ARS | Publication request: HOMONYMY IN THE COCCINELLIDAE (COLEOPTERA), OR SOMETHING FISHY ABOUT PSEUDOSCYMNUS CHAPIN

Submitted to: Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: January 6, 2004
Publication Date: March 30, 2004
Citation: Vandenberg, N.J. 2004. Homonymy in the coccinellidae (coleoptera), or something fishy about pseudoscymnus chapin. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington. 106: 483-484

Interpretive Summary: Lady beetles in the genus Pseudoscymnus have been imported from Japan and released against woolly hemlock adelgids which are destroying hemlock trees in the eastern United States. Unfortunately, the name Pseudoscymnus is ambiguous, referring to both a lady beetle genus and a fish genus. The present contribution corrects this nomenclatoral problem by providing a new name for the lady beetle. This work will provide greater stability, and aid agriculturalists, biological control practitioners and ecologists who use scientific names to access and communicate important information about beneficial and pest species.

Technical Abstract: Sasajiscymnus, new name, is proposed as a replacement name for the junior homonym Pseudoscymnus Chapin 1962 (not Herre 1935). The following new combinations are proposed: Sasajiscymnus tsugae (Sasaji and McClure), S. kurohime (Miyatake), S. seboshii (Ohta), S. sylvaticus (Lewis), S. pilicrepus (Lewis) and S. quinquepunctatus (Weise).