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Post by depalma on Mar 24, 2014 13:38:00 GMT -8
Dear Philippe - I know that many still consider some Eudicella subspecies as valid. Indeed, the main aim of my revision was to correct the many inventions of Allard and redefine taxa at the SPECIES LEVEL… Before my revision, Eudicella poggei was considered by Allard and all amateur entomologists as a subspecies of wormanni. But Kraatz described the name woermanni in 1890, 6 years after Kolbe described poggei! I do not need to stress here that poggei thus cannot be a subspecies of woermanni, but apparently Allard neglected one of the basic rules of nomenclature: the grounds of priority… Also, he confused woermanni (a form of morgani) with pauperata, which is not a form of grallii - as he established - but a bona species with clearly different parameres and typical clypeal horn. In my revision, I transferred the name poggei to the grallii group, based on the study of the type, and also established pauperata as a good species. I think that all "entomologists" agree with these essential corrections. I am happy that you too consider poggei as a to belong to grallii, as I had established in my revision. Finally, please note that in my Eudicella revision I refrained from describing subspecies only based on variations in colour (and local populations), but I am open to accept different views and opinions on this (controversial) issue. I believe that the results of genetic analysis are due soon and will tell us much more than our speculations on the validity of geographical populations as subspecies.
Cheers
Michele
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Post by Deleted on Mar 26, 2014 17:08:56 GMT -8
Attachment DeletedHello michele. I posted this specimen of megalorhina in august 2013. It is from zambia. is it just M. harrisi? I recieved 3 specimens with the same markings and all of approx 40mm. By the way, i will be buying the books you stated. regards peter
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Post by depalma on Mar 27, 2014 2:27:28 GMT -8
Hi Peter - This looks like Mecynorhina (Megalorhina) harrisii ssp. haroldii. However, the identification based on a photo is uncertain. Note that ssp. haroldii is not the colour form with vertical orange stripes on the elytra, but a good subspecies with variable colour, tridentate protibia, and supra-ocular cornicles quite prominent. It is found in Katanga and neighboring areas (like Angola, Zambia, South Tanzania and Malawi). It would be good to see better photos with detail of the head (in lateral view) and ptotibiae.
Best
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Post by Deleted on Apr 2, 2014 14:17:22 GMT -8
Here's some more pictures
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Post by depalma on Apr 6, 2014 11:12:01 GMT -8
Hi - Based on external characters this looks like the subspecies of harrisii found in Togo, Congo-Brazzaville and Centrafrique. That is to say, Mecynorhina (Megalorhina) harrisii ssp. eximia. I note the black tridentate protibia and absence of supra-ocular cornicles. My best guess is that the locality (Zambia) might be incorrect. However, I never studied the harrisii population(s) from Zambia (from where, exactly?), so I cannot be sure, it may well be yet another harrisii form… Certanly, the ssp. eximia was never recorded from Zambia and is very unlikely to be found there.
Best,
Michele
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Post by Deleted on Apr 7, 2014 13:07:17 GMT -8
Hello michele
The specimens are 100% from zambia. The data only states chongwe, zambia.
Regards
Peter
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Post by depalma on Apr 7, 2014 15:09:16 GMT -8
Then it's an interesting form, which resembles the eximia specimens from Togo. It differs sufficiently from the subspecies from Katanga and neighbouring areas (ssp. haroldii). Possibly an undescribed subspecies? It would be interesting to hear from Sylvain.
Cheers
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Post by Deleted on May 29, 2014 12:08:34 GMT -8
I just recieved this specimen of megalorrhina from zambia 51mm. Can anyone tell me which ssp it is?
regards
pete
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Post by depalma on May 29, 2014 13:41:34 GMT -8
It is a Megalorhina mukengiana. This is a separate species, distinct from harrisii. (Note that Allard's classification of Megalorhina species/subspecies is not correct.) This species is common in Kivu and neighbouring Uganda, but a rare population is also found in Zambia (not described in my 2011 book on Megalorhina). Yours is a nice specimen.
Best,
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Post by Deleted on May 29, 2014 15:38:52 GMT -8
Thank you once again for the ID my friend and the kind words on the quality of the specimen.
Regards
Peter
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