Taxacom: nomen nudum and synonymy question

[John Grehan]

Thanks Stephen,

Following my email, I happened to see another reference to Krulikowsky which
gave reference to the 'decorata' name in another article of virtually the
same title: "Krulikowsky, L. 1908 Einige neue Variet?ten und Aberrationen
der Lepidopteren des ?stlichen Russlands Societas Entomologica 23: 18."

In this article he does give a formal (brief) description as follows
(original German then my Google translation)

32 Hepialus hecta L. ab ? decorata. Am Saume der Vorderfl?gel steht eine
dritte Reihe kleinerer Silberflecken. Auch die Hinterfl?gel sind am Saume
unter den Rippen mit l?nglichen Spuren solcher Flecke versehen. Sehr selten.

Hepialus hecta L. ab ? decorata. At the edge of the fore wings there is a
third row of smaller silver spots. The hind wings also have elongated
traces of such spots on the edge under the ribs. Very rare.

So is this description (but without reference to a depository) adequate to
treat the name as valid (as a subspecies or infrasubspecies name) for the
date of publication under the code [yes I could look it up, but sometimes
the feedback faster and reliable]? i.e. not a nomen nudum?

John Grehan



On Thu, Jan 26, 2023 at 11:09 PM Stephen Thorpe <stephen_thorpe at yahoo.co.nz>
wrote:

> It depends on the details of the specific case. Often the term "nomen
> nudum" is used to mean an unavailable name for any reason, so the species
> may still be recognisable. Also, if the specimens forming the basis of a
> nomen nudum can be traced and examined, then the species may also be
> recognisable.
> Cheers, Stephen
>
> On Friday, 27 January 2023 at 04:53:26 pm NZDT, John Grehan via Taxacom <
> taxacom at lists.ku.edu> wrote:
>
>
> Dear colleagues,
>
>   Krulikowsky 1908 (ref below)  listed under the species name Hepialus
> hectus, a subspecific name as ''ab. [aberration] male decorata Krul. K. 1
> Ex'
>
> Nielsen et al (2000) in their world catalog of Hepialidae, listed decorata
> under Phymatopus hecta as a junior synonym, but also as a nomen nudum.
> Would I be correct to understand that if the name 'decorata' is a nomen
> nudum (having no description or illustration), then it cannot be listed as
> a synonym since there is no way to know if it were really a form of
> Phymatopus hecta or even of any other Hepialidae? (and that's assuming the
> individual were competent at least to recognize whether a moth was a
> hepialid or not.
>
> Feedback, if any, greatly appreciated.
>
> John Grehan
>
> Krulikowsky, L. 1908 Neues Verzeichnis der Lepidopteren des Gouvernements
> Kasan (?stl. Russland). Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift 'Iris' 21:
> 202-272.
>
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