According to Aubert (2000), the actual year of publication is 1994 even though the volume in which the description appears is dated 1993.
Pionpherta Aubert, 1993
Taxonomic History / Nomenclature
Pionpherta Aubert, 1994: 358. Type species: Catoglyptus superbus Schmiedeknecht, 1900. Monobasic.
Remarks
This genus is known only from the type species, Pionpherta suberba (Schmiedeknecht). Hinz (1991) placed suberba in Sympherta just prior to Aubert’s placement of superba as the type species of his new genus. I have not seen specimens of Pionpherta and the information presented here is based on Hinz (1991) and Aubert (2000).
Diagnosis and Relationships
Pionpherta was erroneously included in the tribe Scolobatini by Yu and Horstmann (1997) but Aubert (1994) clearly indicated its placement in Pionini by stating it’s resemblance to Pion and Sympherta and naming the genus accordingly. Zhaurova and Wharton (2009) noted the problem but Aubert (2000) had already explicitly placed Pionpherta to Pionini.
The type species was placed by Hinz (1991) in a group of Sympherta that had a rounded vertex (lacking a depression posteriorad the ocelli), lacked a pale ring on the flagellum, and with possessed an epicnemial carina that did not extend to the anterior margin of the mesopleuron.
Distribution
The lectotype of the type species, designated by Hinz (1991), is from Carthage in Tunisia. Hinz (1991) also recorded this species from Azerbaijan and Armenia while Aubert (2000) further recorded it from Algeria, Morocco, Iran, and Turkey.
Distribution
No referenced distribution records have been added to the database for this OTU.
Map
There are no specimens currently determined for this OTU, or those specimens determined for this OTU are not yet mappable.
Acknowledgements
This page was assembled by Bob Wharton as part of a larger collaborative effort on the genera of Ctenopelmatinae. Page last updated April, 2015.
This work would not have been possible without the groundwork provided by Ian Gauld’s study of the Australian and Costa Rican faunas, and we are particularly grateful for his assistance in many aspects of this study. We also thank the following curators for extended loans of the material used for this study: David Wahl of the American Entomological Institute, Andy Bennett of the Canadian National Collection, and Gavin Broad of The Natural History Museum, London. We also thank David Wahl for useful feedback throughout our study. Matt Yoder provided considerable assistance with databasing issues, and our use of PURLs (http://purl.oclc.org) in this regard follows the example of their use in publications by Norm Johnson. Caitlin Nessner, Mika Cameron, and Heather Cummins assisted with literature retrieval. This study was supported by the National Science Foundation’s PEET program under Grant No. DEB 0328922 and associated REU supplement nos DEB 0723663 and 0923134.
This material is based upon work at Texas A&M University supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Number DEB 0328922 with REU supplements DEB 0723663 and 0923134. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
