Replacement names for the dung beetle genus Byrrhidium Harold, 1869 and the tribe Byrrhidiini Davis, Deschodt & Scholtz, 2019 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae)

Abstract

Bouchard et al. (2024: 93) have pointed out that the dung beetle genus name Byrrhidium Harold, 1869 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) is a junior homonym of the pill beetle genus name Byrrhidium Heer, 1864: 64, 65 (Coleoptera: Byrrhidae). This statement is a consequence of the action by Neave (1939), who, as First Reviser (ICZN 1999: art. 24.2; hereafter cited as “the Code”), selected the spelling Byrrhidium as the valid name for the pill beetle genus out of two spellings used by Heer (1864: 64, 65, 89—Byrrhidium or Byrrhydium). As regards the name Byrrhidium for the scarabaeine dung beetle genus, it must be ascribed to Harold (1869: 96) and not to Harold in Gemminger and Harold (1869: 997) as explained by Bouchard et al. (2024: 93). They state that “this name was first used by Harold in Gemminger and von Harold (1869a: 997) but it is not available from that publication since there is no description or indication, the sole species associated with the name being a nomen nudum”. Regardless of whether the dung beetle genus name Byrrhidium is attributed to Harold in Gemminger and Harold (1869: 997) or to Harold (1869: 96), the name is a junior homonym of Byrrhidium Heer, 1864. As a junior homonym, it cannot be used as the valid name for the scarabaeine dung beetle genus. Therefore, under Article 60.2 of the Code, its junior synonym Elassocanthon Kolbe, 1908 must become the valid generic name.