576 PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIOXAI. MUSEUM. 



Clupanodon La Cepede for Cliipeonia Cuv. & Val. 

 Gymnomur^na La Cepede for il/^nrnrt se&m Giiuther and afdues. 

 MUR^NOBLENNA La Cepede for Gymnomunvna Giiuther, 

 Macrorhamphosus La Cepede for Cenfriscns Aiict. 

 Centriscus L. for AmpliisUe Auct. 

 Indiana University, October 4, 1882. 



ON THE SVIVONVillY OF THE GEIVIS BOTHIJS BAFIIVESQUE. 

 BY DAVID S. JORDAN AISD CHARI^ES H. OII.B£RT. 



In the Caratteri di Alcuui Kuovi Geueri, etc., 1810, 23, the geuus 

 Bothus is established by Rafinesque for flounders, which are allied to the 

 European turbot. Three species are referred to this genus : B. rumoJo 

 Raf., B. tappa Raf., and B. i))i2)erialis Raf. The first of these is, according to 

 Bonaparte (Cat. Metod. dei Pesci Europ., 1840,49) identical with Pleu- 

 ronectes rhombus L. ; the third, with the Turbot PL maximus L., and the 

 second has not yet, so far as we know, been identified. The relations of 

 these fishes to the Linnneau PL rhombus seems to have understood by 

 Rafinesque,who observes that he should have called the genus Bhombus, 

 had not La Cepede removed the latter name to another genus. It will 

 be, therefore, not unfair to take the first species mentioned by Rafin- 

 esque, and which is really identical with Pleuronectes rhombusli.j as the 

 type of his geuus Bothus. A group substantially identical with this 

 had been previously outlined by Klein under the jiame of Bhombus. 

 This name was afterwards accepted by Cuvier for the Turbot and its rel- 

 atives, and has now come into general use. If we adopt the pre-Lin- 

 nsean and non binomial generic names proposed by Klein, as has been 

 done by Bleeker, and formerly by Professor Gill, the name Rhombus 

 must be used for this group. If we reject these pre-Liuntean names, as 

 is now the custom of most writers, the Rhombus of Cuvier is antedated 

 by Rhombus of La Cepede { = P€j)rilus Cuvier), and moreover, it is not 

 the earliest name of the group in question. 



In the Indice d' Ittiologia Siciliaua, 1810, j). 53, a few months later 

 than the "Caratteri," a genus "■ Scophthabmis-'' is thus defined: "Ale 

 giugulari ed ale caudale sciolte, occhj alia sinistra." 



Three species are referred to this genus (p. 14) : Pleuronectes maxi- 

 mus L., Pleuronectes rhombus, L., and a new species based on an erro- 

 neous and indeterminable figure of Rondelet, which receives the name 

 of Sco2)hthalmus diurns. Rafinesque's geuus Scojyhthalmus is therefore 

 equivalent to his own Bothus, the sole difference between them being, 

 according to Bonaparte (1. c, p. 49), that Bothus was founded ou actual 

 specimens ("ex natur") and Scophthalmns on the descriptions of others 

 ("ex auct"). 



Later, as already stated, both these fishes, with others, received the 



