Shoemakerella Pirlot 1936 Crustacea Amphipoda Proposed Designation Of Lysianax cubensis Stebbing 1897 As The Type Species

Abstract

The purpose of this application is the designation of the nominal species Lysianax cubensis Stebbing, 1897 as the type species of Shoemakerella Pirlot, 1936, a genus of lysianassoid amphipod. The original designation was of a misidentified species. This proposal maintains Shoemakerella in its original meaning. 1. Pirlot (1936, p. 264) established the genus Shoemakerella and designated Lysianassa nasuta Dana, 1853 (p. 915) as the nominal type species, with Lysianax cubensis Stebbing, 1897 (p. 29) as a junior subjective synonym. 2. For the reasons given below we believe that Pirlot based his diagnosis of the genus on a misidentified type species, and we refer the case ;Q the Commission in accordance with Article 70b of the Code. 3. Lysianassa nasAta was described from material collected at Rio de Janeiro by the U.S. Exploring Expedition 1838-1842. The type material is considered lost Bowman, U.S. National Museum of Natural History, in lite.) and the species has nct been recollected from Rio de Janeiro despite recent attempts to find it (J. L. Barnard and J. D. Thomas, in litt.). 4. Lysianax cubensis was described from a single specimen in the .Zoologisk Museum, Copenhagen, collected in Cuba. This type is also considered lost (T. Woltt",.., Zoologisk Museum, Copc:iha@rs, in W., and J. Ellis, British Museum (Natural. History), in litt.). Lysianax Stebbing, 1888 is an unnecessary replacement name for Lysianassa H. Milne Edwasds, 1830. 5. Shoemaker (1935) pointed out that Lysianassa cubensis had been misidentified as Lysianopsis alba Holmes, 1904. He recorded L. cubensis from Puerto Rico and Florida and re-illustrated some parts. 6. Pirlot (1936, pp. 256, 265) stated that he had identified Lysianopsis alba from material collected at Rio de Janeiro and this led him to think that perhaps Lysianopsis alba was a synonym of Lysianassa nasuta. He had written to Shoemaker about this possibility. Shoemaker sent material of Lysianopsis alba and Lysianassa cubensis to Pirlot, and replied that he [Shoemaker] had overlooked Dana's Lvsian@Ya nasuta and that in his opinion L. cubensis was a junior synonym of L. nasuta. '. ... . U '1. A comparison of the third uropods in the original illustrations of L. nasuta and L. cubensis is sufficient to s ~ w , however, that they are not conspecific. In L. cubensis the peduncle of uropod 3 is short, with a strong lateral flange, and the rami are short and strongly tapered; in L. nasuta the peduncle is longer, the flange is absent and the rami are longer and more cylindrical.