Matskási István (szerk.): A Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum évkönyve 97. (Budapest 2005)

Bálint, Zs.: A review of the Neotropical hairstreak genus Annamaria with notes on further genera (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae)

Identification - A. ganimedes is slightly smaller than A. draudti, typical fore wing length: 19 mm. The male dorsal wing colouration of A. ganimedes is somewhat deeper violet blue than that of A. draudti (possessing bright azure blue wing dorsa). Male A. ganimedes specimens also differ from that of A. draudti by lacking postdiscal scent patches and having ventral fore wing black scent patch along the cubital vein in the anal area close to the base. The fore wing ventral pattern is also distinctive comparing the species with A. draudti: the medial and postmedial lines are delicate and more or less equal in width whilst these patterns are heavy in draudti and disequal in width; plus the ventral hind wing red band is not black bordered basally, whilst in A. draudti there is a conspicuous black bordering stripe. Nomenclature, taxonomy and typification - The nominal species group taxon ganimedes was based on an unstated number of male specimens originating from "Indes Occidentales" and deposited in the collection of "Mr. E. de Marre" (Figs 1-2). The whereabout of the "de Marre" collection is unknown for me. I consider the type material of Papilio ganimedes to be lost and no name-bearing type specimen to be extant. As the CRAMER'S figure is somewhat hypothetical (cf. MÖSCHLER 1883), and the newly described A. lathyi shares some traits with ganimedes (see below), I am of the opinion that a neotype designation is warranted. I select one of the male specimens from the MNHN material certainly seen by LATHY, the first reviser of P. ganimedes, as neotype (Fig. 16). This action objectively fixes the name to the phenotype determined by LATHY and correct the type locality. The specimen is in perfect condition, set dorsally and labelled as "Bas Maroni, Guyane Française". I add the following label printed on red paper "Neotype // Papilio ganimedes // Cramer, 1775 // designated by // Zs. BÁLINT, 2003.11.16 // Budapest" ("//" means new line in the label). The CRAMER'S name ganimedes was "chronically misspelled" as ganymedes, which was introduced by FABRICIUS (1787: 66) (ROBBINS & LAMAS 2002: 201). The misspelled name was used subsequently by HERBST (1804) and GODART (1824), both of them illustrating the male (badly copying the image given in CRAMER'S book). GODMAN & SALVIN (1887: 11) wrote that "T. ganymedes Cramer" has a silky spot on the fore wings, indicating that they were aware with the identity of the taxon. Interestingly, when they discussed "Thecla nobilis" (= A. draudti, see that entry), they stated that it has no very near allies. Beside misapplication and misspelling, the other problem with ganimedes is that the type locality "Indes Occidentalis" is most probably erroneous. The species was never recorded from the West Indies in modem times (SMITH etal. 1994). Despite of that it cannot be excluded that the species once was native around Trinidad or other West Indian harbours with significance in early colonial history, it is most