Melobasina apicalis Kerremans, 1900

Melobasina apicalis Kerremans, 1900 View in CoL

( Figs. 59–65 View Figs , 123, 128 View Figs )

Melobasina apicalis Kerremans, 1900b: 69 View in CoL . Type locality: Papua New Guinea, Louisiade Archipelago, Tagula Island (‘Ile Tugela’).

Melobasina apicalis: KERREMANS (1903) View in CoL : 144 (list of species; distribution: ‘Ile Tugela’), pl. 2, Fig. 2 View Figs ; OBENBERGER (1930): 420 (catalogue; distribution: ‘Ins. Tugela’); BELLAMY (2002): 62 (catalogue); BELLAMY (2008): 625 (catalogue; distribution:Australasian: ‘Tugela Island’).

Nosotrinchus [sic!] Ignitus Théry, 1937: 647 View in CoL , syn. nov. Type locality: Papua New Guinea, Bismarck Archipelago, Bougainville province, Bougainville Island, Buin.

Nesotrinchus ignitus: BELLAMY (1987) : 101 (note).

Melobasina ignita: BELLAMY (2008) : 625 (catalogue; new combination; distribution:Australasian: Solomon Islands – mistake).

Misidentification. Melobasina apicalis Kerremans sensu BELLAMY (2003) View in CoL : 120, Fig. 185. The specimen is in fact a syntype of Nesotrinchus simondsi View in CoL .

Type material examined. Melobasina apicalis : LECTOTYPE (designated here): ♀ ( BMNH), PAPUA NEW GUINEA: LOUISIADE ARCHIPELAGO: ‘Tugela [= Tagula Island], Sol[omon]. Is. ([C. M.] Wodford [leg.]) [p] / apicalis Kerr. Type. [h] / Type [p] [red-framed round label] / Melobasina Kerrem. [h] / M. apicalis Kerr. I. Tugela [h] / Kerremans. 1903–59. [p]’. Since the number of syntypes is unknown, we designate here the female specimen from BMHN as the lectotype to avoid any confusion in the future.

Melobasina ignita : HOLOTYPE (by monotypy): ♀ ( NHMB, coll. G. Frey), PAPUA NEW GUINEA: BISMARCK ARCHIPELAGO: Bougainville Island: ‘Buin Ile Salomon [h] / Nosotrinchus ignitus Thery [h] Type [p, red] / keine Type aber Paratype 1956 det. Kamp [h]’.

Additional material examined. SOLOMON ISLANDS: GUADALCANAL ISLAND: ‘Wanderers Bay 84. 3 [h] / Solomon Islands, W Guadalcanal Isl., Wanderer Bay coast [h, Kubáň’ s writing] / Melobasina fossicollis Kerr. det from descr. [h] B.Levey det. 196 [p] 8 [h]’ ( 2 ♀♀, BMNH).

Remarks. BELLAMY (2008) formally transferred ‘ Nesotrinchus ignitus ’ to the genus Melobasina . We have studied the types of M. ignita and M. apicalis and two females from Guadalcanal and failed to find any substantial differences and we consider them conspecific, M. ignita ( Fig. 65 View Figs ) being a junior subjective synonym of M. apicalis ( Fig. 59 View Figs ). HOŁYŃSKI (1993: 27) most probably studied specimens from Guadalcanal deposited in BMNH and determined by B. Levey as ‘ Melobasina fossicollis Kerr. ’ (see above).

Distribution. Papua New Guinea ( Bismarck Archipelago: Bougainville Island; Louisiade Archipelago: Tagula Island), Solomon Islands ( Guadalcanal Island).