Primary Type Specimens Research Articles

The fossil vertebrate primary type specimens in the collection of the University of Otago Department of Geology

ABSTRACT The 47 vertebrate type specimens held in the University of Otago Geology Department are catalogued in detail. A short history of the collection is followed by lists of the type specimens under the Classes Actinopterygii, Reptilia, Aves and Mammalia. A fish trace-fossil is included at the end of the Actinopterygii. Where appropriate, the name changes of the genus or species are given in chronological order. The specimens are briefly described, locality and geological age information is provided.

BFORAMS@MIKROTAX: AN ONLINE DATABASE FOR DEEP-SEA BENTHIC FORAMINIFERAL TAXONOMY

ABSTRACT The bforams@mikrotax database focuses on deep-sea foraminifera from the Cretaceous through Cenozoic, providing a comprehensive, universally accessible taxonomic resource. Based on nannotax and pforams@mikrotax, this database provides an easy-to-use website for experts, researchers, and early career scientists, promoting stability in identifications and nomenclature. By providing detailed descriptions, images, citations, and expert opinions, bforams@mikrotax is becoming a crucial tool for paleoenvironmental, paleoceanographic, paleoclimatic, biostratigraphic, paleobiological studies, and foraminiferal geochemical analyses. The “Main Catalog” provides monographic coverage of 1,600 key taxa, including lists of junior synonyms, updated primary and secondary type images, morphological descriptions, paleobathymetry, and graphical stratigraphic range bars. The “Original Description Catalog” includes information from the original species designations, type specimen repository and locality information, and images of the primary type specimens. The bforams@mikrotax database will provide an invaluable research, reference, and teaching tool for students and researchers across all levels of expertise.

Mantodea (Insecta) in the Invertebrate Collection of Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amaznia (INPA), Manaus, Brazil.

Increasingly, scientific collections play a fundamental role in the conservation and analysis of biodiversity as a witness and repository of ecosystem organisms at risk of losing their species. The Invertebrate Collection of the Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amaznia (INPA) safeguards biological information, mainly from the Amazon biome, one of the most diverse and threatened ecosystems on the planet. Mantodea specimens deposited dry in the INPA Collection were reviewed. A total of 2,721 specimens were found deposited until the year 2019. A total of 194 species and 81 genera were found with representatives of all the neotropical and several "Old-World" families. Families such as Mantidae, Photinaidae, and Thespidae represented the highest percentages of specimens collected within the sample, with 30%, 11%, and 9%, respectively. Four genera and fourteen species are recorded for the first time for Brazil, bringing the number of species to 247. This officially makes Brazil the most diverse country in terms of Mantodea fauna on the planet. The Collection stands out for being the most diverse reported in Latin America, even with several species yet to be described. Presently it has seven primary type specimens and 26 secondary type specimens. The excellent state of conservation of the specimens, the number of specimens, and the diversity represented have made the INPA Collection an international benchmark for Amazonian and Neotropical studies on Mantodea.

Early Cambrian hyoliths from the Brigus Formation of Avalonian Newfoundland

The Lower Cambrian (Placentian–Branchian Series) of Avalonian southeastern Newfoundland contains one of the most diverse and best-preserved assemblages of Early Cambrian hyoliths from the North American continent. Primary type, topotype and hypotype specimens from the Brigus Formation collected in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries are herein emended or newly recognized as Nevadotheca excellens, Levinoconus florencei gen. et sp. nov., Brigoconus greavesi gen. et sp. nov., Poutinella crispenae gen. et sp. nov., Toutonella chaddockae gen. et sp. nov., and Holmitheca quadricostata. Other less complete material is assigned to Aimitus sp., Dorsolinevitus? sp., Grantitheca? sp., Tizilites spp. 1 and 2, Hyolithidan spp. 1–8, and Opercula A–E. Biogeographical connections of the Avalonian species to Baltica, Laurentia, East Gondwanan South Australia, and the Siberian Platform are reinforced. The temporal distribution for most of these taxa remains unchanged except for Tizilites and Dorsolinevitus, which were previously known only from either the top of Cambrian Stage 4 or the Lower–Middle Ordovician, respectively. John M. Malinky [jmalinky@sbcglobal.net], Department of Physical Science, San Diego City College, 1313 Park Boulevard, San Diego CA 92101 (retired), Gerd Geyer [gerd.geyer@uni-wuerzburg.de], Lehrstuhl für Geodynamik und Geomaterialforschung, Institut für Geographie und Geologie, Bayerische Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074 Würzburg, Germany.

Cacotherapia Dyar (Pyralidae: Galleriinae) at the National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C.: Type Images and Lectotype Designations

Almost all the type specimens of Cacotherapia Dyar (Pyralidae: Galleriinae) are located at The National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC (USNM). The type specimens and their labels were photographed, and original descriptions were reviewed to investigate the status of primary type specimens. The locality of the type species, C. nigrocinereella Hulst, is confirmed to be Utah, and not Texas as in the original description. Lectotypes are designated for C. angulalis (Barnes and McDunnough, 1918), C. flexilinealis Dyar, 1905, C. poecilostigma (Dyar, 1914), C. ponda Dyar, 1907, and C. unipuncta (Dyar, 1913) to fix and stabilize the scientific name for these species.

Critical analysis of the type material of Mutillidae described from the Australasian Region (Hymenoptera).

The type material of all species-group taxa described from the Australasian Region (including Wallacea) is discussed, and photographs of all extant primary type specimens are provided. To facilitate subsequent work and fix the identities of the taxa, 136 lectotypes are designated where appropriate. Type localities are traced and delimited as accurately as possible, and listed. The currently valid name for each taxon is provided and incorporated in a checklist of 324 species-group taxa. Although no critical revisionary taxonomic studies are involved here, ten new combinations for taxa which are obviously misplaced according to current generic concepts are provided: Bothriomutilla condonensis (Turner) comb. nov., from Ephutomorpha; Bothriomutilla doddi (Bingham) comb. nov., from Mutilla; Ephutomorpha lacinia (Smith) comb. nov., from Mutilla; Ephutomorpha xiphognatha (Andr) comb. nov., from Pseudomethoca; Odontomyrme cordatiformis (Turner) comb. nov., from Ephutomorpha; Odontomyrme elderi (Froggatt) comb. nov., from Mutilla; Odontomyrme fulvodorsalis (Turner) comb. nov., from Ephutomorpha; Odontomyrme haematogastra (Andr) comb. nov., from Ephutomorpha; Orientilla manni (Krombein) comb. nov., from Stenomutilla; Neotrogaspidia tricarinata (Zavattari) comb. nov., from Mutilla and Trogaspidia. A new synonymy is also proposed: Trogaspidia cooki (Andr, 1895) = Curvitropidia pulawskii Pagliano, 2020 syn. nov. Corrections of publication dates for several publications are made, and brief comments on the geographic distribution of the Australasian mutillids are also provided.

Checking the checkered taxonomy of Plötz's checkered skippers (Hesperiidae: Pyrgini).

We present an analysis of the names proposed by Carl Plötz in 1884 for the New World species in the genus Pyrgus Hübner, [1819] facilitated by the genomic sequencing of extant primary type specimens comparatively with a larger sample of more recently collected specimens of these species and their relatives. The changes to nomenclature suggested here are only caused by the identity of primary type specimens as revealed by their phenotypes or through genomic sequencing. All neotypes are designated to stabilize nomenclature in agreement with the current usage of these names, which in unison agrees best with the information available about them. Lectotypes are designated for the following 5 taxa: Pyrgus (Scelothrix [sic]) bellatrix Plötz, 1884 (type locality Argentina: Buenos Aires), Pyrgus (Pyrgus) willi Plötz, 1884 (type locality in Brazil: Minas Gerais), Pyrgus (Pyrgus) albescens Plötz, 1884 (type locality in Mexico), Pyrgus (Syrichthus [sic]) lycurgus Plötz, 1884 (type locality in "Central America", likely southern Mexico), and Pyrgus occidentalis Skinner, 1906 (type locality USA: Texas, San Antonio). Neotypes are designated for the following 4 taxa: Pyrgus (Pyrgus) adepta Plötz, 1884 (Herrich-Schäffer in litt.) (type locality Colombia: Bogota), Pyrgus (Scelothrix [sic]) dion Plötz, 1884 (type locality Colombia: Bogota), Pyrgus (Scelothrix [sic]) adjutrix Plötz, 1884 (Herrich-Schäffer in litt.) (type locality in Mexico: Nuevo Leon), Pyrgus (Pyrgus) insolatrix Plötz, 1884 (Herrich-Schäffer in litt.) (type locality in "Central America", likely southern Mexico). As a result, P. lycurgus and P. insolatrix are objective synonyms. The following are junior subjective synonyms: P. dion of Burnsius adepta (Plötz, 1884), Pyrgus (Syrichthus [sic]) varus Plötz, 1884 of Burnsius orcus (Stoll, 1780) and P. adjutrix of Burnsius oileus (Linnaeus, 1767). Heliopetes (Heliopyrgus) willi (Plötz, 1884) is a species-level taxon and not a subspecies of Heliopetes (Heliopyrgus) domicella (Erichson, [1849])). Genomic analysis of the lectotypes of P. albescens, P. lycurgus, and P. occidentalis establishes them as conspecific with Burnsius communis (Grote, 1872), thus depriving a distinct species currently identified as Burnsius albescens from its name, that becomes a name for Burnsius communis albescens (Plötz, 1884) in accord with its lectotype identity; P. lycurgus and P. insolatrix are its junior subjective synonyms, but P. occidentalis is a junior subjective synonym of B. communis communis. A new name Burnsius albezens Grishin sp. n. (type locality USA: Arizona, Cochise Co., Portal) is proposed for the species misidentified as B. albescens. Furthermore, genomic comparisons reveal two other new species and one new subspecies of Burnsius Grishin, 2019: B. burnsi Grishin sp. n. (type locality Mexico: Veracruz, Huatusco), B. adepta inepta Grishin ssp. n. (type locality Ecuador: Pichincha, Tandapi), and B. orcynus Grishin sp. n. (type locality Curaçao: Hato Field) that are cryptic and can be confidently identified only by their genotype.

Out of Their Shells: Digitisation of Endangered Diversity in Orphaned Collections Spurs Access and Discovery

AbstractNatural history collections assembled before modern‐day, anthropogenic declines in species occurrence and abundance can provide essential data for conservation and biogeographic research. Digitizing old, commonly ‘orphaned’ collections in small institutions without professional curators increases local community access to specimens, as well as global access to digitized data. We present a case study, documenting a 19th century freshwater mussel (Order: Unionoida) collection, which is part of the 'orphaned' natural history collections at Wesleyan University (Middletown, CT, USA). We curated this collection by identifying specimens according to present taxonomic practices, and using archival documents to recover metadata. Nearly 1900 specimens in 402 ‘lots’, representing 155 species, were photographed and catalogued. Three primary type specimens were identified; 64 species are on the IUCN Red List, with 4 extinct, and 28 Critically‐Endangered to Endangered. We created and publicly host online 3D models of imperiled species. These models enabled us to organize an exhibit of 3D prints of fragile specimens, and to study ecophenotypic variation of freshwater mussels along a river gradient. Our project documents the challenges and achievements of a case study illuminating the potential scientific value of, and revival strategies for, orphaned natural history collections.

The type material of spider wasps (Hymenoptera, Pompilidae) deposited in the Federal Scientific Center of the East Asia Terrestrial Biodiversity, Russian Academy of Sciences, Vladivostok, Russia.

The type material of spider wasps deposited in the Federal Scientific Center of the East Asia Terrestrial Biodiversity, Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Vladivostok, Russia is catalogued. In total, this includes 305 primary type specimens (31 holotypes and 274 paratypes) belonging to 62 species and 1 subspecies, described between 1962 and 2019 from Russia, Tajikistan, China, South Korea, Japan, Laos, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka. All 31 holotypes are illustrated with color photographs and black-and-white drawings. Photographs of the habitus, head, hypopygium and genitalia of three holotypes and photographs of the habitus and head of 23 holotypes are presented for the first time. References to the original description, type localities, current status, and distribution of taxa are given. Data on the labels of holotypes and paratypes with clarifications and English translations are provided.

Taxonomy and phylogeny of Albian-Maastrichtian planispiral planktonic foraminifera traditionally assigned to Globigerinelloides

We propose a considerably revised taxonomy and phylogeny for Albian-Maastrichtian planispiral planktonic foraminiferal species that have traditionally been included in Globigerinelloides. The revised taxonomy is necessary because of a ~6 m.y. gap between the extinction of planispiral species during the late Aptian and the next younger occurrence of planispiral species in the middle Albian. Our stratophenetic taxonomic groupings utilize ontogenetic morphometric data, shell wall ultrastructure, and general morphologic features observed from Scanning Electron Microscope and X-radiograph images of primary type specimens and globally distributed hypotype specimens. The planispiral lineage Laeviella n. gen., whose type species is La. bentonensis (Morrow), first appeared in the middle Albian and is postulated to have evolved from the evolutionary series Ticinella primula Luterbacher-Laviella primuloides n. sp. Laeviella is characterized as having a smooth to finely pustulose wall texture and a moderate chamber size increase rate. Two additional species, La. tururensis (Bronnimann) and La. bollii (Pessagno), are included in Laeviella with the youngest species of the genus, La. bollii, becoming extinct during the late Campanian. Planohedbergella, with Plh. aspera (Ehrenberg) as its type species, is revised to include 10 species that show a wide variation in chamber arrangement, wall microstructure and test morphology, but all have a moderately to coarsely pustulose wall texture on some or most final whorl chambers. Its stratigraphic range is from the late Albian-Cretaceous/Paleogene boundary. The oldest species is Plh. ultramicra (Subbotina), which evolved from Planomalina pulchella Todd and Low during the late Albian. Planohedbergella circularis n. sp. is described as a new late Campanian-Maastrichtian species representing forms with evolute coiling, a large number of final whorl chambers, and a slow chamber size increase rate. Polycamerella n. gen. is described as a monospecific genus, with Po. tardata n. sp. as the type species. It is a small, biapertural form with a very slow chamber expansion rate and a stratigraphic range from the late Campanian-Maastrichtian. The ancestor of Po. tardata, is tentatively identified as Plh. ultramicra.

The extant fauna of Neuroptera (Insecta) from Brazil: diversity, distribution and history

This survey presents an overall view of the order Neuroptera from Brazil. A total of 432 valid extant species of Neuroptera divided into ten families, are recorded from the country. Among the Brazilian fauna, 211 species are endemic (48.8%), with the majority belonging to two families: Chrysopidae with 182 species in 19 genera, and Myrmeleontidae with 88 species in 25 genera. The first species discovered from Brazil was Climaciella semihyalina (Le Peletier & Audinet-Serville), in 1825, by European authors. In fact, European authors entirely dominated the description of Brazilian Neuroptera during the 19th century. Father Longinos Navás from Spain authored the highest number of species described from Brazil, 98, followed by US-American Norman Penny, with 83 species. Sérgio de Freitas, a Brazilian researcher, ranks third, with a total of 50 species described. It was not until the 21st century that the study of neuropterans from Brazil was primarily led by Brazilian-born authors. Primary type specimens of species described from Brazil are predominantly deposited in non-Brazilian institutions (65.7%). The order Neuroptera is distributed across all Brazilian states, except for Alagoas. The two states with the highest neuropteran biodiversity are Amazonas and São Paulo, with 132 and 124 species, respectively. Among the Brazilian biomes, the Mata Atlântica is the most diverse region with 227 known species, followed by the Amazônia with 192 species. Data on immature stages of Neuroptera are scarce and known for only 47 species recorded from Brazil (10.9%).

A review of tangle-veined flies (Nemestrinidae, Diptera) in Egypt.

The Egyptian fauna of the genus Nemestrinus Latreille, 1802 is revised. In 1967, Steyskal and El-Bialy listed 12 species from the region, but only six species are now recognized. The primary type specimens of the species N.aegyptiacus (Wiedemann, 1828), N.rufipes (Olivier, 1810), and N.lateralis Wiedemann, 1828 (N.lateralis being a synonym of N.rufipes) deposited in the Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin, Germany were examined. Two species (N.abdominalis Olivier, 1811 and N.fascifrons (Bigot, 1888) are placed as new synonyms of N.ater (Olivier, 1811), and N.ruficornis Macquart, 1840 is synonymized with N.rufipes (Olivier, 1811). Nemestrinusjullieni (Efflatoun, 1925) is confirmed as a synonym of N.aegyptiacus. Furthermore, three species (N.caucasicus Fischer, 1806, N.pallipes (Olivier, 1811), and N.persicus Lichtwardt, 1909) have been removed and are doubtful records from Egypt. A key to the species, lists of specimens examined, and Illustrations and distributions for each species are provided. The status of species of doubtful occurrence in Egypt is discussed.

A Taxonomic Position of Palpaenidea and an Identity of Galleruca pallipes (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae)

The primary type specimens of all three species classified to date in PalpaenideaLaboissière, 1933 were examined. Palpaenidea labeonisLaboissière, 1933 is synonymized with P. facialis (Jacoby, 1895). The type locality of P. facialis is discussed. Palpaenidea pallipes (Fabricius, 1801) is transferred to SermyloidesJacoby, 1884 and synonymized with Sermyloides pallicornis (Fabricius, 1801). Having cavitous head and enlarged maxillary palps, Palpaenidea is very similar to Palpoxena Baly, 1861, but the structure of aedeagus and male last abdominal ventrite show Palpaenidea closely related to Cerophysa Chevrolat, 1836 and its allies.

Type specimens of Orthoptera (Insecta) described by Franz Werner deposited in the Muséum d'histoire naturelle de Genève

Primary type specimens of ten species described by Franz Werner have been identified in the collections of the Museum d'histoire naturelle de Geneve. These are listed alphabetically, the condition of the specimens is recorded and the valid combination is given. The status of a specimen labelled as the lectotype of an eleventh species is discussed.

Henry V. Howe and His Collection of Foraminifera at Louisiana State University

Henry V. Howe, the founder of the current academic program in geology at Louisiana State University (LSU), and a renowned ostracod specialist, was also a distinguished foraminiferal paleontologist. His best work in that field, involving the discovery of many new species, was on the taxonomy of Eocene Foraminifera of Louisiana. The present H.V. Howe Type Collection of Microfossils began with Howe’s gift of slides to LSU. This collection, enriched by contributions from later workers, now includes over 580 slides of foraminiferal primary type specimens, with holotypes and syntypes of 361 species and 15 taxa labeled as “varieties.” Information regarding these specimens, including current nomenclature of the species, geologic age, stratigraphic level, and geographic location, is given in this report.

Two new species of Tetragonula (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Meliponini) from North-East India with notes on their nest structure

We describe Tetragonula kyrdemkulaiensis Viraktamath and Rojeet sp. n. with associated females and males from Kyrdemkulai, Meghalaya. This appears to be one of the largest species of the genus with male holotype measuring 5.20 mm in body length and 1.85 mm in head width, while female paratypes measuring 4.93 and 1.82 mm in body length and head width, respectively. Male gonostylus arises laterally and is gently clavate apically. Penis valve is robust with a characteristic shape. One nest was found in the soil at 90 cm depth with cells arranged in a cluster. We also describe Tetragonula srikantanathi Viraktamath sp. n. based on females from Salema, Tripura. Female holotype measures 3.50 mm in body length and 1.60 mm in head width, while the paratypes measure3.58 and 1.59 mm in body length and head width, respectively, with the whole orange metasoma. One nest of this species was found in mud wall cavity with unique single-cell thick layer of brood combs which has not been reported in any other Indian species of Tetragonula. Both species were compared with the images and descriptions of primary type specimens of Tetragonula species occurring in the Indo-Malayan region and were found to be distinct in morphological characters, male genitalia and nest structure.

Complete Type Catalog of Trombiculidae sensu lato (Acari: Trombidiformes) of the U.S. National Entomology Collection, Smithsonian Institution

Mites in the family Trombiculidae sensu lato are parasites of terrestrial vertebrates, even humans, in their larval stage. There are more than 3,700 species of chiggers, and about one-third of these species are represented by type specimens in the Smithsonian Institution’s United States National Museum Entomology Collection. Here we provide a catalog of all primary and secondary type specimens of chiggers (holotype, paratype, syntype, lectotype, and paralectotype) housed in the collection. Listed herein are 1,026 type specimens with 645 representing holotypes, 782 paratypes, 69 syntypes, 19 lectotypes, and 16 paralectotypes of larvae, deutonymphs, and adult chiggers.

The Species of the Bee Genus Centris Fabricius, 1804 (Hymenoptera : Apidae) Described by Adolf Ducke

I studied the primary types of Centris bees described by the naturalist, botanist and entomologist Adolf Ducke. The type specimens of C. caxiensis, C. friesei, C. hyptidis, C. maranhensis, C. ocellaris, C. singularis, and C. superba were analysed, providing information on their current status and depository of primary and secondary type specimens. To stabilise the application of some names, lectotypes for C. friesei and C. singularis were also designated. In addition, morphological characters useful in recognition of the species studied are also provided.

Gecko diversity: a history of global discovery

1935 gecko species (and 224 subspecies) were known in December 2019 in seven families and 124 genera. These nearly 2000 species were described by ~950 individuals of whom more than 100 described more than 10 gecko species each. Most gecko species were discovered during the past 40 years. The primary type specimens of all currently recognized geckos (including subspecies) are distributed over 161 collections worldwide, with 20 collections having about two thirds of all primary types. The primary type specimens of about 40 gecko taxa have been lost or unknown. The phylogeny of geckos is well studied, with DNA sequences being available for ~76% of all geckos (compared to ~63% in other reptiles) and morphological characters now being collected in databases. Geographically, geckos occur on five continents and many islands but are most species-rich in Australasia (which also houses the greatest diversity of family-level taxa), Southeast Asia, Africa, Madagascar, and the West Indies. Among countries, Australia has the highest number of geckos (241 species), with India, Madagascar, and Malaysia being the only other countries with more than 100 described species each. As expected, when correcting for land area, countries outside the tropics have fewer geckos.

Taxonomic note on Trichelix horrida (Pfeiffer, 1863) from Laos, with a type catalogue of Moellendorffia, Trichelix, and Moellendorffiella (Heterobranchia, Camaenidae).

Land snail surveys conducted in northern Laos between 2013 and 2014 have led to the discovery of a living population of Trichelix horrida (Pfeiffer, 1863). This species has never been recorded from specimens other than the types, and its distribution and anatomy have remained essentially unknown. The genitalia and radula morphology are documented here for the first time and employed to re-assess the systematic position of this species: the unique morphological characters of T. horrida are a penis similar in length to the vagina, a small and triangular penial verge, gametolytic organs extending as far as the albumen gland, head wart present, and unicuspid triangular radula teeth. The type locality of this species was believed to be from “Lao Mountains, Camboja,” and is restricted herein to be Luang Phrabang Province, northern Laos. The assignment of species to either of three genera, Trichelix Ancey, 1887, Moellendorffia Ancey, 1887, and Moellendorffiella Pilsbry, 1905, based solely on information provided in their original descriptions is difficult. The type specimens of all nominal species presently placed in either of these three genera are examined and illustrated herein. Comparison with the primary type specimens will assist future revisions aiming to resolve the systematics of these taxa. In addition, we transfer Moellendorffia faberiana (Möllendorff, 1888) to the genus Moellendorffiella.