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Title: On the identity of European Baridini (Coleoptera, Curculionoidea) named before 1832

Author
item Prena, Jens

Submitted to: Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/26/2008
Publication Date: 11/5/2008
Citation: Prena, J. 2008. On the identity of European Baridini (Coleoptera, Curculionoidea) named before 1832. Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift. 55(2):263-275.

Interpretive Summary: Weevils are mostly small-sized insects and one of the largest families of beetles with many thousands of species, with many agricultural pest species included. Numerous errors and misinterpretations of their true identities have occurred over the past 250 years, and one particularly troublesome group is revised in this study. Twenty-eight names that were proposed prior to the first comprehensive study of weevils in 1833 are checked against original sources, such as historic collections, unpublished illustrations, personal notebooks, and original texts. Whenever possible and appropriate, measures are taken in this paper to ensure continued usage of names of common pest species. The overall purpose of the study is to fix the names and identities of these early recognized weevils, so that pest species can be referred to by stable, unchanging names. This information will be of interest to scientists and action agencies that need to identify weevils.

Technical Abstract: Twenty-eight names of European weevils usually regarded as Baridini in the literature are checked. Neotypes are designated for Curculio coerulescens Scopoli 1763 (emend.), C. glaber Herbst 1784, C. chalybeus Gmelin 1790, C. laticollis Marsham 1802, and C. picicornis Marsham 1802. Lectotypes are designated for C. atriplicis Fabricius 1777, C. cuprirostris Fabricius 1787, C. timidus Rossi 1792, C. absinthii Panzer 1794 (emend.), C. artemisiae Panzer 1794, C. chloris Panzer 1794, C. artemisiae Herbst 1795, Baris chlorizans Germar 1824, B. lepidii Germar 1824, and B. impunctata Stephens 1831. New synonyms are (1) in Baridinae, Madopterini: C. t-album Linnaeus 1758 (= C. nigrinus Herbst 1795, Baridius pusio Boheman 1844, Limnobaris t-album var. reitteri Munster 1928); (2) in Baridinae, Baridini: C. parisinus Thunberg 1784 (= C. virens Gmelin 1790, = C. cuprirostris Fabricius 1787), C. artemisiae Panzer 1794 (= C. artemisiae Herbst 1795), C. chloris Panzer 1794 (= C. chlorizans Germar 1824), Baris lepidii Germar 1924 (= B. impunctata Stephens 1831); and (3) in Mesoptiliinae: C. cerasi Linnaeus 1758 (= C. armeniacae Fabricius 1792). Curculio atriplicis, C. glaber, and C. absinthii are suppressed as nomina oblita, preserving their junior synonym, C. laticollis nomen protectum. Curculio parisinus is suppressed as a nomen oblitum, preserving its junior synonym, C. cuprirostris nomen protectum. Curculio chloris is suppressed as a nomen oblitum, preserving its junior synonym, B. chlorizans nomen protectum. Hence, the valid names of European Baridini described before 1832 are C. coerulescens Scopoli 1763, C. cuprirostris Fabricius 1787, C. analis Olivier 1791, C. timidus Rossi 1792, C. artemisiae Panzer 1794, C. laticollis Marsham 1802, C. picicornis Marsham 1802, Baris chlorizans Germar 1824, B. lepidii Germar 1824, and B. scolopacea Germar 1824.