Vol. XXVI, pp. 79-82 March 22, 1913 



PROCEEDINGS 



OF THE 



BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 



GENERAL NOTES. 



1 1 



EL LIU MA, A CENTS OF FOSSIL HERRINGS. 



Professor Theodore D. A. Cockerel! calls my attention to the fact thai 

 the name Ellipes, given by me (Annals Carnegie Museum Yfl, No. 1, 

 1912, page 23) to a genus of fossil Clupeoid fishes from the Eocene shales 

 I' Riacho Doce, Brazil, was preoccupied by Scudder (Psyche, IX. p. 308, 

 1902) for a genus of crickets. The genus of extinct herrings may then he 

 renamed fillimma, the type being LJllipes branneri Jordan. 



— David Starr .Ionian . 



THE TYPE SPECIES OF CUNICULUS BRISSON. 



The type species of the genera of mammals dating from Brisson, Reg- 

 num Animate, 1762, were fixed hy Dr. C. Hart Merriam in 1895 (Science, 

 X.S.. I, p. 375). With the exception of Cuniculus all were lived hytan- 

 tonymy or monotypy. Wdrkingwith the original A. 0. CJ. code, Doctor 

 Merriam fixed the type of Cuniculus hy elimination as Cuniculus Cauda 

 longissima Brisson = Dipus alactaga Olivier = Cuniculus alactaga 

 (Olivier), 1800. According to Article 30 of the International Code this 

 disposition of Cuniculus is not permissible, because C. canda longissima 

 was placed in brackets at the end of the series; and the introduction to 

 the work explains that species so placed were doubtfully referred to the 

 genus. Aside from Allactaga, which is thus clearly not to he replaced by 

 Cuniculus, Brisson's genus contains representatives of the live modern 

 genera Dasi/piocta, Agouti, Lemmus, Cilellus and Cavia, all of later date. 

 As the type can not be fixed from this assemblage hy any other rule, it 

 must he selected. To avoid as much confusion as possible I propose that 

 it be fixed on Paca, Brisson, p. 99, based on Cuniculus major palustris, 

 fasciis albis notatua Barrere, 1741. Cuniculus Brisson, 1762, thus ante- 

 dates and replaces Agouti Lacepede 1799, and the forms included in this 

 jj-enus become — 



Cuniculus paca nelsoni (Goldman). 



( 'uniculus paca paca ( Linnaeus ). 



Cuniculus paca virgatus (Bangs). 



Cuniculus sierra (Thomas). 



Cuniculus sublxvis (Gervaisi. 



Cuniculus taczanowskii (Stolzmann). 



— A*. Hollister. 



L9— Pboc. Biol. Soc. Wash.. Vol. XXVI, vjv^. (:y) 



