Cold case: Ludwig Ganglbauer (1856–1912) and his 1908–1909 manuscript on the genus Podistra (Coleoptera: Cantharidae)

Abstract

The circumstances around the publication of Ganglbauer’s manuscript of 1908–1909 on the genus Podistra (Coleoptera, Cantharidae) are studied in detail. Considerable evidence demonstrates that the work was actually published in 1914; therefore, the 1922 date reported by the scientific community is incorrect. The taxonomic records present in this paper are the subgenus Hemipodistra Ganglbauer, [1914] and the species Podistra (Absidia) pentheri Ganglbauer, [1914], Podistra (Absidia) caucasica Ganglbauer, [1914] and Podistra (Podistra) starcki Ganglbauer, [1914]. The relevant description pages are also carefully reported. Absidia ussuriensis Horn, 1921 is considered in the present document as nomen nudum.