Case 2841. Platynectes Régimbart, 1879 (Insecta, Coleoptera): proposed conservation

3 Pages·1993·0.55 MB·English

by  A N Nilsson

212 BulletinofZoologicalNomenclature50(3)September1993
Case 2841
Platynectes Regimbart, 1879 (Insecta, Coleoptera): proposed
conservation
Anders N. Nilsson
DepartmentofAnimalEcology. UniversityofUnied, S-901 87 Umea,
Sweden
Abstract.The purpose of this appUcation is to conserve the name Platynectes
Regimbart, 1879 for a genus of diving water beetles (family dytiscidae). It is
threatenedbytheunusedseniorsynonymPlateocolymbusGistel, 1857.
1. Gistel (1857a, p. 606) established the genus Plateocolymbus; the name and
descriptionwerealsoincludedinGistel(1857b,p.93).Thereisnoevidencewhichof
thesetwoworkswaspublishedfirstbut,sinceGistel(1857b)isanextractfromGistel
(1857a).thelatterworkistakenashavingpriority.GistelincludedinPlateocolymbus
onlythespecies ColymbeieslineatusRedtenbacherinKollar& Redtenbacher, 1844
(p. 503) fromAsia, which is thetypespeciesbymonotypy. Balfour-Browne(1944,
p.352)notedthatColymbeteslineatusRedtenbacher(whichheplacedinPlatynectes;
seepara.2below)wasajuniorprimaryhomonymofC. lineatusGuerin, 1830,and
heproposed Platynecteskashmiranusasareplacementname.
2. In a paper published in 1879 Regimbart (p. 462) described a new genus
Platynectes for a group ofSouth American, Australian and New Zealand species
formerlyplaced in thegenusAgahusLeach, 1817. ThecoverofRegimbart'spaper
bears thedate 26 March 1878. but this is a misprint for 1879. The type speciesof
PlatynectesisAgabusdeceninotatusAube. 1838(p. 319),bysubsequentdesignation
byGuignot(1946, p. 117).
3. Gemminger& HarolddeliberatelyomittedGistel'snamesfromthe Catalogus
Coleopterorum(1868a,p.vi),addingthat'miteinersonstseltenenEinstimmigkeitdas
gesammte wissenschaftliche Publikum sein Verdikt ausgesprochen hat'. Gistel's
nameshave rarely beencited in the literature. Oneexception is Strand (1917)who
listed all the new names proposed by Gistel (1857b). He included Plateocolymbus
(p. 80), this being the only published reference to the name since its original
publication. Strandgave ColymbeteslineatusRedtenbacherasthetypebutdidnot
mention the subjective synonymy of Plateocolymbus and Platynectes (see para. 4
below). Nilsson, Roughley& Brancucci(1989)overlookedallGistel'sfamily-group
andgenus-groupnamesinthedytiscidae.
4. Sharp(1882,pp. 538, 887)accepted Platynectesasavalidgenusand included
13species. Hereferredanothereightspecies,includingP. lineatusRedtenbacher(=
kashmiranus Balfour-Browne), to Platynecteswith some doubt; his hesitation over
kashmiranuswasbecauseheknewthisspeciesonlyfromtheoriginaldescription.Van
denBranden(1885,p. 77)listedallthesespeciesinPlatynecteswithoutreservation.
In Sharp's and Van den Branden's classification Platynectes is ajunior subjective
synonymofPlateocolymbus.AllsubsequentworkershaveacceptedPlatynectesand
BulletinofZoologicalNomenclature50(3)September1993 213
have included lineatusorkashmiranusin it(forexample, Regimbart, 1899, p. 281;
Brinck, 1948, p. 113;Gueorguiev, 1972, p. 34;Vazirani, 1976, p. 171;afurthersix
referencesbysixauthorsinthelast23yearsareheldbytheCommissionSecretariat).
TorejectPlatynectesRegimbart,1879becauseofitsjuniorsubjectivesynonymywith
theunusednamePlaleocolymbusGistel, 1857wouldcreateinstabilityintheliterature
andcauseconsiderableconfusion.
5. The International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature is accordingly
asked:
(1) touseitsplenarypowerstosuppressthenamePlaleocolymbusGistel, 1857for
the purposes ofthe Principle of Priority but not those ofthe Principle of
Homonymy;
(2) toplaceontheOfficialListofGenericNamesinZoologythenamePlatynectes
Regimbart, 1879(gender: mascuhne).typespeciesbysubsequentdesignation
byGuignot(1946)AgabusdecemnotatusAube, 1838;
(3) to place on the Official List of Specific Names in Zoology the name
decemnotatusAube, 1838, aspublished in thebinomen Agabusdecemnotatus
(specificnameofthetypespeciesofPlatynectesRegimbart, 1879);
(4) to place on the Official Index of Rejected and Invalid Generic Names in
ZoologythenamePlateocolymbusGistel, 1857,assuppressedin(1)above.
References
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