Vol. XVIII, pp. 223-226 October 17, 1905 



PROCEEDINGS 



OF TUB 



BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 



<- 



GENERAL NOTES. 



NOTE ON THE GENERIC NAMES PTERONOTUS AND DER- 



MOXOTUS. 



Tn thef^e proceedings* Dr. Theo. Gill has recently asserted that the nse 

 of the generic name Rteronotun as applied bj' Gray in 1838 to a genus of 

 Phyllostoniid bats is invalidated by the previous existence of a Pleronotus 

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

 replaces the Pleronotus of Gray by the new name Dermouotvs. After ex- 

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

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

 Ph/llostoma Geof; 8, Vampyrum R. do. Geof. sans queue ; 4, Megnderina 

 Geof.; 5, Pleroptts Bris. Erxl.; 6, Eidolon R. do. a queue ; 7, Pleronotus, R. 

 do. sp.; 8, CepludoU'ft Geof; 9, Tddaris R.; 10, VespertiUo L. Geof; 11, Xi/c- 

 ierus Geof.; 12, Noctdio Geof.; 13, Molossus Geof.; 14, Atalapha R. It is 

 evident that he intended Pleronotus 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 abl)reviations 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 Pleronotus of Rafinesque is a nomen nudum 

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

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

 — Gerrit S. Miller, Jr. 



SYMBOS, A SUBSTITUTE FOR SCAPHOCEROS. 



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

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

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



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

 t Analyse de la Nature, p. 54. 



44— Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash ., Vol. XVIII, 1905. (223) 



