58 Miller — The Generic Nawe of the House-Rats. 



In determining the generic name of the rats, as typified by 

 the species norvegicus and rattus, and without, for the present, 

 attempting to fix any exact limit for the group, it is necessary 

 to consider the genera ^'"a??</io?7i.vs Lesson, Eiichaetomys Fitziuger , 

 and £5o?"?n?/s Trouessart, each of which as originally defined con- 

 tained species related to the house-rat.* 



Acanthomys was proposedt as a subgenus of Mus to contain the 

 species retifer, aJexaivhinvs, perchal, platj/thrix and hispixlus.^ No 

 type was designated nor has one been selected by a subsequent 

 reviser. As the name has, however, generally been placed in 

 the synonymy of Acomysl. Geoffroy, it may be allowed to remain 

 there, with the species hispidus as type. 



Fitzingerl united under the generic name Evrhsetomys the fol- 

 lowing species: palmarum, novaras, retifer, perchnl, kok, harduickii, 

 rufescens, ellioti, lepidiis, vittatus, pumilio, pardideus, zebra and 

 donovani. No type was designated and none has been selected. 

 Since the description indicates that the group was primarily 

 intended to contain the coarse-furred species, as distinguished 

 from the true rats (Rattus) on the one hand and the spiny rats 

 (Acoinys) on the other, I have no hesitation in referring it to 

 the synonomy of Nesokia Gray, 1842, and in choosing the 

 species hardwickii as the type. 



In 1881 Trouessart§ formed the subgenus Epimys for the true 

 rats including both rattus and norvegicus. He designated no type 

 and none has since been selected. As this group exactly coin- 

 cides with the genus now under consideration the name should 

 be adopted for the rats congeneric with Mus rattus Linna?us, the 

 species which 1 choose as type. 



The synonymy and characters of the genera Epimys and Mus are 

 briefly as follows : 



Genus EPIIMYS Trouessart. 



18()7. Rattus Fitziiifjer, Sitzung^bor. ]Math.-Xatur\viss. CI. k. Akad. 

 Wist^ensch. Wien, LVI, pt. II, p. 63 (type bj' tautonomy Rattxi^ 

 domesticHH Fitzinger = Mus rattus Liniifeu?) not Rattus Donovan, 

 1827. 



• Rattus Fitzinger, Sitzungsber, Miitli.-Naturwiss. CI. k. Alcad. Wissensch, Wien, LVI, 

 pt. n, p. 6:5. type by taiitoiioniy Mun rattus is antcAteri Iiy Rattus Donovan, 1S27, applied 

 to a South .\frican striped rat. Rattus Frisch, 1775, has no status in nomenclature. 



+ Xouv. Tabl. KeRue Aniin. .Manini. p. 13.'). 1S42. 



t SitzunRsber, Math.-Naturwiss, ('1. k. Ahad. Wis.senseh. Wein, L\'I, pi. II, p. 73. 1867. 



$Bull. Soc. d'Etudes Set. d'Anpers, X. p. 117. issi. 



