Case 1707. Diabrotica undecimpunctata Mannerheim 1843 Insecta Coleoptera Proposed Conservation Of The Specific Name And Of The Subspecific Name Howardi Barber 1947

3 Pages·1991·0.86 MB·English

by  P K Tubbs

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BulletinofZoologicalNomenclature48(3)September1991 219
Case 1707
Diabroticaundecimpunctata Mannerheim, 1843(Insecta, Coleoptera):
proposedconservationofthespecific name, andofthesubspecific name
howardiBarber, 1947
P.K. Tubbs
ExecutiveSecretary, InternationalCommissiononZoologicalNomenclature,
c/o TheNaturalHistoryMuseum, CromwellRoad, LondonSW75BD, U.K.
Abstract. ThepurposeofthisappHcationistheconservationofthespecificnameofthe
North American leafbeetle Diabroticaundecimpunctata Mannerheim, 1843, which is
an important agricultural pest. The unused name Crioceris sexpunctata Fabricius,
1792 is a senior subjective synonym of the subspecies howardi Barber, 1947 of
D.undecimpunctata,andtheproposedsuppressionoisexpunctataFabriciusconserves
bothundecimpunctataMannerheimandhowardiBarber.
1 The North American chrysomelid beetle known as Diabrotica undecimpunctata
Mannerheim, 1843 is an abundant and important pest species. It attacks a very wide
variety(atleastsevenbotanicalfamilies)ofcrops,includingcorn,fruitandvegetables,
and affects them by transmitting diseases as well as by foliage and root feeding. The
nameisinconstantusebyplantbreedersandpathologists,agronomists,entomologists
andothers.Therearenumerousreferencestoiteveryyear.
2. In an application to the Commission published in 1965 (BZN 22: 246) Prof
Ray F. Smith {University ofCalifornia, BerJicley) proposed that the specific name
undecimpunctata should be conserved, although it has a senior subjective synonym.
ProfSmith'sapplication, incommonwithmanyothers,washeldinabeyanceafterits
publication because the automatic rejection of nomina oblita (senior synonyms
unused for 50 years, with ajunior synonym in general use; Article 23b ofthe 1964
Code)wasunderreview.TherelevantCodeprovisionwasrepealedasfrom 1 January
1973, but due to pressures the case was never completed (although in 1984 the then
Commission Secretary, Mr R.V. Melville, wrote to ProfSmith, who confirmed that
undecimpunctata should indeed be conserved). The case is now resubmitted in an
expandedform.
3. The earliest name probably applying to the species (see Barber, 1947, p. 151) is
Cfirysomela duodecimpunctata Fabricius, 1775 (p. 103), but this is unavailable as a
misidentificationorjuniorprimaryhomonymofCduodecimpunctataLinnaeus, 1758
(p. 376). Later Fabricius (1792, p. 4) published the name Criocerissexpunctata for a
chrysomelid,citing'Cap. Bon. Spei'[CapeofGoodHope]asthehabitatofthespecies
and 'Mus. Dom. Banks' asthesourceofthetypematerial. In theoriginal application
Prof Smith reported that the Banks collection in the Natural History Museum
(London) contained a specimen, labelled •6punctata Forster' and 'type', which is
probablythetypeo^sexpunctataFabricius(seealsoSmith& Lawrence, 1967,p. 122).
It was presumably collected by J.R. Forster in North America, Fabricius being in
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220 BulletinofZoologicalNomenclature48(3)September199
error about the origin, since it is a specimen ofDiabrotica undecimpunctata howardi
(see para. 7). The name sexpunctata has not been used since Hope (1840, p. 102),
presumablybecauseFabriciushadattributedthespeciestoawrongcontinent.
4. Mannerheim (1843, p. 309) described Diabrotica duodecimpunctata (Fabricius,
1775) 'var. b' from California and cited a manuscript name "Galleruca U-punctata
Eschscholtz in litteris' in synonymy; he mentioned that 'var. b' might be a distinct
species.Asstatedinpara.3,thenameduodecimpunctatacannotbeusedforthespecies,
but under Article lie ofthe Code undecimpunctata is available (with Mannerheim,
1843 as author) because before 1961 it had been adopted as valid by Michelbacher,
MacLeod & Smith, 1941, p. 709 (see also Barber, 1947, p. 153). Mannerheim
(1843) placed the species in Diabrotica Dejean, [1835] (p. 380); previously Dejean
([1835], p. 381)hadmentioned thenomennudum 'Var. UndecimpunctataEsch.' from
CaliforniaunderD.duodecimpunctata(Fabricius).
5. A different taxonomic species (from Peru) was described with the name
D. undecimpunctata by Jacoby (1879, p. 524). Barber (1947, p. 153) published the
replacementnameD.maulikiforthisspecies.
6. Klug ([1833], p. 212) described a beetle from Madagascar as Galleruca
undecimpunctata. The name "Galleruca' is an incorrect spelling (introduced by
Fabricius, 1792,p. 12)ofGaleruca,firstpublishedbyGeoffroy(1762,p.251).Asnoted
in para. 4, undecimpunctata Mannerheim, 1843 was published in association with
DiabroticaDejean,[1835]andthereisthereforenoreasontorejectitasajuniorprimary
homonymofGalerucaundecimpunctataKlug.
7. BeforetheintroductionbyMichelbacher, MacLeod&Smith(1941)ofthename
undecimpunctata Mannerheim the species had been known as Diabrotica soror Le
Conte, 1865(p.212),althoughthereisanearliersynonymthanthis,namelyD. tenella
Le Conte, 1858 (p. 88). Barber (1947, p. 153) divided D. undecimpunctata into four
subspecies: the nominotypical one, from the western United States, corresponds to
sororLeConte,theholotypeofCriocerissexpunctataFabricius, 1792(seepara. 3)isa
specimenofthesubspecieshowardiBarber, 1947(p. 153)fromthesouthernandeastern
U.S.,and tenellaandduodecimnotataHarold, 1875weredescribedfromArizonaand
Mexicorespectively.
8. Smith & Lawrence (1967, p. 136) designated a specimen in the Zoologiska
Museet, Helsinki, labelled 'Calif, bor. Coll. Mannerh.', asthelectotypeofDiabrotica
duodecimpunctata var. b Mannerheim, that is of D. undecimpunctata Mannerheim,
1843.
9. The conservation of the name undecimpunctata Mannerheim, 1843 is highly
desirable, since it has for 50 years been in exclusive use for the pest species in a very
extensiveliteratureandtheseniorsubjectivesynonymsexpunctataFabricius, 1792has
notbeen used for 150years. Smith's 1965 rejection(BZN22: 246)ofsexpunctataasa
nomenoblitumwassupportedbysixworkers(pp. 246,247)andstillstands;however,
Article79c(iii)ofthepresentCodeprescribesthatsuchcasesshouldbereferredtothe
Commissionandtheopportunityhasbeentakentoaddfurtherinformation.
10. The International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature is accordingly
asked:
(1) to use its plenary powers to suppress the specific name sexpunctata Fabricius,
1792,aspublishedinthebinomenCriocerissexpunctata,forthepurposesofthe
PrincipleofPrioritybutnotforthoseofthePrincipleofHomonymy;
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BulletinofZoologicalNomenclature48(3)September1991 221
(2) toplacethefollowingnamesontheOfficial ListofSpecificNamesinZoology
(a) undecimpunctata Mannerheim, 1843, as published in association with the
genericnameDiahroticaDejean,[1835];
{h)howardi Barber, 1947, as published in the trinomen Diahrotica undecim-
punctatahowardi;
(3) tthoeplnaacmeeonset.hxepOufnfcitcaitaalIFnabdreixcoiufsR,ej1e7c9t2e,daasndpuIbnlviaslhieddSpiencitfhiecbNianmoemseninCZroioocleorgiys
sexpunctataandassuppressedin(1)above.
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