Introduction

Lijndenia Zoll. & Moritzi (Melastomataceae, Olisbeoideae) is a paleotropical genus of about 16 species of evergreen shrubs and small to medium-sized trees (Bremer, 1982; Stone, 2006; Stone & Luke, 2015). For Madagascar, the treatment by Jacques-Félix (1985) recognized six species. In a recent revision (Stone, 2017), I added three new species and also found that the species previously known as “L. lutescens (Naudin) Jacq.-Fél.” was based on an illegitimate name, Memecylon lutescens Naudin (Naudin, 1852: 269), this being a later homonym of M. lutescens C. Presl based on a different type (Presl, 1851: 208). However, in proposing the replacement name Lijndenia memecyloides R.D. Stone, I overlooked the fact that the current circumscription of this species includes the type of another legitimate name, Memecylon meeusei H. Perrier (Perrier de la Bâthie, 1945: 106).

When determining the correct name in such cases, one must consider not only the legitimacy of basionyms, but also their priority as well as whether a combination of the epithet with the currently accepted generic name has been published (Nicolson, 1978). Because the basionym M. lutescens Naudin is illegitimate, it does not enter into considerations of priority. However, in accordance with Article 58.1 of the ICN (Turland et al., 2018), the name Spathandra lutescens Jacq.- Fél. (Jacques-Félix, 1978: 228) and the combination Lijndenia lutescens (Jacq.-Fél.) Jacq.-Fél. (Jacques-Félix, 1985: 44) are both legitimate, but their priority would shift from 1852 to 1978. Given these circumstances, the basionym Memecylon meeusei (first published in 1945) must be adopted since it has the earliest available epithet, and Lijndenia meeusei would be the correct name (ICN: Art. 11.4) once a new combination is published. The name L. lutescens would thus become a taxonomic (heterotypic) synonym, and my proposed replacement name L. memecyloides is superfluous and must be rejected (ICN: Art. 52.1).

Nomenclature