Taumacera nigripennis (Jacoby, 1884)

Platyxantha (?) nigripennis Jacoby, 1884b: 225 (original description)

Type material examined. SYNTYPES: 1 ♀, ‘v.d.Bossche / Banka [w, h] // Platyxantha? / nigripennis / Jac. [b, h]’ (RMNH); 1 ♀ (photograph), ‘v.d.Bossche / Banka [w, h] // 1st Jacoby / Coll. [w, p] // Type [p] / 18350 [r, h] // Platyxantha / nigripennis / n. sp. Jacoby [w, h]’ (MCZ).

Comments. JACOBY (1884b) described this species from four specimens: ‘There are now four specimens contained in the present collection which I take to represent two males, from Banka (v. d. Bossche), and two females, from Serdang (Hagen)’. He also mentioned some differences, particularly more the transverse pronotum in the two specimens from Serdang. I examined one syntype from Banka (RMNH, = Bangka Isl., Sumatra) and a photograph of the other one (MCZ). Undoubtedly, both syntypes from Banka are females. Thus the differences in the shape of the pronotum cannot be attributed to sexual dimorphism, but more probably they belong to different species. However, the two females from Serdang were not examined (probably they are deposited in the RMNH) thus I avoid to designate a lectotype and the species identity needs further study. Tentatively I did not place this species into any species group.

Some specimens labelled as types can be found also in the MSNG and BMNH but cannot be treated as type specimens. Two females from MSNG refer to specimens published by JACOBY (1896a) as Dorydea nigripennis. It is not quite clear if the male from the BMNH labelled as ‘type’ refer to the male specimen mentioned in JACOBY (1896a) or to the series and drawing in JACOBY (1899). Another nontype male from Soekaranda (Dohrn leg.) mentionedin JACOBY (1899) is also deposited in BMNH. However, I am not sure if these males are conspecific with the females from the type series or not.