Hello Dear

It best that you refree to original discription of this species. Best regards

@ Masoud Latifian: He refers to pp. 122-123 of "Observationes Zoologicae" in the fifth year of "Historico-Naturalis" by Scopoli published in 1772 in the publishing house of C. G. Hilscher, in Leipzig (Germany).

@ Attila Haris: As far as I know, both names are currently regarded as Nomina Dubia and cannot be identified unless type material is re-discovered. But I absolutely agree that "Vespa Pteropoda" is very likely Lestica clypeata. The taxon "Pteropoda" has been described from "Cremnitzium" which is located in present-day Slovakia. Of the three Lestica species that occur in Slovakia only the male of clypeata has a "white wing" on the foreleg as described by Scopoli. Lestica alata males have a small transparent "wing", and Lestica subterranea males have no "wing" on the forelegs at all. I think the "posticis" in the description of the abdomen should be regarded as a honest mistake by Scopoli. He probably meant to write "anticis", but mixed things up.

Vespa Pacicephala is more difficult. I don´t think that it refers to a species of Ectemnius. I translate the abdominal description "Abdomen fascis 5. flavis: 2-3. interruptis" as follows: "abdomen with 5 yellow stripes: the second and third interrupted". This does not fit to Ectemnius, but may rather refer to Crabro cribrarius. Since Scopoli does not mention any "winglets" on the forelegs, he must refer to a female of Crabro cribarius. This also fits better with "Thorax antice punctis flavis binis, scutello puncto unico pariter flavo" ("Thorax with two yellow anterior dots, scutellum with a single spot that is yellow as well"), because in male Crabro cribarius there are (often) two yellow dots on the scutellum, but these are fused into a single spot in females. Thus, I think the best guess on the identity of Vespa Pacicephala is a female of Crabro cribarius, what do you think?

Best wishes,

Niko

Thank you so much for your answer.

I very much appreciate.

About Scopoli types.

They are destroyed 3 times.

First, when he was on River Inn to take his position in Idira as the medical  doctor of the mines of Idria. There was a log on the flooded river and the ship was destroyed and sunken all collection, books and equipment of Scopoli was lost.

The next  were 2  fires in his house in Idria in which he lost not only his collection but his family as well: his wife and his son,

 Additionally, he felt awful in idria, since the manager of mines who was manager of Scopoli as well, did not supported his passion, Therefore Scopoli felt himself in Idria in prison. This manager was councillor Sartori.

He was in good relationship with the professors of Pest University (now Budapest) namely Mathias Piller and Ignaz Born, and they offered him for the position of Nicolaus Jaquin.

When Nicolaus Jaquin was appointed to professor of Wien University, his position in Selmecbánya  (Chemnitz) Academy in North Hungary became vacant and Scopoli received his former position:  lecturer and senior professor at the Metallurgical, Chemical and Mineralogical Department of the Selmecbánya Academy (Now Sopron University of Forestry, the Academy was relocated to Sopron after the First World War, when Hungary lost its northern terrtories).

Scopoli choose himself this position although this time he had other 2 options: one of them was the private medical doctor position of the archbishop of Passau, the other was professor status at Sankt Petersburg Academy in Russia). In Selmeczbánya, Scopoli married to Carolina von Freyenam. She was his third wife and mother of Giovanni Scopoli junior who became the maintainer of his name. During his professorship in Selmecbánya (1769-1779) he wrote 7 important books: the Crystallographia Hungarica, the Introductio ad historiam naturalem and the Anni i-v historico naturalis series. In the 4th and 5th volumes, namely Dissertatio de Apibus and Observationis Zoologicae he discuss the species which he described from Hungary. These are:

 In Dissertatio de Apibus 1770:

 Eucera curvicornis sp. n. "Cremnizium (Körböcbánya) in Hungaria"

Apis fasciata sp. n. unknown locus typicus Carniola or Hungary

Apis luctuosa sp. n. "Inveni in Hungaria circa Scheminizium et denuo in collibus Cremnitzensibus"

Apis vespiformis sp. n. "circa Cremntizium in Hungaria"

Apis agilissima sp. n. "In Hungaria inferiore"

Apis fuliginosa sp. n. "In Hungaria"

Nomada squalida sp. n. unknown locus typicus Carniola or Hungary

Nomada ranunculi sp. n. unknown locus typicus Carniola or Hungary

In Observationes Zoologicae 1772

Sphaex hemiptera sp. n. "circa Cremntizium in Hungaria"

Chrysis hungarica sp. n. "circa Cremntizium"

Vespa pacicephala sp. n. "circa Cremntizium"

Vespa pteropoda sp. n. "circa Cremntizium"

Although Scopoli's collection was destroyed in two fires in his house in Idria, he reestablished it and took it to Pavia with himself when he left the Academy. Dr Péter Tóth (Miskolc University) tried to find his collection in Pavia and also in Verona but without any success. His intensive correspondence with Carl Linné and with the professors of the Budapest University (Mátyás Piller and Ignác Born) are also important documents of his scientific works done in this period. The reason, that Scopoli left Hungary was the royal censorship (last decade of reign of Maria Theresia of Habsburg-Lothringen, queen of Hungary). Between 1772 and 1775 no one of book of Scopoli could be published. According to the decree of the senior royal councillor of mintage and mining affaires, no one was allowed to publish paper or book without prior permission. Especially, Scopoli's one consequence seemed to be very problematic (Principia and Crystallographya Hungarica): "Not all minerals are creations of God".

Thank you very much for your nice summary of Scopoli´s work! I knew that most of Scopoli´s collection was not extant anymore, but I was not aware of the story behind it. So the types of those taxa described after the 2 fires in Idria should not have been destroyed, but, as you write, seem to be lost as well, which is really a pity. In this way most of these taxa will remain nomina dubia. Fortunately, in the case of the two Vespa species, the Scopoli names at least would not change the valid names for the species, even if type material could be found: if Vespa Pteropoda is indeed Lestica clypeata, and if Vespa Pacicephala is indeed Crabro cribarius, then both currently used names are senior synonyms, being described by Schreber in 1759 and Linnaeus in 1758.

All the best for your work!

Niko