32 Bulletin ofZoological Nomenclature 61(1) March 2004 Case 3289 Emphania Erichson, 1847 (Insecta, Coleoptera): proposed conservation of usage by designation of Heptomera metallica Blanchard, 1850 as the type species Dirk Ahrens Deutsches Entomologisehes Institut im Zentrumfiir Agrarlandschafts- und Landnutzungsforschung, Schicklerstr. 5, D-16225 Eberswalde, Germany (e-mail: [email protected]) Abstract. The purpose ofthis application, in relation to Article 67.2.2 ofthe Code, is to conserve the last 150 years' usage of the name Emphania Erichson, 1847 for a group of scarab beetles (family scarabaeidae) by designating Heptomera metallica Blanchard, 1850 (the senior subjective synonym of Emphania chloris Burmeister, 1855) as the type species. The genus Emphania was originally established without any included nominal species. The first species were subsequently included in Emphania by Blanchard in 1850 and it is proposed (contrary to Article 67.2.2 ofthe Code) that in the interests ofnomenclatural stability none ofthese is designated as type species. The original specimen on which Erichson based his description of Emphania was studied by Burmeister in 1855, and described as the new nominal species Emphania chloris. Keywords. Nomenclature; taxonomy; scarabaeidae; Emphania; Emphania metallica; Emphania chloris; scarab beetles. 1. The genus Emphania Erichson, 1847 (p. 695) was established without any included nominal species, but with a short, significant morphological description and distributional data relating to the island of Madagascar. 2. Blanchard (1850, p. 80) was the first author who subsequently used the name Emphaniawith reference to Erichson (1847) as a 'divisio' within the genus Omaloplia and he included 17 new species. 3. The original specimen, on which Erichson's description was based, was studied and described as the new nominal species Emphania chloris by Burmeister (1855, p. 180). Based on the work by Brenske (1899, p. 238), who synonymized Emphania chloriswith Heptomerametallica Blanchard, 1850 (p. 89) and considered the genusto be monospecific, the name Emphania has subsequently been understood in the sense of Burmeister (1855) and Brenske (1899), rather than the concept of Blanchard (1850). However, no type species has been formally designated. 4. Except for Lacordaire's (1856, p. 205) synonymizing of Emphania with Serica MacLeay, 1819, Moser (1911, p. 513), who described two additional species for the genus, and in the catalogue of Dalla Torre (1912, p. 39), the name Emphania has never been treated taxonomically again. Machatschke (1959, p. 744) mentioned Emphania in a systematic study of sericini, but without any attempt to place the genus taxonomically. Bulletin ofZoological Nomenclature 61(1) March 2004 33 5. No taxon included by Blanchard (1850) in Emphania fits the original description of the genus by Erichson (1847, p. 695) or the subsequent understanding of the concept (see para. 3 above). Thename Emphania Erichsonwould need to be redefined ifany ofthe nominal species subsequently included by Blanchard were to be selected as the type species ofEmphania. Type species designation ofany ofthe species named by Blanchard (1850) under Emphania would affect the synonymy of five additional generic names: Comaserica Brenske, 1897; Hyposerica Brenske, 1897; Maladera Mulsant & Rey, 1871; Neuroserka Brenske, 1900 and Tamnoserica Brenske, 1899. Brenske (1897, 1899, 1900) used these genera for the 17 species described under 'Emphania'' by Blanchard (1850). All these nominal genera have been used as valid names since they were erected. However, for three ofthese genera a type species has not yet been designated. 6. Under Article 67.2.2, one of Blanchard's (1850) included species should be designated as type species. However, in order to conserve the current usage of the name Emphania, it is proposed that Heptomera metallica Blanchard, 1850 (the senior synonym ofEmphania chloris Burmeister, 1855) be designated as the type species of Emphania. Thisisnotanoriginallyorfirst subsequently includednominal species and so this proposal requires action by the Commission to set aside the provisions of Article 67.2.2. 7. The International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature is accordingly asked: (1) to use itsplenarypowerto set aside the provisions ofArticle 67.2.2 ofthe Code and to designate Heptomera metallica Blanchard, 1850 as the type species for the genus Emphania Erichson, 1847; (2) to place on the Official List ofGeneric Names in Zoology the name Emphania Erichson, 1847 (gender: feminine), type species by designation in (1) above Heptomera metallica Blanchard, 1850; (3) to place on the Official List of Specific Names in Zoology the name metallica Blanchard, 1850 as published in the binomen Heptomera metallica (specific name of the type species of Emphania Erichson, 1847 and senior subjective synonym ofEmphania chloris Burmeister, 1855). Acknowledgements I thankAndrew Smith (Lincoln), AndreasTaeger (Eberswalde) and LotharZerche (Eberswalde) for critical discussion of the manuscript. Andrew Smith kindly corrected the English. References Blanchard,M.E. 1850. CataloguedelacollectionEntomologique. ClassesdesInsectes. Ordredes Coleopteres,part: Melolonthidae, tome I. 128 pp. MuseumNational d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris. Brenske, E. 1897. Die Serica-Arten der Erde. I. Berliner Entomologische Zeitschrift, 42: 345^138. Brenske, E. 1899. Die Serica-Arten der Erde. III. Berliner Entomologische Zeitschrift, 44: 161-272. Brenske, E. 1900. Die Serica-Arten der Erde. IV. Berliner Entomologische Zeitschrift, 45: 39-96. 34 Bulletin ofZoological Nomenclature 61(1) March 2004 Burmeister, H. 1855. HandbuchderEntomologie. 4. Band. BesondereEntomologie, Fortsetzung. 2. Abteilung, Coleoptera Lamellicornia Phyllophaga Chaenochela. 467 pp. Enslin, Berlin. Dalla Torre, K.W. 1912. Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae I. In Junk, W. & Schenkling, S. (Eds.). Coleopterorum Catalogus, 45: 1-84. Erichson, W.F. 1847. Naturgeschichte der Insekten Deutschlands. 1. Abteilung. Coleoptera 3. Band. 968 pp. Nicolai, Berlin. Lacordaire, M.T. 1856. Histoire natnrelle des Insectes. Genera des Coleopteres. Tome III. Pectinicornes et Lamellicornes. 594 pp. Paris. Machatschke, J.W. 1959. Phylogenetische Untersuchungen iiber die Sericini (sensu Dalla Torre 1912), (Coleoptera: Lamellicornia: Melolonthidae). Beitrdge zur Entomologie, 9: 730-746. Moser, J. 1911. Neue Serica-Arten von Madagascar und Borneo. Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift, 1911: 513-529. Acknowledgement ofreceipt ofthis application was published in BZN 60: 178. Comments on this case are invited for publication (subject to editing) in the Bulletin; they should be sent to the Executive Secretary, I.C.Z.N., c/o The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, U.K. (e-mail: [email protected]).