Pteroplatus Buquet 1840

Pteroplatus Buquet, 1840

Pteroplatus Buquet, 1840: 287; 1841a: 285; Drapiez, 1844: 227; Guérin-Méneville, 1844: 233; Blanchard, 1845: 146; Chevrolat, 1847: 615; Desmarest, 1860: 311; Strauch, 1861: 127; Thomson, 1861: 255; 1864: 257; 1865: 458; Lacordaire, 1869: 164; Bates, 1870: 428; Desmarest, 1870: 311; Gemminger, 1872: 2966 (cat.); Bates, 1880: 72; Blackwelder, 1946: 588 (checklist); Linsley, 1959: 127; Linsley, 1961a: 632; 1961b: 9; Zajciw, 1963: 64; Monné & Giesbert, 1994: 132 (checklist); Monné, 1994: 47 (cat.); Monné & Hovore, 2006: 114 (checklist); Monné, 2005: 450 (cat.); Napp & Martins, 2006: 68; Swift, 2008: 5; Monné, 2012: 45; 2018: 670 (cat.).

Type species: Pteroplatus pulcher Buquet, 1840 (Thomson designation, 1864: 258).

Redescription. Frons transverse, at least partially pubescent. Mandibles short. Eyes finely faceted; upper eye lobes narrow; lower eye lobes gradually widened toward genal area, nearly tear drop-shaped. Genae slightly shorter than greatest width of lower eye lobe. Antennae 11-segmented, reaching about posterior fifth of elytra in male, about posterior third in female; antennomeres III–VI with tuft of long setae ventrally; antennomere V at most as long as VI, usually shorter; antennomeres III–V/VI distinctly widened toward apex; antennomeres VI/VII–XI cylindrical or slightly widened toward apex (except XI). Prothorax slightly transverse; sides from uniformly rounded to somewhat rounded or obtusely tuberculate about center; anterior area usually narrower than posterior one. Prosternum with sexually dimorphic punctation: coarser in male than in female. Elytra flattened dorsally; with two distinct carinae, humeral one almost reaching elytral apex, innermost at most reaching posterior quarter; sides slightly or strongly widened from basal quarter or midlength; apex uniformly rounded; sutural angle unarmed (at most slightly projected). Femora pedunculate-clavate. Metatarsomere I about as long as II–III together.

Remarks. Dickinson (2011) found evidence to question the date of publication of the issues of the “Revue Zoologique.” According to him: “It is recommended that every issue be dated the month following the specified date (apart from the exceptions mentioned above, and any others found where evidence demonstrates a publication date that does not fit the policy).” This does not affect the year of publication of the work by Buquet in the Revue Zoologique, where Pteroplatus and its species are described.

According to the website of the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum (https://www.bishopmuseum.org/), part 4 of volume 9 of the “Annales de la Société Entomologique de France ” (ASEF) was published on 5 May 1841. Also, according to this website: “Unless otherwise specified, dating below from 1832–1860 derives from manuscript notes of C.D. Sherborn, which are held in the Palaeontology Library of the Natural History Museum, London.” Additionally, the remarks on this part contain the following information: “see Vol. 10: lvi.” Apparently, it would be the volume 10 of the ASEF. However, there is no information on this page about the publication dates for Volume 9. Nevertheless, the following information is present on page “vi” (meeting of 3 Mars 1841) (translated): “… on the other hand, the Society remains burdened with a debt of 1,750 francs, and, moreover, it has to provide for the printing of its Annals for the third and fourth quarters of 1840.” This statement makes it unquestionable that the last two parts of Volume 9 were not published in 1840. Thus, although we were not able to confirm the exact date (5 May 1841), the part of the work where Buquet wrote on Pteroplatus was not published in 1840. The volume 9 of the “Annales de la Société Entomologique de France ” has incorrect page numbering after page 254. Page 255 is numbered as being 355, and all subsequent pages follow this incorrect numbering. Accordingly, the number of the pages of the work by Buquet (1841a) is 285–291, and not 385–391.