An annotated catalog of the Lacroix types of neuropterida, with emphasis on Chrysopidae

Abstract

Abstract Joseph L. Lacroix proposed a total of 68 names for the superorder Neuropterida: the great majority (n = 53) are within the Chrysopidae, and the remaining (n = 15) are dispersed among five other families. Two of the names are for chrysopid genera – Chrysacanthia Lacroix 1923 and Peyerimhoffina Lacroix 1920, both of which persist as valid today. Most, if not all, of the types for Lacroix's names are believed, without confirmation, to have been deposited in the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris (MNHN). In this report, we list all of the species-level and subspecific names that Lacroix proposed for Neuropterida, and we summarize the published information on the name-bearing type(s) and the current taxonomic status for each. Then, we report on our efforts to locate and catalog the types in the MNHN, with an emphasis on Chrysopidae. We found types in the MNHN for 17 of the 21 chrysopid species-level names, and for 17 of the 30 subspecific names. Here, we designate nine new species-level lectotypes and twelve new subspecific lectotypes. We report the current condition and locations for all of the recovered chrysopid species and subspecific types, as well as label data and the sex for all of the species-level types. Finally, to help expidite future searches for types of the nine species and six subspecies that Lacroix proposed for neuropteridan families other than Chrysopidae, we report the results of our brief search in the MNHN. Specifically, we found types for three species; their condition and locations in the collection are reported. Search for the others will require more focused effort than our time allowed.