812624 in the NHMUK data portal.

Snelling (1984) mentioned he examined the “type” of this species from Orizaba, without citing additional information on the specimen studied (for example the type number as he did in C. dentipes , see Snelling, 1984: 46). Smith (1984) only indicated the type locality as Veracruz (“Vera Cruz”), not specifying exactly where the species was collected. This cannot be inferred from the data labels, so I am not confident if Snelling (1984) actually studied a type specimen. This is an important matter, because if Snelling did examine a syntype then ICZN Article number 74.6 applies and he would have designated the lectotype.

Type locality: Mexico: Veracruz state .

Epicharis zamoranensis Cockerell, 1949 View in CoL . 480, 481.

Type data: Holotype female ( USNM, examined).

Type locality: Honduras: Francisco Morazán department: Zamorano .

Comment: The incorrect interpretation of this species led Snelling (1984) to propose the synonymy between C. melanochlaena and C. obsoleta Lepeletier, 1841 . Moure et al. (2007) withdrew the former species from the synonymy of the latter and transferred E. zamoranensis from the synonymy of C. obsoleta to C. melanochlaena . These taxonomic changes were confirmed here with the study of the primary types of all the species involved.