200 Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature 49(3) September 1992 Case 2793 METOPIINAE Foerster, 1868 (Insecta, Hymenoptera), METOPIINI RaflFray, 1904 (Insecta, Coleoptera), and METOPIINI Townsend, 1908 (Insecta, Diptera): proposed removal of homonymy Margaret K. Thayer & Alfred F. Newton, Jr. Field Museum of Natural History, Roosevelt Road at Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60605, U.S.A. Thomas Pape Zoologisk Museum, Universitetsparken 15, DK2100 Kobenhavn 0, Denmark Abstract. The purpose of this application is to avoid homonymous family-group names in three orders of Insecta. It is proposed that the complete generic names of Metopias Gory, 1832 and Metopia Meigen, 1803 be adopted as the stems for the corresponding family-group names, giving metopiasini Raflfray, 1904 (Coleoptera) and metopiaini Townsend, 1908 (Diptera). The subfamily name metopiinae Foerster, 1868 (Hymenoptera) based on Metopius Panzer, 1806 would remain unchanged. 1 . Family-group names based on the stem metopi-are in use jn three orders of Insecta: metopiinae Foerster, 1868 (Hymenoptera, ichneumonidae), metopiini Raffray, 1904 (Coleoptera, pselaphidae) and metopiini Townsend, 1908 (Diptera, sarcophagidae). All three names are cited by Handlirsch (1925, p. 578 (Coleoptera), p. 738 (Hymenoptera), p. 1025 (Diptera)), but the homonymy has never been con-fronted. The three names are based on non-homonymous generic names having ident-ical stems. In accordance with Article 55b of the Code this case is referred to the Commission. 2. The name 'Metopioidae' was first used by Foerster (1868, pp. 142, 159) for a family of ichneumons, based on Metopius Panzer, 1806 (p. 78). This name is in general use as the subfamily metopiinae. Some recent uses in major works are: Townes & Townes (1959, p. 3), Townes (1971, p. 89), Fitton & Gauld (1976, p. 254), Krombein et al. (1979, p. 547) and Fitton ( 1 984, p. 353). The metopiinae are a world-wide group of over 500 species, all parasitic on Lepidoptera (Townes & Townes, 1959; Fitton, 1984). The type species of Metopius, Sphex vespoides Scopoli, 1 763 (p. 296), was designated by Viereck(1912,p. 176). 3. The name metopiini Raffray (1904, p. 106), based on Mero/j/a^ Gory, 1832 (pi. 42; type species by monotypy Metopias curculionoides Gory, 1832), was proposed for a tribe of pselaphidae (Coleoptera). This name has been in general use, including the following works: Raffray ( 1 908, p. 1 86; 1 9 1 1 , p. 76), Park ( 1 942, p. 204; 1 95 1 , pp. 6 1 , 62; 1952, pp. 13, 14), ComeHini (1983, p. 437) and Newton & Chandler (1989, p. 41). Jeannel (1949, p. 42; 1955, p. 8) used the spelling metopiasini without explanation, attributing the name to Raffray. Metopias has been used from the start as masculine.
BioStor
