Pyrgus c. communis (Grote, 1872)

Pyrgus c. communis (Grote, 1872)
(Common Checkered-Skipper)

Distribution and Larval Foodplants:

widespread in USA & S Canada, S to Oaxaca

(From: A Catalogue of the Butterflies of the United States and Canada, Jonathan P. Pelham)

Genus Pyrgus Hübner, [1819]

Verz. bekannt. Schmett. (7): 109. Type-species: Papilio alveolus Hübner, [1803], Samml. europ. Schmett. 1: pl. 92, figs. 466, 467 (= Papilio malvae Linnaeus, 1758, Syst. Nat. (ed. 10) 1: 485, no. 167; synonym), by designation of Westwood [1841], in: Brit. Butts. Transf. (ed. 1): 123. I.C.Z.N. Opinion 278 placed this name on the Official List of Generic Names in Zoology as name no. 706. As a result of the erroneous type-species designation of Hesperia Fabricius, 1793, by Scudder (1875), Proc. Am. Acad. Arts Sci., Boston 10(2): 187-189, most of what is now known as Pyrgus was previously called Hesperia. The action of Plötz (1879), Stettiner Entomol. Ztg. 40(4-6): 179, of citing malvae as the type-species of Carcharodus Hübner, [1819], Verz. bekannt. Schmett. (7): 110, further confused the issue surrounding the identity of Pyrgus. The situation was explained by Hemming (1967), Bull. Brit. Mus. (Nat. Hist.) Entomol. Suppl. 9: 94-95. Carcharodus does not occur in the Nearctic.

= ‡Urbanus Hübner, [1806]

Tentamen: [1]. Type-species: Papilio malvae Linnaeus, 1758, Syst. Nat. (ed. 10) 1: 485, no. 167, by monotypy. The Tentamen was suppressed by I.C.Z.N. Opinion 97. Opinion 278 placed Urbanus Hübner [1806] on the Official Index of Rejected and Invalid Generic Names in Zoology as name no. 86.

= Syrichtus Boisduval, [1834]

Icon. Hist. Lépid. Europ. 1(23): 230. Type-species: Papilio malvae Linnaeus, 1758, Syst. Nat. (ed. 10) 1: 485, no. 167, by designation of Blanchard (1845), Hist. Ins. 2: 348.

= Scelotrix Rambur, 1858

Cat. Syst. Lépid. Andal.: 63. Type-species: Papilio carthami Hübner, [1813], Samml. europ. Schmett. 1: pl. 143, figs. 726 [actually 720], 723 [not figs. 721-722] (= Papilio fritillarius Poda, 1761, Ins. Mus. graec.: 79, no. 53, as defined by the specimen on pl. 10, fig. 7; synonym), by designation of E. Watson (1893), Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond. 1893(1): 64.

= ‡Bremeria Tutt, 1906

Nat. Hist. Brit. Butts. 1(10/11): 296. Type-species: Syrichtus bieti Oberthür, 1886, Étud. Entomol. 11: 26, pl. 6, fig. 50, by designation of Lindsey (1921), Bull. Labs. Nat. Hist. St. Univ. Iowa 9(4): 37. Preoccupied by Bremeria Alpheraky, 1892, in: Romanoff, Mém. Lépid. 6: 7, and Bremeria Moore, 1896, Lepid. Ind. 3(25): 9.

= ‡Teleomorpha B. Warren, 1926

Trans. Entomol. Soc. Lond. 74(1): 18, 46, pl. 10, fig. 7. Type-species: Papilio carthami Hübner, [1813], Samml. europ. Schmett.: pl. Pap. 143, figs. 726 [actually 720] ♂, 723 ♂ [not figs. 721-722] (= Papilio fritillarius Poda, 1761, Ins. Mus. graec.: 79, as defined by the specimen on pl. 10, fig. 7), by designation of Hemming (1934), Stylops 3(6): 143. A junior objective synonym of Scelotrix Rambur, 1858.

= ‡Hemiteleomorpha B. Warren, 1926

Trans. Entomol. Soc. Lond. 74(1): 19, 72. Type-species: Papilio malvae Linnaeus, 1758, Syst. Nat. (ed. 10) 1: 485, no. 167, by designation of Hemming (1934), Stylops, 3(6): 143. A junior objective synonym of Syrichtus Boisduval, [1834].

= Ateleomorpha B. Warren, 1926

Trans. Entomol. Soc. Lond. 74(1): 19, 87. Type-species: Hesperia onopordi Rambur, [1842], Faune Entomol. Andal. 2(6): 319, pl. 8, fig. 13, by designation of Hemming (1934), Stylops 3(6): 143.

Pyrgus communis (Grote, 1872)

The species-level arrangement presented by Burns (2000), J. Lepid. Soc. 54(2): 52-71, is accepted here, but the synonymy remains tentative and is clearly in need of review.

Pyrgus communis communis (Grote, 1872)

Can. Entomol. 4(4): 69-70.

Original Combination: [Hesperia] Syrichtus communis

Type Locality: “central Alabama”; suggested to be “vicinity of Demopolis” by Burns (2000), J. Lepid. Soc. 54(2): 62. [Marengo County]

Types: Syntype (#7170) in ANSP.

= ‡tessellata (Scudder, 1872)

4th Ann. Rep. Peabody Acad. Sci. (1871): 73-74, no. 2.

Original Combination: H[esperia]. tessellata

Type Locality: “Pennsylvania, Maryland, Iowa, Florida, Alabama, Texas, Missouri and California”; defined as “Pennsylvania” by Evans (1953), Cat. Am. Hesp. Brit. Mus. (3): 219; syntypes from “Dallas, Tex...California.”

Types: Syntypes (#15823) in MCZ.

Preoccupied by Hesperia tessellata Hewitson, [1866], Trans. Entomol. Soc. Lond. (3)2(6): 494.

= insolatrix Plötz, 1884

Mitt. naturw. Ver. Neu-Vorpomm. 15: 4, no. 7; cited unpublished pl. 887.

Original Combination: [Pyrgus (Pyrgus)] Insolatrix

Type Locality: “Mexico”

Types: Type(s) may be in ZSMC.

= varus Plötz, 1884

Mitt. naturw. Ver. Neu-Vorpomm. 15: 20, no. 53, cited unpublished pl. 900.

Original Combination: [Pyrgus (Syrichthus)] Varus

Type Locality: “Mexico”

Types: Type(s) may be in ZSMC.

= ‡”skinneri” (Gunder, 1927)

Entomol. News 38(2): 51, fig. 2 ♂ D&V (“holotype”).

Original Combination: Urbanus communis ab. skinneri

Type Locality: “Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California”

Types: “Holotype” in AMNH; figured by J. A. Comstock (1927), Butts. Calif.: pl. 62, fig. 7 ♀ D.

‡”albovittata” (Grote, 1873)

Bull. Buffalo Soc. Nat. Sci. 1(3): 168.

Original Combination: Hesperia albovittata

Type Locality: “südlichen Theile von Alabama”

Grote referred to specimens in ZMHB under a manuscript name, in a communication with Zeller; it is a nomen nudum.

Bibliography

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