Exallopyga guatemalensis ( Cameron, 1888 )

Exallopyga guatemalensis ( Cameron, 1888)

Holopyga kohli du Buysson, 1901: 100 . Lectotype ♀ [not holotype as in Lucena et al. 2024: 49], designated by French 1985: 623, by inference from the use of the term “ holotype ” (MNHN, examined) according to Rosa et al. (2020). Synonymized with Exallopyga guatemalensis ( Cameron, 1888) by French (1985).

As noted by Rosa et al. (2020), du Buysson (1901) described Holopyga kohli based on an unknown number of specimens belonging to NHMW and received from F.F. Kohl. He returned at least one specimen to NHMW, examined by Rosa et al. (2020), but apparently retained one female syntype for his collection, now part of the General Collection at MNHN, box 10. It has been accepted, under the Third Edition of the Code then in effect (ICZN 1985: Article 74(b)), that French (1985: 623) effectively designated this specimen as the lectotype by citing it as the “ holotype ”. It can be argued, however, that French’s “designation” was actually invalid since he apparently made no attempt to establish whether du Buysson had only a single specimen or not, and the suspicion should have been that he had more than one since du Buysson’s paper dealt with specimens belonging to NHMW and made no mention of any in MNHN, and also indicated variation in coloration of specimens: “ entièrement vert ou vert-bleu ”. The current Code (ICZN 1999: Article 74.6) is clearer in its requirements, stating that even the implication of the existence of syntypes in the original description precludes acceptance of mention of a “ holotype ” as equivalent to a lectotype designation. Consequently, French’s (1985) citation of the MNHN specimen as “ holotype ” is unjustified. In order to maintain current concepts, however, we hereby formally designate the specimen in MNHN (labelled Wthm. [= Winthem] / MUSEUM PARIS Brésil Köhl 1901 / TYPE / Holopyga kohli Buys. n. sp. type R. du Buysson det. 1901 / LECTOTYPUS Holopyga ♀ Kohli Buysson P. Rosa vidit 2016) as the lectotype; the specimen in NHMW, illustrated in Rosa et al. (1920: Fig. 65), remains the only known paralectotype.