Centrisbyssina

Centrisbyssina (Klug, 1808)

Fig. 3

Megillabyssina Illiger, 1806: 142 (nom. nud.).

Hemisiabyssina Klug, 1808: 57 (nomen oblitum, new junior synonym of C. trigonoides Lepeletier, 1841 (nomen protectum)).

This species was described based on an undetermined number of males. At least part of the type series is housed at ZMB. The lectotype is here designated bearing the following data label (Fig. 3): [green label with black lower margin] Bah. Gom [handwritten]\ [white yellowish label] 1600 [printed]\ [white yellowish label] Zool. Mus. Berlin [printed in blue ink]\ [white label with red lateral margins] LECTOTYPE [printed] Hemisia byssina Klug, 1808 [handwritten] desig. Melo, 2016 [printed]\ http://coll.mfn-berlin.de/u/58fa36 [QR code] (ZMB).

Brazil.

This species was described several years earlier than Centris trigonoides. However, in this case the priority principle applies (ICZN 1999: article 23.9.1). This allows for prevailing usage of names when the “senior synonym has not been used as a valid name after 1899” (condition 23.9.1.1) and the junior synonym has been used “in at least 25 works, published by at least 10 authors in the immediately preceding 50 years and encompassing a span of not less than 10 years” (condition 23.9.1.2). Under this circumstance, both conditions are met because the name ‘ byssina ’ was cited only once by Illiger (1906) as “ Megilla byssina ” (nom. nud.) and then it was completely forgotten, while C. trigonoides is by far one of the most cited Centridine bees (Vivallo 2019a). Considering this, and according to the article 23.9, C. trigonoides must be considered the valid name of the species (nomen protectum), and C. byssina one of its junior synonyms (nomen oblitum).