490 Transactions 



Deshayes indicated that his genus was proposed for the one Lamarck had 

 designated " Donacille " in 1812, but which that author had submerged in 

 Amphidesma in 1818. Lamarck, in the Extra, d'un Cours. Hist. Nat., 

 p. 107, 1812, named "Donacille," but no definition was given and no Latin 

 name, onlv the vernacular appearing as a nomen nudum. In the Hist. Nat. 

 Anim. s. Vert., vol. v, p. 489, July, 1818, the genus Amphidesma is proposed 

 by Lamarck, with the explanation, " Depuis assez long-temps, j'avais etabli 

 ce genre dans mes cours, sous le nom de donacille (extrait du cours, etc., 

 p. 107), parce que l'espece que. je connus d'abord avait l'aspect d'une 

 donace."' The first species is A. variegata, the second A. donacilla, pro- 

 posed for Mactra cornea Poli, Test. 2, tab. 19, figs. 9-11. 



From the preceding it is clear that the name Amphidesma was simply 

 substituted for Donacille, which was only rejected through its inapplic- 

 ability to all the species admitted into the genus later. The type oiAmphi- 

 desma must, by tautonymy, be regarded as A. donacilla, and this name 

 would come into use vice Mesodesma. The earliest latinization of Donacille 

 I have traced is in the Diet. Sci. Nat., vol. xiii, p. 428. 1819, where is written, 

 ' Donacille. Donacilla (Conchyl.) M. de Lamarck, dans l'extrait de son 

 Cours, etc., pag. 107, avait donne ce nom de genre a une coquille bivalve, 

 ayant l'aspect d'une donace, qu'il a fait entrer depuis dans le genre qu'il 

 a nomme Amphidesme. Hist. Nat. des Anim. sans Vert., 2 e edit., t. 5, 

 p. 489. (De B.)." 



In the Gen. Rec. Moll., vol. ii, p. 414, March, 1857, as a synonym of 

 Donacilla Lamarck is noted " Donacina Blainv. "" Reference to Scudder's 

 Nomenclator, p. 103, gave "Donacina Blainv., Moll. 1818, S." The S. 

 means that the name is one added in the supplemental list. On p. 113 

 of that list I find " Donacina Blainville, Diet. Sci. Nat., x, p. 216 (err. 

 typ. ? = Donacilla ?), 1818. Moll. Biv." No name at the end of this entry 

 means that Scudder himself was responsible for his addition. I may have 

 been unfortunate, but I have noted that many of Scudder's own entries 

 were erroneous, and reference to the place given shows no mention of any- 

 thing to do with Donacina. So far, the only reference, in connection with 

 the name I have found in the Diet. Sci. Nat. is the one given above. 



In the Zool. Voy. " Coquille,'" vol. ii, pt. i, p. 424, 1831, Lesson pro- 

 posed the new generic name Paphies, a contraction for Paphioides, as shown 

 by the vernacular, for the Neozelanic shell " Mya novaezeelaudiac Chemnitz." 



My proposition to use Amphidesma is based on the fact that the name 

 Paphies has priority over Mesodesma. and has exactly the same type, for. 

 though Deshayes fixed no type of his genus, Herrmannsen selected (Index 

 Moll., vol. ii, p. 40, 1847) Mya novaezeelandiae Chemn. as type, and there 

 is no valid objection to this type-designation. Thus, in any case. Meso- 

 desma passes into absolute synonymy. 



Taria was proposed by Gray in the Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., 2nd ser., 

 vol. xi, p. 4!, 1853, for Taria siokesii n.s. This is a nomen nudum, and as 

 type of Taria Suter gives Mesodesma ventricosvm Gray : but in the same 

 place Gray placed his own ventricosa in Paphia. As two species have been 

 confused, it was necessary to find ou1 what T. siokesii was. Search in the 

 British Museum collection, when I was greatly assisted by Mr. E. A. Smith, 

 resulted in the recognition of the type-tablet. The specimen proved some- 

 what abnormal, but undoubtedly referable to ventricosa, which name it 

 bore, and as which it had been recognized by Gray himself : hence its non- 

 publication. 



No other names concern us at the present as regaids the higher group- 

 ings of the Neozelanic shells. 



