# Lichtensteinia (synonym of Lichtensia)
Lichtensteinia is a name whose proposed junior synonymy with *Lichtensia* Signoret, 1873, a genus of soft-scale insects ([Hemiptera](https://www.edgepedia.org/hemiptera): Coccidae), cannot be traced in the two catalogs that serve as the authoritative nomenclatural record for scale insects: neither the ScaleNet catalog entry for *Lichtensia*[1](https://scalenet.info/catalogue/Lichtensia/) nor the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) record[2](https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=1234416) lists *Lichtensteinia* among the genus's names, synonyms, or homonyms. This article therefore documents what the nomenclatural record does establish about *Lichtensia* and its associated names, and states plainly where the *Lichtensteinia* synonymy lacks a retrievable primary record.
| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Valid genus name | *Lichtensia* Signoret, 1873 (type species *L. viburni* Signoret, by monotypy)[1](https://scalenet.info/catalogue/Lichtensia/) |
| Family placement | Coccidae Fallén, 1814, soft scales[2](https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=1234416) |
| Subfamily and tribe | Filippiinae, Filippiini[1](https://scalenet.info/catalogue/Lichtensia/) |
| Species count | 13 (ScaleNet)[1](https://scalenet.info/catalogue/Lichtensia/) vs 11 (ITIS, reviewed 2024)[2](https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=1234416) |
| Recorded misspellings | *Lictensia* Ashmead, 1891; *Lichstensia* Fuller, 1899[1](https://scalenet.info/catalogue/Lichtensia/) |
| Recorded incorrect synonymy | *Filippia* Steinweden, 1929, corrected by Ben-Dov in 1975[1](https://scalenet.info/catalogue/Lichtensia/) |
| Status of *Lichtensteinia* | Not recorded by ScaleNet or ITIS; synonymy with *Lichtensia* not verifiable from the consulted catalogs[1](https://scalenet.info/catalogue/Lichtensia/) • [2](https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=1234416) |
## The name and its record
The premise that *Lichtensteinia* is a junior synonym or homonym of *Lichtensia* rests on the article's starting point rather than on a retrieved primary record. ScaleNet, which provides complete nomenclatural histories for each scale-insect genus and species name[3](https://doi.org/10.1093/database/bav118), records for *Lichtensia* only the original description, two misspellings, and one incorrect synonymy[1](https://scalenet.info/catalogue/Lichtensia/). ITIS likewise lists no such name for the genus[2](https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=1234416) or for its type species[4](https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=1235088). Questions that the consulted evidence cannot settle include who proposed *Lichtensteinia*, in what year, for which taxon, which earlier name would make it a homonym and under which nomenclatural code, and which [Lichtenstein](https://www.edgepedia.org/lichtenstein) the name honored. No catalog retrieved for this entry answers any of these.
## Lichtensia today
*Lichtensia* was established by Victor Signoret in 1873 (page 27), with *Lichtensia viburni* Signoret as type species by monotypy, and stands as an accepted valid name in the subfamily Filippiinae, tribe Filippiini[1](https://scalenet.info/catalogue/Lichtensia/). ITIS carries the genus as valid in the family Coccidae, with a record credibility rating of "verified - standards met" and a latest record review in 2024[2](https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=1234416).
The two catalogs disagree on species count. ScaleNet lists 13 currently accepted species[1](https://scalenet.info/catalogue/Lichtensia/); ITIS lists 11 species-level direct children, including *L. viburni* (the viburnum cushion scale), *L. argentata* Hempel, 1900, *L. peringueyi* Joubert, 1925, and *L. schini* Hempel, 1932[2](https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=1234416). The discrepancy is unresolved between the two sources.
## The nomenclatural trail and its recorded names
The names actually recorded around *Lichtensia* illustrate the ordinary kinds of nomenclatural noise a genus accumulates. Two misspellings exist: *Lictensia* Ashmead, 1891 (page 99) and *Lichstensia* Fuller, 1899[1](https://scalenet.info/catalogue/Lichtensia/). One incorrect synonymy was recorded: *Filippia* Steinweden, 1929 (page 236), treated as a synonym until Ben-Dov discovered the error in 1975 (page 110)[1](https://scalenet.info/catalogue/Lichtensia/).
At the species level, Marotta, Russo, and Ben-Dov (2002) synonymised *Coccus lentiscicola* Minà Palumbo, 1882 with *Lichtensia viburni* as a new synonymy. The identification rested on Minà Palumbo's 1882 publication, which provided a binomen, a description, the host plant *Pistacia lentiscus*, and the locality Sicily; the body was described as yellow and covered by white wool, characters matching *L. viburni*. Rôndani's original material was presumably lost, and Salem (1908) had been unable to identify the name[5](https://www.persee.fr/doc/bsef_0037-928x_2002_num_107_1_16814). ITIS lists the synonyms of *L. viburni* as *Philippia viburni*, *Filippia viburni*, *Coccus lentiscicola*, *Lichtensia eatoni* Newstead, 1895, *Lichtensia rifana* Balachowsky, 1931, and *Filippia rosmarini* Goux, 1934; *Lichtensteinia* does not appear[4](https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=1235088).
## By the numbers
- 1873: original description of *Lichtensia* by Signoret[1](https://scalenet.info/catalogue/Lichtensia/)
- 1891 and 1899: the misspellings *Lictensia* and *Lichstensia*[1](https://scalenet.info/catalogue/Lichtensia/)
- 1929, corrected 1975: the incorrect synonymy *Filippia*[1](https://scalenet.info/catalogue/Lichtensia/)
- 2002: *Coccus lentiscicola* synonymised with *L. viburni*[5](https://www.persee.fr/doc/bsef_0037-928x_2002_num_107_1_16814)
- 13 species (ScaleNet) versus 11 (ITIS, reviewed 2024)[1](https://scalenet.info/catalogue/Lichtensia/) • [2](https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=1234416)
- ScaleNet's coverage: 23,477 bibliographic records pertaining to 9,509 currently valid scale-insect names[3](https://doi.org/10.1093/database/bav118)
## Recent developments
ITIS's record for *Lichtensia*, last reviewed in 2024, confirms the genus as valid with no nomenclatural change[2](https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=1234416). Douglas J. Williams and Barbara D. Denno published a 2024 sweep in Zootaxa covering all scale-insect genus and family-group names published between 2020 and 2023, the most recent check relevant to detecting changes touching *Lichtensia* or its synonyms[6](https://zenodo.org/records/10692865).
## References
1. [ScaleNet catalogue: Lichtensia Signoret, 1873 (Coccidae)](https://scalenet.info/catalogue/Lichtensia/)
2. [ITIS Report: Lichtensia Signoret, 1873](https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=1234416)
3. [García Morales et al., 2016. ScaleNet: a literature-based model of scale insect biology and systematics](https://doi.org/10.1093/database/bav118)
4. [ITIS Report: Lichtensia viburni Signoret, 1873](https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=1235088)
5. [Marotta, Russo & Ben-Dov, 2002. On a new synonym of Lichtensia viburni Signoret, 1873 (Hem., Coccoidea, Coccidae)](https://www.persee.fr/doc/bsef_0037-928x_2002_num_107_1_16814)
6. [Williams & Denno, 2024. New genus names, family-group names and misspellings published between 2020 and 2023 in the scale insects. Zootaxa 5415(2): 347-350](https://zenodo.org/records/10692865)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Life and health › Animals › Invertebrates › Arthropods › Insects › True bugs and allies › Hemiptera general topics › Hemipteran nomenclature and hemipterists › Hemipteran homonyms, synonyms, and unresolved names*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 15, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license