Bicellonycha lividipennis Motschulsky 1854

Overview & Synopsis

Bicellonycha lividipennis Motschulsky, 1854bFigs 5–7Bicellonycha lividipennis Motschulsky, 1854b: 58.Type material examinedLectotype (designated here) BRAZIL • ♂; “Bicellonych [probably cut through without the “a” at the end of the genus name],, livida,, Motsch,, Brasil” // “ Serra da Strella ” // “ ” [red label left in blank]; ZIN.Preservation statusComplete, well-preserved.RemarksOne of the labels says “livida Motsch. Brasil ”, as seen in another syntype of Bicellonycha lividipennis Motschulsky, 1854b (Kazantsev & Nikitsky 2008). Moreover, this specimen bears a red label, and fits the description given for Bicellonycha lividipennis Motschulsky, 1854b. Together, we interpret this as evidence that this specimen is a male syntype of Bicellonycha lividipennis Motschulsky, 1854b, which we hereby designate as lectotype. “Serra da Strella” probably refers to the Serra da Estrela Mountain, part of the Serra do Mar Mountain range, Southeastern Brazil. Several European naturalists set foot at the Serra da Estrela, where the diplomat and “academic extraordinary” baron Georg Heinrich von Langsdorff had a property, named “Fazenda da Mandioca” (Portuguese for “Cassava farm”) (Papavero 1971). Langsdorff in fact shipped many specimens to ZIN (Papavero 1971). Therefore, it is reasonable to attribute “Serra da Strella” to the piedmont of the Brazilian Serra da Estrela, in today’s Magé Municipality, Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil.Current statusBicellonycha lividipennis Motschulsky, 1854b: 58.