46 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol. 112 



(Linnaeus), belongs to Copium; M. rotundata (Herrich-Schaeffer) 

 belongs to Octacysta, new genus; and the rest are all transferred 

 herein to Didyla Stal. 

 Validity of Copium clavicornis (Linnaeus) : Two centuries ago 

 Linnaeus (1758, p. 442) characterized Cimex clavicornis in these 

 words : 



clavicornis. 12. C. elytris abdomen occultantibus reticulato punctatis, 

 antennis clavatis. Fn. Svec. 687. Habitat in Europa. 



The citation "Fn. Svec." refers to "Fauna Svecica" by Linnaeus 

 (1746, p. 121) and "687" refers to the description of a new Cimex 

 without a specific name, the habitat of which is given as "in 

 Uplandia. in Scania." Scania is the former name of a province 

 in extreme southern Sweden. In the 12th edition of "Systema 

 Naturae" Linnaeus (1767, p. 717) wrote: 



clavicornis. 16. C. coleoptratus, elytris nervoso-carinatis reticulato punctatis, 

 antennis clavatis. Fn. Svec. 911. Reaum. ins. 3. t. 34. f. 1-4. Geoffr. 

 paris. l.p. 461. n. 56. Habitat in Europa. 



By citing the two references above, Linnaeus (1767, p. 717) 

 himself provided the incontestable evidence needed to identify 

 positively his species Cimex clavicornis of Europe. Reaumur 

 (1737, p. 427, pi. 34, figs.) gave a good discussion of a gall-making 

 insect and its galls on "fleurs du camedrys," including figures 

 of both insect and galls. In the other reference Geoffroy (1762, 

 p. 461) described the same insect and its galls on "chamedrys." 

 The last sentence of Geoffroy's description reads: 



La larve de cette punaise habite l'interieur des fleurs du chamaedrys, qui 

 avant de s'ouvrir, paroissent plus grosses & plus gonflees qu'a l'ordinaire, 

 lorsque cette larve y est renfermee. 



As Fabricius was a contemporary of Linnaeus and at times 

 visited him, it is only natural to assume that he saw and studied 

 the "Linnacan Collection." It is evident, too, that they were 

 in concurrence regarding the identity of clavicornis as can be 

 perceived in the following excerpt from Fabricius (1794, p. 70) : 



clavicornis. 10. A. elytris reticulato punctatis, antennis clavatis. Cimex 

 clavicornis. Linn. Syst. nat. 2. 717.16. Fn. Svec. 911. Geoff. Ins. 1. 461. 56. 

 Reaum. Ins. e. tab. 34. fig. 1-4. Fyesl. Helvet. 25. 480. Panz. Fn. Germ. 3. 

 tab. 24. Habitat in Europae hortis." 



Fieber (1844, p. 97, fig.) founded the genus Laccometopus to hold 

 C. clavicornis Linnaeus and L. kollari, both gall-making species. 

 Seventeen years later, this author (Fieber 1861, p. 119) again 

 treated Linnaeus' clavicornis as in 1844. The host plant as 

 cited by the above and other authors of those times is Teucrio 

 chamaedri (fide Fieber). 



