Odontura algerica Brunner von Wattenwyl 1878

Odontura algerica Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1878

Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1878. Monographie der Phaneropteriden 72, 75; type locality: Algeria; depository: NHM, Vienna (syntypes ♂ and ♀).

Odontura borrei Bolívar, 1878 new synonym

Bolívar, 29 October 1878, Ann. Soc. Entom. Belgique 21: 71; type locality: Constantine (Algeria); depository: MNCN, Madrid (holotype ♀) (see also Paris 1994).

Material examined. Algeria (♂, ♀ syntypi) (NHM); Algeria, Algiers 13.IV.1942 (1♂, 1♀); Algeria, Tagremaret V.1949 (1♂); Algeria, Saida 19.V.1949 (1♂); Algeria, Oran (1♂); Algeria, Kabylie (1♂); Algeria, Yakouren (1♂); Algeria, Col des Oliviers (1♂); Tunisia, Ain Draham (2♂) (MNCN); Algeria (2♂, 2♀) (MNHP); Tunisia, Ain Draham 25–27.V.2010, F. Angelini (1♂) (BMPC); Algeria, Constantine (♀ holotypus of O. borrei) (MNCN); Algeria, Constantine, Ain Nahass 23.IV.2019, N. Benkenana (2♂, 1♀) (BMPC).

Remarks. In O. algerica, the male cerci are quite distinctive and therefore relatively unmistakable, with a small incurved apical spine (Figure 1a). In both O. algerica females and the O. borrei female holotype (Figures 2a–2c), the tegmina barely overlap. The length of the ovipositor of the O. borrei holotype is 11.1 mm, while that of O. algerica is 9.9±0.8 (min–max: 8.9–10.7). When Bolívar (1878) described Odontura borrei, he based his description solely on the female and without suggesting any reliable characters that would permit separation from other species of the genus, beyond mentioning the fact that the tegmina are slightly overlapping (Figure 2b)—a common feature also in O. algerica. He also drew attention to the lateral keels on the pronotum, a barely visible character which, however, is present in the females of other species. The shape of the cerci of the two male specimens from the Constantine area, housed in the BMPC collection, matches that of O. algerica typically with a small apical incurved spine. Llorente & Pinedo (1990), citing Chopard (1943), listed O. borrei males from the Aurés Mts., and from a number of Tunisian localities, including the north-western region which together with the Aurés, form part of the Atlas Mountain system. However, no males from the Constantine area, where the female holotype was described, were alluded to, nor were any key characters, such as the cerci, illustrated. On the basis of prevailing morphological evidence, the present authors are of the opinion that males of the taxon from the Constantine area should match morphological characters of O. borrei far more closely than those from the Atlas system (comprising the Aurés Mts. and localities from north-western Tunisia). Incidentally, Finot (1895) reported this species from Batna, Philippeville (= Skikda), Oran, Bordj Menaiel, Chabet el Ameur, Guyotville (= Aïn Benian) in Algeria, and from Tunis-Carthage, Ksour el Maltei (toponym unverified by present authors), Makter (= Maktar), Bir-Arrach (= Bir Khalifa-Ben Harrach), Gafsa, Djebel-Berda, Kerkenna Is., Feriana-elHaidra (= Firyanah-El Haydrah) in Tunisia.

Indeed, Finot (1895) also considered the possibility of O. borrei being conspecific with O. algerica, with both coincidentally described in the same year; in the case of the latter, the description was based on both male and female specimens. More recently Defaut (1998) confirmed the synonymy but emphasized what was already written by Finot (1895), essentially, that it is unclear which species has priority. On this matter it may be worth noting that while on the cover of the issue in which Bolívar’s contribution (1878) was published the date of 29 th October was included, in that of Brunner von Wattenwyl (1878), there is no date. However, it appears to have been published in April, as established by S. Randolf (pers. comm.) from the endpaper of the publication, on which the following was written: “dem k. k. zoologischen Kabinet hochachtungsvoll von dem Verfasser” (Eng. transl.: “to the Imperial and Royal Zoological Cabinet respectfully from the author”) next to which, in pencil, was the date “1/4”, and below it “VI.2.”, the date of admission to the library, details of which would presumably be included in the library index card. Moreover, a letter from Stål, dated 6.4.187 8, stated the following (transl. to English): “ Dear Sir! I thank you very much for kindly sending a copy of your monograph on the Phaneropterids ”. It is evident, therefore, that the name Odontura algerica Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1878 has precedence over Odontura borrei Bolívar, 1878, which in turn becomes the junior synonym.

La Greca (1994) and Baccetti et al. (1995) attributed the name O. borrei to specimens recorded from the island of Lampedusa. However, these were erroneously identified, as reported below. Interestingly, the range of O. algerica and O. quadridentata Krauss, 1893 appears to overlap, as is evident from specimen records at the MNCN, Madrid, which were both collected in May 1949 from the same site (Tagremaret).