Home > Phylum selection > Arthropoda > Diptera > Hybotidae
Home How to cite this site Terms & conditions Disclaimer Contact Site tutorial / Help Links	Crossopalpus flexuosus Subspecies Original description Synonyms Drapetis flexuosus Loew, 1840 Crossopalpus flexuosus (Loew, 1840) Grossopalpus flexuosus (Loew, 1840) Platypalpus ambiguus auct. nec Macquart, 1827 (misinterpretation; see note below) Note: The type species of the genus Crossopalpus is the nominal taxon Platypalpus ambiguus Macquart, 1827. However, the identity of Platypalpus ambiguus cannot be safely established. In other cases I would see no problem in adding such nomina dubia as unclear synonyms to the synonymy of a species, but in this case this nomen dubium is also the name of the type species of the whole genus and this creates major taxonomical problems: if the type species cannot be identified, then it is not possible to assess whether other taxa are congeneric with the type species and the genus Crossopalpus would thus be a nomen dubium. I hold the view that a nomen dubium should not be the valid name of a genus. There are two other genus group names with type species that are congeneric with the species currently placed in "Crossopalpus": Eudrapetis Melander, 1918 and Therinopsis Vimmer, 1939. Eudrapetis has priority and could be used as the valid name for the genus. On the other hand, the name Crossopalpus is well established and using Eudrapetis would change many widely used names. Most authors assign the type species of Crossopalpus, Platypalpus ambiguus, as a synonym to the nominal Drapetis flexuosus. This allows for the use of Crossopalpus for all species congeneric with Drapetis flexuosus. However, if Platypalpus ambiguus is viewed as a valid synonym of Drapetis flexuosus for the purpose of species identity and genus type fixation, then it must also be viewed as a valid synonym for the purpose of priority. This would mean that Platypalpus ambiguus would have priority over Drapetis flexuosus; this would lead again to a change of a widely used name. I have therefore chosen to synonymize Platypalpus ambiguus with Crossopalpus curvipes; the reason for doing so is that Macquart (1827) himself suggested that his new species is identical with Crossopalpus curvipes: "C´est peut-être la T. curvipes, de Meigen, T. nigra, de Fallèn; mais je n´ai pas vu que la cuisse postérieure fùt courbée" ("this could turn out to be the T. curvipes by Meigen or the T. nigra by Fallèn; however, I have not observed a bent femur of the hind legs"). In this way all currently used names and combinations remain unchanged. Nevertheless, the status and taxonomy of Crossopalpus is in urgent need of revision.   Identification Distribution Biology This page has been updated on August 18, 2011 This site is online since May 31, 2005 Copyright © by Nikola-Michael Prpic. All rights reserved.	Related information: Subspecies Original description Synonyms Identification Distribution Biology References