Cylindera (Cylindera) ocskayi Gistl, 1837

Moravec, Jiří & Šafránek, Ondřej, 2025, Taxonomic revision of the current concept of Cylindera morio and allied taxa (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 65 (1), pp. 105-147 : 132-135

Cylindera (Cylindera) ocskayi Gistl, 1837

( Figs 148–180 )

Cicindela denticulata Klug, 1834: 15 – primary junior homonym of Cicindela denticulata T. W. Harris, 1828: 19 , which is presently a junior synonym of Cicindela scutellaris rugifrons ( Dejean, 1825) .

Cicindela ocskayi Gistl, 1837: 22 – substitute name for Cicindela denticulata Klug, 1834 .

Cicindela morio var. denticulata : HORN (1892: 213).

Cicindela denticulata : FLEUTIAUX (1892: 45).

Cicindela morio syn. denticulata : HORN (1915: 405).

Cicindela morio syn. ocskayi : HORN (1915: 405).

Cicindela morio “aberration ” denticulata : HORN (1938: tab. 38, figs 24–25).

Cicindela morio denticulata : BLACKWELDER (1944: 18).

Cicindosa denticulata : SCHILDER (1953: 561).

Cylindera (s. str.) morio denticulata : RIVALIER (1954: 265).

Cicindela (Cylindera) morio syn. denticulata : FREITAG & BARNES (1989: 320).

Cicindela (Cylindera) morio syn. ocskayi : FREITAG & BARNES (1989:320).

Cylindera (s. str.) morio syn. denticulata : WIESNER (1992: 185) – as a junior synonym of C. morio Klug, 1834 (the synonymy followed by all subsequent authors until the present revision).

Type locality. Cicindela denticulata : “ Brasil ”; Cicindela ocskayi : “Brasilia”.

Type material. LECTOTYPE of Cicindela denticulata Klug, 1834 , here designated, and simultaneously also designated as a NEOTYPE for Cicindela ocskayi Gistl, 1837 : J ( MFNB), labelled: “Hist. – Coll. ( Coleoptera ) / Nr 3716 / Cicindela denticulata Kl. / Brasil, Freireiss / Zool Mus . Berlin” [green label with black frame, printed] // “ Syntype / Cicindela / denticulata / Klug, 1834 / labelled by MFNB 2024” [red label, printed] // “ Lectotype / Cicindela / denticulata / Klug, 1834 / design. Jiří Moravec 2024 [red label, printed] // “ Neotype / Cicindela / ocskayi Gistl, 1837 / design. Jiří Moravec 2025 ” [red label, printed] // “ Cylindera (s. str.) / ocskayi ( Gistl, 1837) / (replacement name for / C. denticulata Klug, 1834 / det. Jiří Moravec 2025 ” [printed]. PARALECTOTYPE of C. denticulata : 1 ♀ ( MFNB) with same labels as lectotype and: “denticulata / Kl. / 307 / Brasil, Freir.” [large green collection label with black frame, handwritten” // “ Paralectotype / Cicindela / denticulata / Klug, 1834 / design. Jiří Moravec 2024” [red label, printed] // “ Cylindera (s. str.) / ocskayi ( Gistl, 1837) / (replacement name for / C. denticulata Klug, 1834 / det. Jiří Moravec 2025 ” [printed].

Other material examined. 1 J ( BMNH), lacking locality label: “Bates” [greyish label, handwritten] // “denticulata / Kl. t. Horn” [handwritten] // “F. Bates Coll./ 1911–248”. 4 JJ ( BMNH):“Lower Amazon” // “morio / Kl. / var. t.W. Horn” // “F. Bates Coll. / 1911–248”. 1 J ( BMNH): “Amazon” // “biguttata / Deyr.” // “denticulata / Kl. t. Horn”. 1 ♀ ( BMNH): “Amazon” // acompsa / Chaud. / Para ” // “denticulata / Kl. t. Horn”. 1 ♀ ( BMNH): “ Para ” // “50/2” [on the opposite side].1 J ( SDEI): “Amazon” // “Coll V.de Poll”.The examined specimens are labelled:“ Cylindera (s. str.) / ocskayi ( Gistl, 1837) / (new replacement name for / C. denticulata Klug, 1834 / det. Jiří Moravec 2025 ” [printed].

Differential diagnosis and brief redescription. Cylindera ocskayi , whose neotype is simultaneously the lectotype of Cicindela denticulata Klug (the characters described here particularly from the male lectotype and female paralectotype), is probably closely related to Cylindera acompsa with which it shares the shape of tridentate mandibles ( Figs 153–154 , 164, 167–168 ) with smooth outer margin of the right terminal tooth in males ( Figs 165, 169 ), similar pattern of whitish elytral maculation ( Figs 148–149 , 161–163 , 174–177 ) and rather similar shape of the aedeagus ( Figs 178–180 ). Nevertheless, unlike the prevailingly black basic elytral coloration in C. acompsa , the entire dorsal body coloration of C. ocskayi is notably cupreous ( Figs 148–149 ). Although the dorsal body coloration itself may not be a reliable diagnostic character, C. ocskayi is distinguished by the following diagnostic characters: pronotal disc is notably wider ( Figs 157–158 , 170–172 ), its surface minutely yet markedly parallel-striate in median area ( Figs 159 , 171 ) and with conspicuously deep iridescent punctures and foveae on lateral areas of the disc ( Figs 160 , 173 ) unlike the prevailingly micro-vermicular discal surface and smaller lateral punctures in C. acompsa . Aedeagus with apical portion dorsally abruptly constricted towards small, rather thin and usually slightly dorsad-bent apex ( Figs 150 , 178–180 ).

Cylindera obliquealba , which also possesses the primarily tridentate mandibles and similar apex of its aedeagus, is immediately recognizable by its primarily conspicuously wide white elytral lateral area, yet the whitish pattern may be reduced (see under that species below).

Variability. Left mandible in one non-type male specimen (BMNH) has also a rudiment of tooth between the second and third tooth ( Fig. 164 ).

Distribution. Cylindera ocskayi is known only from Brazil, and only old historical specimens were found in collections. Apart from the type locality “Brasilia” or “ Brasil ”, other examined specimens are labelled “Lower Amazon” and “ Para ”.

Nomenclatorial remarks. Cicindela denticulata Klug, 1834 is the primary junior homonym of C. denticulata T.W. Harris, 1828 , a fact which was overlooked in the past and also by most recent authors, except for LORENZ (1998a,b, 2005a,b) and BOUSQUET (2012), who further mentioned that also C. denticulata Hentz, 1830 is a primary junior homonym of C. denticulata T. W. Harris (the latter is presently a junior synonym of Cicindela scutellaris rugifrons Dejean, 1825 ). Cicindela denticulata Klug, 1834 is thus invalid ( ICZN 1999: Article 53.3) and must be replaced by the next oldest available name from among its synonyms, which is Cicindela ocskayi Gistl, 1837 (see ICZN 1999: Articles 23.3.5 and 60.2), also because the reversal of precedence ( ICZN 1999:Articles 23.9.1) cannot be applied as the name Cicindela denticulata Klug was used only rarely in the past and therefore the conditions of Article 23.9.1.2 ( ICZN 1999) cannot be met.

The original type specimens of Cicindela ocskayi Gistl, 1837 are unknown. Although GISTL (1837) gave the type depository as Berlin, no syntypes or other specimens under that name were found by curators in MFNB (Bernd Jaeger, pers. comm.), ZSM (Katja Neven, pers. comm.) or in HNHM (Zsolt Sághy, pers. comm.), nor in other relevant collections. Specimens from Gistl’s collection could be variously distributed; moreover, the Regensburg Natural History Museum, which housed part of Gistl’s collection, was completely destroyed during the World War II.

It must be noted here that GISTL (1837), in his original description of Cicindela ocskayi compared it directly to Cicindela denticulata Klug, 1834 , referring to that species as: “ C. denticulata Klug in Jahrb, d. Ins. I p. 15. n. 31, J, ♀ ” and “ Habitat in Brasilia. Mus . berolin. ”. Thus, Gistl might has been aware of the existing homonymy with Cicindela denticulata T. W. Harris, 1828 , which had priority (see above). If so, we may speculate that instead of describing a new species, in fact he created a new replacement name for the junior homonym C. denticulata Klug. 1834 .

However, as Gistl did not mention such an intention, nor the name C. denticulata T. W. Harris , his reference to C. denticulata Klug might have also been because he was not sure of the exact differences in characters between his new species and the species described previously by KLUG (1834). In this regard, we must consider the act by GISTL (1837) to be a description of a new species. Added to that, we must mention that CHAUDOIR (1838), in his critical paper on the publication by GISTL (1837), mentioned an arbitrary treatment of some taxa by Gistl (also spelled Gistel), alleging that he described already published taxa (for instance C. denticulata Klug, 1837 ) as new just in order to dedicate the new names to his friends, in this case to the Hungarian Baron Ocskay d’Ocsko. However, it must be emphasized again that Chaudoir overlooked (as did also other subsequent authors – see above) that the taxon by KLUG (1834) was a primary junior homonym of Cicindela denticulata T. W. Harris.

Consequently, although the original description of C. ocskayi Gistl, 1837 was brief, the taxon was validly described, mentioning the basic characters (partly shared with C. denticulata Klug, 1834 ) and with the practically same type locality “Brasilia”.

In order to stabilise the nomenclature, one of the two syntypes of Cicindela denticulata Klug, 1834 in the MFNB collection is here designated as a lectotype of that species according to ICZN (1999: Article 74). The same specimen is simultaneously designated here as a neotype of Cicindela ocskayi Gistl, 1837 according to ICZN (1999: Article 75) to fix the identity of the taxon beyond doubt, which makes C. denticulata and C. ocskayi objective synonyms ( ICZN 1999: Article 61.3.4).

Figures

Figs 148–152. Cylindera (Cylindera) ocskayi (Gistl, 1837): syntypes of Cicindela denticulata Klug, 1834 (MFNB). 148–149 – habitus: 148 – J, 7.4 mm, lectotype, simultaneously neotype of Cicindela ocskayi Gistl; 149 – ♀, paralectotype of C. denticulata; 150 – aedeagus; 151 – its apex in dorsal view; 152 – labels. Scale bars = 1 mm.

Figs 153–163. Cylindera (Cylindera) ocskayi (Gistl,1837), syntypes of Cicindela denticulata Klug, 1834 (MFNB), all from Brazil. 153–154 – head: 153 – J, lectotype, simultaneously neotype of Cicindela ocskayi Gistl; 154 – ♀, paralectotype of C. denticulata; 155–156 – labrum: 155 – J, lectotype (and neotype); 156 – ♀, paralectotype of C. denticulata; 157–160 – pronotum: 157 – J, lectotype (and neotype); 158 – ♀, paralectotype of C. denticulata; 159 – ♀, paralectotype, detail of surface; 160 – ♀, paralectotype, pronotal lateral margins; 161–163 – elytron: 161 – J, lectotype (and neotype); 162–163 – left and right, ♀, paralectotype of C. denticulata. Scale bars = 1 mm.

Figs 164–173.Cylindera (Cylindera) ocskayi (Gistl, 1837), all from Brazil. 164–166 – J, ex collection Bates (BMNH): 164 – mandibles; 165 – terminal tooth of right mandible in lateral view; 166 – labrum; 167–168 – mandibles with labrum: 167 – J, Lower Amazon (BMNH); 168 – J, Amazon (SDEI); 169 – J, terminal tooth of right mandible in lateral view, Amazon (SDEI); 170–173 – pronotum: 170 – J, ex collection Bates (BMNH); 171 – the same pronotum, detail of surface; 172 – J, Lower Amazon (BMNH); 173 – J, Amazon (SDEI), detail of lateral margin. Scale bars = 1 mm.

Figs 174–180. Cylindera (Cylindera) ocskayi (Gistl,1837), all from Brazil. 174–177 – elytron: 174 – J, ex collection Bates (BMNH); 175–176 – J, Lower Amazon (BMNH); 177 – J, Amazon (SDEI); 178–180 – male aedeagus, Amazon (SDEI). Scale bars = 1 mm.