Subspecies
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No subspecies are recognized, but significant phenotypic variability exists (details see below under Synonyms).
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Synonyms
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This is a problematic species. It is very variable and this variation falls in two main phenotypes:
Phenotype 1: the red basis of the elytra directly abuts the first white cross-line
Phenotype 2: the red elytra base and the first white cross-line are
separated by a thin black cross-line
Phenotype 2 is very similar to Thanasimus formicarius and in fact is
perfectly intermediate between Thanasimus formicarius and Phenotype 1.
Usually, this fact is ignored and both phenotypes are regarded to be the
same species, Thanasimus femoralis (see Kolibac 1992). However, I suspect that phenotype 2
actually results from hybridization between individuals with phenotype 1
and individuals of Thanasimus formicarius. If this notion is correct,
then all names given to individuals with phenotype 2 are nomenclaturally
not available, which would also affect the name "femoralis" which is
currently regarded as the valid name for the species. Therefore, I give
below the synonymy of the present species, but separate the names into
the two different phenotypes.
Names given to phenotype 1:
Clerus rufipes Brahm (in Hoppe), 1797 (p. 136) (nec De Geer, 1775; junior primary homonym)
Clerus rufipes rufipes Brahm (in Hoppe), 1797
Thanasimus rufipes (Brahm (in Hoppe), 1797)
Thanasimus rufipes austriacus Reitter, 1894 (p. 48)
Names given to phenotype 2:
Clerus femoralis Zetterstedt, 1828 (p. 122)
Thanasimus femoralis (Zetterstedt, 1828)
Thanasimus rufipes femoralis (Zetterstedt, 1828)
Clerus pectoralis Fuss, 1863 (p. 69)
Thanasimus pectoralis (Fuss, 1863)
Clerus rufipes nigricollis Seidlitz, 1891 (p. 493)
Thanasimus substriatus nigricollis (Seidlitz, 1891)
Thanasimus substriatus auct. nec Gebler, 1841 (misidentification)
If phenotype 2 indeed results from hybridization between the species
represented by phenotype 1 and Thanasimus formicarius, then all the
names given to it are excluded from nomenclature (Article 1.3.3.) or are
invalid (Article 23.8.). In this case, the valid name for the
present species would be Thanasimus austriacus, because the nominal
Clerus rufipes is a junior primary homonym and permanently invalid.
Until the nature of the intermediate specimens (i.e. phenotype 2) is
resolved, I provisionally regard Thanasimus femoralis as the valid name,
because it is the oldest name for any of the two phenotypes that is not
excluded or a junior homonym.
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Identification
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No information has been entered yet.
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Distribution
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No information has been entered yet.
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Biology
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No information has been entered yet.
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