BRIAN R. STUCKENBERG
Natal Museum, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa
CONSERVATION OF THE FAMILY-GROUP NAME VERMILEONIDAE AS A NOMEN PROTECTUM (DIPTERA: BRACHYCERA)
Stuckenberg, B. R., 2004. Conservation of the family-group name Vermileonidae as a nomen protectum (Diptera, Brachycera). – Tijdschrift voor Entomologie 147: 103-106. [ISSN 0040- 7496]. Published 1 June 2004. A review is given of the family-group names applied to the wormlion flies. Traditionally these dipterans were classified under Vermileoninae Williston,1886, a subfamily of Rhagionidae. Vermileoninae were given family rank by Nagatomi (1977). The earlier name Lampromyiidae Bigot, 1857, has priority, but has never been used. Article 23.9 of the Fourth Edition of the In- ternational Code of Zoological Nomenclature (1999) prescribes that names shall be conserved through reversal of priority if certain conditions relating to usage can be met. These conditions are satisfied, so Vermileonidae is formally declared to be a nomen protectum, thereby sup- pressing Lampromyiidae. B. R. Stuckenberg, Department of Arthropoda, Natal Museum, P. Bag 9070, Pietermaritzburg 3200, South Africa. School of Botany and Zoology, University of KwaZulu-Natal. E-mail: [email protected]. Keywords. – Diptera, family-group names, priority reversed, Vermileonidae conserved, Lam- promyiidae suppressed.
HISTORICAL REVIEW The purpose of this paper is to conserve the family- group name Vermileonidae Williston, 1886 through The first binomial name given to a vermileonid was application of Article 23.9 of the most recent edition Musca vermileo Linnaeus, 1758. Linnaeus referred to a of the International Code of Zoological Nomencla- publication by Degeer in 1752, in which the life his- ture (1999), which provides for reversal of priority. tory was described; as pointed out by Wheeler (1930), This is necessary because of the existence of an older the citation was incorrectly given, causing confusion family name Lampromyiidae, which has never been later. The species was transferred by Fabricius (1775) used since its original publication by Bigot (1857). to his genus Rhagio, with the result that vermileonids The eminent French naturalist R-A. F. de Réaumur were classified as Rhagionidae during the succeeding (1753) proposed that certain fly larvae, discovered by 200 years. The first vermileonid genus was Vermileo contemporaries to make pits in which to trap prey in Macquart, 1834, stated to be based on Leptis vermileo the manner of antlions, should be called ‘worm lions.’ of Fabricius and Meigen (Leptis Fabricius, 1805 = Linnaeus (1758) subsequently latinized ‘worm lion’ as Rhagio Fabricius, 1775). There was no attribution to ‘vermileo’ and gave this name to the species in France, Linnaeus, but instead a reference to ‘…le nom assigné à classified in his broadly conceived genus Musca. As re- l’espece par Degeer,’ and Macquart described a species lated below, it was adopted by Macquart (1834) as the which he named as Vermileo degeeri. Verrall (1909) re- generic name Vermileo, and in turn it became the ba- viewed this literature and decided that Degeer had sis of the family name Vermileonidae. never proposed any formal name for the species, which could later have been adopted by Linnaeus as
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Musca vermileo. This was also Wheeler’s (1930) con- August 1994), and after Dr Sabrosky’s death in 1997. clusion; a translation of Degeer’s text is available in his The provision for reversal of precedence in Article book. He concluded that Macquart had converted the 23.9 is applicable. It is necessary, however, to consider Linnaean specific name into a generic name, and may the question of usage of the name Lampromyiidae — have considered that the species required to be re- can the two statements by Sabrosky be construed as named. Both Verrall and Wheeler understood that usages of that name that could confirm its priority? only one species was involved, for which the correct Article 23.9.6 of the Code prescribes that the listing of name was Vermileo vermileo (Linnaeus, 1758). Wheel- a name ‘…in a nomenclator or other index or list of er rejected as ‘nomenclatural slag’ all other names for names must not be taken into account in determining this species, for which eight generic combinations oc- usage under Articles 23.9.1.1 and 23.9.1.2.’ cur in the old literature. Sabrosky’s book is described on its title-page as ‘An The first family-group name for the wormlion flies annotated catalog’ so the listings of Lampromyiidae was Lampromydae Bigot, 1857, based on the second are not usages of that name. The conservation of genus to be described, namely Lampromyia Macquart, names based on Vermileo can now be formally dealt 1835, type L. pallida Macquart, 1835. This family with as follows. name was never used subsequently. A new generic name Psammorycter Blanchard, 1840 was published to replace Vermileo, and it became the basis of the rha- IMPLEMENTATION OF REVERSAL OF PRECEDENCE gionid subfamily Psammorycterina Loew, 1878. As The consistently used family-group name Ver- stated by Williston (1886), Verrall (1909), Wheeler mileonidae is hereby conserved under Article 23.9.2 of (1930) and Sabrosky (1999), Psammorycter was un- the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature necessary as it resulted from a puristic objection by (Fourth Edition, International Commission on Zoo- Blanchard to the tautonymy of Vermileo vermileo. logical Nomenclature, 1999), by suppression of the These authors considered that Psammorycter was a ju- senior, unused synonym Lampromyiidae. Article nior synonym of Vermileo. The name Psammorycteri- 23.9.1 prescribes that prevailing usage must be main- nae was never accepted or used, and it is not consid- tained when the following conditions are both met: ered further here as it is invalid and unavailable in 23.9.1.1 — the senior synonym has not been used terms of Article 18 and Article 23.3.7 of the Code, as a valid name after 1899: this condition is met, as and alternatively could also be declared a nomen obli- the name has not been used. tum. Williston (1886) then named the subfamily as 23.9.1.2 — the junior synonym has been used as Vermileoninae, and this name came into general use. its presumed valid name in at least 25 works, pub- Verrall (1909), apparently unaware of Williston’s lished by at least 10 authors in the immediate preced- publication, gave an excellent description, based on ing 50 years and encompassing a span of not less than European specimens of Vermileo and South African 10 years: see Appendix for list of authors and works specimens of Lampromyia, of a rhagionid subfamily meeting these requirements. which he expressly stated he was naming Vermileoni- nae. That name, however, must be attributed to Vermileonidae. Nomen protectum. Type genus Ver- Williston, even though he provided no description or mileo Macquart, 1834: 428; type species Musca ver- defining characters. Finally, after several authors, start- mileo Linnaeus, 1758: 590. ing with Wheeler (1930), had queried the classifica- Vermileoninae. Williston 1886: 107 (as subfamily of tion of Vermileoninae among Rhagionidae, Nagatomi Rhagionidae). (1977) raised the status of this taxon to family rank. Vermileoninae. Verrall 1909: 256– 8 (synonymous There has been universal acceptance of the family- subfamily of Rhagionidae). group name Vermileonidae. The older name Lam- Vermileonidae. Nagatomi 1975: 455 (preliminary promydae of Bigot (correctly Lampromyiidae) would announcement of family rank); 1977: 324 (key to have remained in oblivion but for its listing by families), 331 (formal establishment). Sabrosky (1999) in his catalog of family-group names Vermileonomorpha. Griffiths 1994: 877 (infraorder in Diptera. He stated in the entries for Lampromyia established). and Vermileo that action by the International Com- Lampromyiidae. Nomen oblitum. Bigot 1857: 519; mission on Zoological Nomenclature would be re- as Lampromydae, type genus Lampromyia Mac- quired to conserve names based on Vermileo. The lat- quart, 1835: 660; type species Lampromyia pallida est (Fourth, 1999) edition of the International Code Macquart, 1835: 662. of Zoological Nomenclature, however, makes that un- necessary. This was published after Dr Sabrosky had completed the text of his book in 1994 (announced at the International Congress of Dipterology, Guelph,
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