NOMENCLATURAL CHANGES IN THE STAPHYLINIDAE (INSECTA ...

28 BULLETIN AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY NO. 264
bricius and treated the use by O. Müller and
Ström as subsequent citations. From Gravenhorst
(1802) until 1895 most authors cited
Fabricius as the author of P. marginatus;
from Ganglbauer (1895: 448) to present,
most authors have cited Ström as author. It
seems likely that the three names represent
the same species, and therefore O. Müller is
the author.
Philonthus obscuratus Cameron, 1951:
402, is a new synonym of Philonthus debiliformis
Cameron, 1951: 402. Philonthus obscuratus
Cameron, 1951 is a junior primary
homonym of Gabrius obscuratus (Cameron,
1950a: 41) (ex Philonthus). Tottenham
(1962: 195) wrote ‘‘. . . I am of the opinion
that it [obscuratus Cameron] is identical with
P. debiliformis Cameron ...’’;hewaswriting
about the 1951 name, but he took no action.
I accept Tottenham’s surmise that P. obscuratus
is a synonym of P. debiliformis.
Philonthus pheres Smetana, 1963: 74 is a
new synonym of Philonthus renominatus
Cameron, 1937: 5. Both names were proposed
to replace the junior primary homonym
Philonthus vicinus Cameron, 1933b:
389.
Philonthus rufimanus Erichson, 1840: 476
is a new synonym of rufimanus Heer, 1839:
266. Redtenbacher (1849: 703; 1857: 193)
and Kraatz (1857: 609) cited the Heer and
Erichson descriptions as referring to the
same species.
Philonthus splendens (Fabricius, 1793:
523) has an older synonym, Philonthus niger
(O. Müller, 1764: 23), that has been a synonym
of Philonthus splendens since 1840
and, until 1996, was not cited as valid after
1899 (article 23.9.1.1). In the last 50 years
at least 36 articles by 31 authors have been
published listing Philonthus splendens Fabricius
as valid (article 23.9.1.2). A list of these
citations is provided in the forthcoming catalog
for the family (Herman, in press). However,
Ádám (1996: 244) resurrected P. niger,
thereby compromising application of article
23.9.1. Use of the older name will create significant
instability. The younger name has
been cited as valid in many publications and
is known by many workers, and thus its use
should be maintained. The matter will be referred
to the Commission; meanwhile, use of
the junior name is to be maintained (article
23.9.3).
Philonthus succicola Thomson, 1860: 157
has an older synonym, Philonthus nigritus
(Runde, 1835: 7), which has been a junior
synonym of Philonthus carbonarius (Gravenhorst,
1802), Philonthus chalceus Stephens,
1832, or Philonthus succicola Thomson
since 1840 and was not cited as valid
after 1899 (article 23.9.1.1). In the last 50
years at least 27 articles by 21 authors have
been published citing Philonthus succicola
Thomson as valid (article 23.9.1.2). A list of
these citations is provided in the forthcoming
catalog for the family (Herman, in press).
Philonthus succicola Thomson is a nomen
protectum and P. nigritus (Runde) a nomen
oblitum (article 23.9.2).
Platydracus immaculatus (Mannerheim,
1830: 22) is resurrected to replace the more
recently named Platydracus vulpinus (Nordmann,
1837: 53). Smetana and Davies (2000:
25) had not examined the relevant types and
had doubts that they were conspecific, but
Newton (personal commun.), who has studied
the types, regards them to be the same.
Polyphematiana E. Strand, 1915: 122 is a
new synonym of Trigonopselaphus Gemminger
and Harold, 1868: 597. Trigonopselaphus
was proposed by Gemminger and
Harold (1868: 597) to replace Trigonophorus
Nordmann, 1837: 8 (not Stephens, 1829, or
Hope, 1831). Nordmann included only Trigonophorus
myrtillinus Nordmann, 1837: 8,
in Trigonophorus, so that is the type species
of the genus by monotypy and is also the
type species of Trigonopselaphus by objective
synonymy with Trigonophorus. Bernhauer
(1921: 19) moved T. myrtillinus to
Polyphemus Bernhauer, 1914: 397 (not
Mueller, 1776), which had already been replaced
by Polyphematiana E. Strand, 1915:
122. Scheerpeltz (1933: 1415; 1972: 35) also
included the species in Polyphematiana, but
still listed Trigonopselaphus as a valid genus,
excluding only T. myrtillinus. Two checklists
(Blackwelder, 1944: 141; Moore and Legner,
1975: 45) continued to list myrtillinus in Trigonopselaphus.
If the transfer of T. myrtillinus
to Polyphematiana is accepted, then Trigonopselaphus
Gemminger and Harold,
1868, must replace Polyphematiana E.
Strand, 1915. All the species remaining in