Nomen Nudum Research Articles

The affinities of ‘Steneosaurus barettoni’ (Crocodylomorpha, Thalattosuchia), from the Jurassic of Northern Italy, and implications for cranial evolution among geosaurine metriorhynchids

In 1787, a fragmentary fossil skull of a crocodylian was discovered in the Altopiano dei Sette Comuni (Veneto, Northern Italy). In 1883, the specimen was referred to a new species of the teleosauroid Steneosaurus, S. barettoni. In this study, the specimen is redescribed and its taxonomic status reviewed. S. barettoni fails to conform to Article 12 of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature and is considered as a nomen nudum. The specimen lacks synapomorphies of both Teleosauroidea and Steneosaurus, whereas it is referred to Metriorhynchidae based on the presence of an elongate median depression between the dorsal surface of nasals, and a large teardrop-shaped prefrontal that is expanded laterally. The combination of cranial and dental features present in this specimen supports its referral to Neptunidraco, an interpretation that adds new information on the morphology of the Italian metriorhynchid. Although total evidence analysis placed Neptunidraco as a basal divergence among Geosaurinae, it independently evolved some craniomandibular features previously considered exclusive of the macrophagous Geosaurini. This specimen is historically relevant because it may represent the first metriorhynchoid found worldwide.

New data on Rhyacophila (Trichoptera: Rhyacophilidae) from West Malaysia and Indonesia (Lombok and Bali) with descriptions of two new species.

A new species, Rhyacophila langkawia sp. n., belonging to the R. curvata Group sensu Schmid (1970) is described. The samples provide also material of the previously undescribed species cited by Schmid (1970) as R. schmidi, a nomen nudum; this species is described as R. schmidirossia sp. n., also in the R. curvata Group. Other sampled species were Rhyacophila curvata Morton, recorded for the first time from Negeri Sembilan (West Malaysia) and Lombok (Indonesia); Rhyacophila stheneboia Malicky & Prommi (Pahang and Negeri Sembilan, West Malaysia), and Rhyacophila anakbatukau Malicky, recorded for the first time from Lombok (Indonesia). Updated lists of the Rhyacophila species found in West Malaysia and Indonesia are provided.

Case 3605 phycinae Lyneborg, 1976 (Insecta, Diptera, therevidae): proposed emendation of spelling to phycusinae to remove homonymy with phycinae Swainson, 1838 (Osteichthyes, Gadiformes, phycidae); and Phycis Walbaum, 1792 (Osteichthyes, Gadiformes, phycidae): proposed conservation of usage by designation ofBlennius phycisLinnaeus, 1766 as the type species

The purpose of this application, under Articles 29 and 55.3 of the Code, is to remove homonymy between the family-group names phycinae Swainson, 1838 (Osteichthyes, Gadiformes, phycidae) and phycinae Lyneborg, 1976 (Insecta, Diptera, therevidae). It is proposed that the stem of the genus-group name Phycus Walker, 1850, on which the insect family-group name is based, be emended to change the family-group name to phycusinae, leaving the fish family-group name, based on Phycis Walbaum, 1792, unaltered. An issue regarding the type-species of Phycis Walbaum, 1792, came to light in this process, namely that the previously assumed type species, Tinca marina (attributed to Walbaum (1792) and considered a junior synonym of Blennius phycis Linnaeus, 1766), is a nomen nudum. So, an additional purpose of this application, under Articles 78.1 and 81.1 of the Code, is to maintain the prevailing usage of Blennius phycis Linnaeus, 1766 as the de facto type species of Phycis Walbaum, 1792 by setting aside all previous type species designations and designating Blennius phycis Linnaeus, 1766 as the type species.

The Fanniidae and Muscidae (Diptera) described by Paul Stein (1852-1921)

An overview is given of the species-group names in the families Fanniidae and Muscidae described by Paul Stein (1852–1921) together with their type specimens. Stein described 57 new species in the Fanniidae and 783 species in the Muscidae together with 5 replacement names, to which are added 6 unavailable species names (nomina nuda) in Fanniidae and 26 in Muscidae. A brief account of his life and career and of the various collections that he studied is given, followed by an alphabetical list of the species-group names within the Fanniidae and Muscidae. The type specimens (holotypes and syntypes) that have been located in museums and institutes throughout Europe and the United States are enumerated. The bibliography includes all the papers published by Stein on these families. The account concludes with three appendices: a systematic list of the species, a list of the species by zoogeographic region, and a list of the localities mentioned in Stein's papers. Four lectotypes are designated (Homalomyia carbonella Stein, 1895; Homalomyia lineata Stein, 1895; Fannia nigra Stein, 1920; Mydaea pallidicornis Stein in Becker, 1910), and two replacement names for junior homonyms are given (Neodexiopsis simplicissima nom. nov. for Coenosia simplex Stein, 1920, and Helina steini nom. nov. for Aricia punctata Stein, 1898, both from the Nearctic Region). (© 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Chrysomelid males with enlarged mandibles: three new species and a review of occurrence in the family (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae).

Three new species of Chrysomelidae with extraordinary extensions of the male mandibles are described: Scaphodius drehu sp. nov. and S. ferox sp. nov. (Cryptocephalinae), from New Caledonia, and Chaloenus gajah sp. nov. (Galerucinae), from Borneo. Designation of the type species of Chaloenus Westwood, 1861, is clarified. Synonymy of Scaphodius Chapuis, 1874, with Nyetra Baly, 1877, is supported. Four species of Ditropidus Erichson, 1842, described from New Caledonia, but hitherto regarded as nomina nuda, are shown to be available and are placed in Scaphodius: S. aeneus (Fauvel, 1907), comb. nov., S. nitidus (Fauvel, 1907) comb. nov., S. striolatus (Fauvel, 1907) comb. nov., S. sulcatus (Fauvel, 1907) comb. nov. Ditropidus opacicollis Fauvel, 1907, is also transferred to Scaphodius, as S. opacicollis (Fauvel) comb. nov. The genus Ditropidus does not occur on New Caledonia. Male mandible enlargment in the Chrysomelidae is reviewed: it is common in Cryptocephalinae, but otherwise restricted to a few species of Chrysomelinae, Eumolpinae and Galerucinae. Possible reasons for its distribution in the Chrysomelidae are discussed.

Revision of Nathan Banks’ type specimens of Bdellidae Dugès (Acari: Trombidiformes) of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Cambridge

In this article, seven Bdellidae Dugès (Acari: Trombidiformes) of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, originally described by Nathan Banks are studied: Cyta americana (Banks, 1902), Bdella tenella Banks, 1896, Bdella utilis Banks, 1914, Bdella californica Banks, 1904, Bdella cardinalis Banks, 1894, Bdella peregrina Banks, 1894 and Bdella brevitarsis Banks. Bdella tenella and Bdella californica are transferred to the genera Spinibdella and Bdellodes, respectively. Bdella brevitarsis, previously a nomen nudum, is herein described for the first time under the genus Hexabdella.http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:A18C8C10-8C8A-4873-AF0B-D1A9164CD7E8

Phytophthora castaneae, the correct name for P. katsurae nom. nov. superfl.

Phytophthora katsurae was proposed as a nom. nov. for P. castaneae on the assumption that the replaced name was an illegitimate later homonym. This assumption was based on the invalid nomen nudum publication of “Phytophthora castaneae” in a host–pathogen index as a synonym of Mycelophagus castaneae, and an erroneous interpretation of Clements & Shear's listing of the type of the genus Mycelophagus. There is no valid earlier homonym. Phytophthora castaneae is the correct legitimate name for the taxon causing trunk rot of Castanea crenata, and P. katsurae is an illegitimate superfluous name.

The nudibranch names mentioned as n.sp. in Bergh (1861) are almost all nomina nuda (Gastropoda: Heterobranchia: Nudibranchia).

In a publication in Danish from 1861, Bergh described the nematocysts found in a number of nudibranch species. Many of the species had been described previously, but a number were new and given names, but without a description. These species are nomina nuda. We have translated the "descriptions", including the foot-notes, and reproduced the original plate to show that only the nematocysts (real or assumed) were described. The only species given a short description fulfilling the requirements of the ICZN is Pleurophyllidia quadrilateralis, which was described as the only species in the new genus Sancara. This in turn was shown to be a junior synonym of Linguella de Blainville, 1823. All the species were subsequently described anatomically in detail and made valid in a number of papers, and most of the type material is located in the Zoological Museum, Copenhagen (Natural History Museum of Denmark). The names in current use have been given.

A revision of the rare genusCyclolampas(Echinoidea) using morphometrics with description of a new species from the upper Callovian of Burgundy (France)

The discovery of a new species,Cyclolampas altusnew species in the upper Callovian of Burgundy (France) leads to the systematic revision of the rare echinoid genusCyclolampasPomel, 1883. Two morphometric approaches are used jointly to describe and quantify variations in test shape: the analysis of linear measurements and the Elliptic Fourier shape analysis. Both analyses yield congruent results that highlight the amplitude of within-species variations and quantify the part due to allometry. Along with the description ofC. altus, the systematic position of species formerly assigned to the generaPygorhytisPomel, 1883 andCyclolampasis amended. Previously attributed to the genusPygorhytis,Cyclolampas castanea(Desor, 1858) is reassigned to the genusCyclolampason the base of new observations. Conversely, the examination of the Bajocian speciesPygorhytis kiliani(Lambert, 1909) andPygorhytis gillieroniDesor in Desor and de Loriol, 1872, which were previously assigned toCyclolampasnow supports their taxonomic reassignment to the genusPygorhytis. Finally, the two speciesCyclolampas verneuili(Cotteau, 1870) andCyclolampas cotteauiMintz, 1966 (nomen nudum) are considered junior synonyms of the genus type speciesCyclolampas voltzii(Agassiz, 1839). The questioned origin date of the genus, estimated either to the Bajocian or to the Oxfordian, is now clearly established to be upper Callovian. These new results fit well with the overall scheme of atelostomate echinoid evolution and migration to deep-sea environments during the Middle and Upper Jurassic.

The identity of the enigmatic “Black Shrew” (Sorex nigerOrd, 1815)

The scientific name Sorex niger Ord, 1815 (Mammalia, Soricidae) was originally applied to a North American species that George Ord called the “Black Shrew.” The origin of the name “Black Shrew,” however, was obscure, and Samuel Rhoads subsequently wrote that the species represented by this name could not be determined. The names Sorex niger Ord and Black Shrew have since been mostly forgotten. Two of Ord's contemporaries, however, noted that Ord's use of these names probably alluded to Benjamin Smith Barton's Black Shrew, whose discovery near Philadelphia was announced by Barton in 1806. Examination of two unpublished illustrations of the Black Shrew made by Barton indicates that the animal depicted is Blarina brevicauda (Say, 1822). Had the connection between Ord's and Barton's names been made more clearly, one of the most common mammals in eastern North America would bear a different scientific name today. This connection also would have affected the validity of Sorex niger Horsfield, 1851. While Sorex niger Ord remains a nomen nudum, the animal it referenced can now be identified.

A monographic account of Australian species of Amphiroa (Corallinaceae, Rhodophyta)

The first Australia-wide monograph of Amphiroa (Corallinaceae, Rhodophyta) based on the morphological–anatomical species concept has confirmed the occurrence of nine species (A. anceps, A. beauvoisii, A. crassa, A. exilis, A. foliacea, A. fragilissima, A. gracilis, A. klochkovana, A. tribulus) and provides a basis for future molecular-systematics studies. A comparative analysis of 285 specimens from 121 localities, along with type material examinations, yielded clear evidence that nine characters associated with the vegetative system and tetrasporangial conceptacles were diagnostically significant at species level. Detailed accounts of each species are presented, along with an identification key, data on type specimens, species comparisons and biogeographic notes. A. foliacea is epitypified. Brief accounts of 34 additional taxa reported from Australia and at some stage ascribed to Amphiroa are included. Galaxaura versicolor and Amphiroa galaxauroides are heterotypic synonyms of A. anceps; recognition of A. anastomosans, A. ephedraea and A. nobilis as distinct species requires further evaluation; and A. dilatata and A. gaillonii are species of uncertain status. Amphiroa ephedraea is lectotypified. The remaining 27 names involve nomina nuda, illegitimate names, orthographic variants or taxa now excluded from Amphiroa.

Contribution to the Bryophyte Flora of New Caledonia. I. New Taxa and Amendments

Abstract Seven mosses, Erpodium biseriatum, Floribundaria pseudofloribunda, Leptodictyum riparium, Macromitrium serpens, Rhodobryum aubertii, Sematophyllum phoeniceum, Trichostomum brachydontium, and one liverwort Lepidozia flexuosa, are new for the New Caledonian flora following identification of some gatherings made in 2008 and herbarium specimens at PC and REN. In addition, new localities have been found for three species of mosses recently discovered in the Territory, Anomodon pseudotristis, Calymperes motlei, Euptychium piliferum and two new synonyms are given for Paris nomina nuda, the moss Vesicularia compienei (= V. subfuscescens) and the liverwort Lepidozia etesseana (= Telaranea kogiana). Moreover two doubtful names of the recent checklist of liverworts are rejected after examination of specimens cited from New Caledonia, Lepidozia supradecomposita and Telaranea lawesii and the data of Zoopsis liukiuensis in New Caledonia earlier than its first publication is reported. In spite of the relatively...

What is “Pricesaurus megalodon”? Reassessment of an enigmatic pterosaur

The specimens attributed to Pricesaurus megalodon are re-examined in order to determine whether they constitute a distinct taxon of pterodactyloid pterosaur. After careful preparation and study, the material (rostral and middle parts of two probably distinct skulls) revealed affinities with the Anhangueridae, especially with the genus anhanguera Campos & Kellner. The taxon Pricesaurus megalodon is considered here a nomen nudum for lacking distinctive diagnostic features and for being published in noncompliance with the standards of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature.

<i>Ophrys</i> × <i>castroviejoi</i> (Orchidaceae), nuevo híbrido para España

Serra Laliga, Ll. & X. Soler, J. 2012. Ophrys × castroviejoi (Orchidaceae), a new hybrid for Spain. Anales Jard. Bot. Madrid 69(2): 237-242 (in Spanish). Ophrys x castroviejoi is described and illustrated; it is a hybrid of O. scolopax and O. speculum, wich was obtained artificially in 1931 and named as O. x kelleriella, considered nomen nudum. It is offered its known distribution and current situation in Spain.

Chelifer longimanusKollar, 1848: a nomen nudum corresponding toNeobisium spelaeum(Schiödte, 1847) (Pseudoscorpiones: Chelonethi: Neobisiidae)

The manuscript name Chelifer longimanus Kollar, 1848, most often cited as Obisium longimanum Kollar, was first introduced in a note by Kollar (1848) that has been overlooked in the taxonomic literature on pseudoscorpions. No description or indication has been associated with this name, which is therefore a nomen nudum. It corre- sponds to the valid pseudoscorpion species Neobisium spelaeum (Schiodte, 1847), having been found at one of the type localities of the latter (Postojna Cave, Slovenia). Two specimens originally identified as O. longimanum (probably by V. Kollar) are present in the collections of the Naturhistorisches Museum Wien.

A new species of Centris (Centris) (Fabricius) from northeastern Brazil, with taxonomic notes on C. (C.) pulchra Moure, Oliveira & Viana (Hymenoptera, Apidae)

We describe a new species of the bee genus Centris, Centris (Centris) byrsonimae Mahlmann & Oliveira sp. n., whose name has appeared as a nomen nudum in the literature since 1985. Further, a new species group of Centris s.str. is proposed, the pulchra group, based on morphological characters, which comprises the species Centris pulchra Moure, Oliveira & Viana, 2003 and Centris byrsonimae sp. n..Based on information from specimen labels studied and data from the literature, a list of plant species visited by the pulchra group is presented. The male genitalia and hidden metasomal sterna 7 and 8 of Centris pulchra are described for the first time. Typographic errors pertaining to the paratype labels reported in the original description of Centris pulchra are corrected. One female paratype of Centris pulchra is designated herein as a paratype of Centris byrsonimae sp. n. An updated list of species of Centris s.str. from northeastern Brazil is provided including references about geographic distributions as well as an identification key to the pulchra species group.

Algal taxonomy: a road to nowhere?

The widespread view of taxonomy as an essentially retrogressive and outmoded science unable to cope with the current biodiversity crisis stimulated us to analyze the current status of cataloguing global algal diversity. Contrary to this largely pessimistic belief, species description rates of algae through time and trends in the number of active taxonomists, as revealed by the web resource AlgaeBase, show a much more positive picture. More species than ever before are being described by a large community of algal taxonomists. The lack of any decline in the rate at which new species and genera are described, however, is indicative of the large proportion of undiscovered diversity and bears heavily on any prediction of global algal species diversity and the time needed to catalogue it. The saturation of accumulation curves of higher taxa (family, order, and classes) on the other hand suggest that at these taxonomic levels most diversity has been discovered. This reasonably positive picture does not imply that algal taxonomy does not face serious challenges in the near future. The observed levels of cryptic diversity in algae, combined with the shift in methods used to characterize them, have resulted in a rampant uncertainty about the status of many older species. As a consequence, there is a tendency in phycology to move gradually away from traditional names to a more informal system whereby clade-, specimen- or strain-based identifiers are used to communicate biological information. Whether these informal names for species-level clades represent a temporary situation stimulated by the lag between species discovery and formal description, or an incipient alternative or parallel taxonomy, will be largely determined by how well we manage to integrate historical collections into modern taxonomic research. Additionally, there is a pressing need for a consensus about the organizational framework to manage the information about algal species names. An eventual strategy should preferably come out of an international working group that includes the various databases as well as the various phycological societies. In this strategy, phycologists should link up to major international initiatives that are currently being developed, such as the compulsory registration of taxonomic and nomenclatural acts and the introduction of Life Science Identifiers.

Validation of Dracula trignopetala (Orchidaceae: Pleurothallidinae) with an English diagnosis and description

Dracula trigonopetala was first proposed on 3 January 2012 in an electronic (pdf) file released by OrchideenJournal (Meyer et al. 2012a). In this, the name was associated with a diagnosis and description in English, but the pdf lacked a volume number and pagination. Thus, the name was not effectively published. When a printed copy of the journal was released on 15 August 2012 (Meyer et al. 2012b), the diagnosis and description were in German, not English or Latin. As a result, the name was effectively published but not valid as it was a nomen nudum. As the species is worthy of recognition, D. trigonopetala is validated here.

A new species of Togoperla (Plecoptera: Perlidae) from China with a revised key to Togoperla males

The Togoperla is a relatively well-known genus in the family Perlidae including 12 recognized species (Stark and Sivec 2008, Cao & Bae 2010). However, Uchida (1990) proposed an additional species from Japan in an unpublished PhD dissertation. DeWalt et al. (2012) listed this taxon as a nomen nudum. Additionally, this species may be a synonym (B. P. Stark, personal. communication). The genus is most diverse in China (Table 1) with seven species recorded (DeWalt et al. 2012, Du & Chou 1999; Du et al. 1999; Sivec et al. 1988; Wu 1935, 1938; Wu & Claassen 1934). In recent surveys of the early spring stonefly fauna in Zhejiang and Guangxi provinces, we discovered a previously unrecognized species of Togoperla. Since Stark and Sivec (2008) have provided an excellent review on the genus, we focus our study on the description of this new species. All specimens are deposited in the Insect Collection of Henan Institute of Science and Technology (HIST), China.

Octocollis, a new genus and Octocollis setosus, a new species of Cetoniinae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) from Queensland, Australia

The male of Octocollis new genus and Octocollis setosus new species is described from Queensland, Australia. The species displays primitive cetoniine characters. Octocollis is placed in tribe Schizorhinini (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Cetoniinae). The informal name “Polyholcus setosus” is discussed.