VOL. XVIII, pp. 223-226 OCTOBER 17, 1905 



PROCEEDINGS 



OF THE 



BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 



GENERAL NOTES. 



NOTE ON THE GENERIC NAMES PTERONOTUS AND DER 

 MONOTUS. 



In these proceedings* Dr. Theo. Gill has recently asserted that the use 

 of the generic name Pteronotus as applied by Gray in 1838 to a genus of 

 Phyllostomid bats is invalidated by the previous existence of a Pteronotus 

 Rafinesque, proposed in 1815 as a substitute for Pteropus.~\ He therefore 

 replaces the Pteronotus of Gray by the new name Dermonotus. After ex 

 amining Rafinesque's work, I find myself forced to a different conclusion. 

 Rafinesque enumerated fourteen genera of bats : 1, Rhinolophus Cuv.; 2, 

 Phyllostoma Geof; 3, Vampyrum R. do. Geof. sans queue ; 4, Megn derma 

 Geof.; 5, Pteropus Bris. Erxl.; 6, Eidolon R. do. a queue ; 7, Pteronotus, R. 

 do. sp.; 8, Cephalotes Geof.; 9, Tadaris R.; 10, Vespertilio L. Geof.; 11, Nyc- 

 terus Geof.; 12, Noctilio Geof.; 13, Molossus Geof.; 14, Atalapha R. It is 

 evident that he intended Pteronotus not as a substitute for Pteropus, but as 

 the name of a new genus based on certain species of "Eidolon " or Pteropus, 

 the list of abbreviations at the end of the volume (page 216) explaining that 

 " sp. do." means " species of the preceding genus." As no characters are sug 

 gested for this genus, the name Pteronotus of Rafinesque is a nomen nudum 

 without status in nomenclature. Gray was therefore free to apply the term 

 to the Phyllostomid genus ; and the new name Dermonotus is not required. 

 GerritS. Miller, Jr. 



SYMBOS, A SUBSTITUTE FOR SCAPHOCEROS. 



Prof. T. I). A. Cockerell, of the University of Colorado, has kindly called 

 my attention to the fact that the generic name, Scaphoceros, which I pro 

 posed recently (Smiths. Misc. Coll., Quart. Issue, XLVIII, pp. 173-158, 



* Vol. XIV, p. 177, September 25, 1901. 

 f Analyse de la Nature, p. 54. 



44-PROC. BIOL. Soc. WASH., VOL. XVIII, 1905. (223) 



