156 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol. xxxv. 



memoir cited (p. 10) records that before receiving the thirteenth 

 volume of Cuvier and Valenciennes he had formed for the species a 

 new genus which he called Choerodon, and distinguished it on ac- 

 count of the large and much curved front teeth of the lower jaw. 

 This genus, however, he thought should not be retained." 



Notwithstanding Bleeker's suppression of his own genus, accord- 

 ing to modern views the generic name should be revived. Bleeker 

 gave an appropriate name, indicated certain generic characters, and 

 specified a type. The fact that he ignored the name later is imma- 

 terial. 



The status of the several names proposed is indicated in the fol- 

 lowing synonymy. 



A comparison of species of Chmrodon and Ilarpe in the U. S. 

 National Museum has convinced the writer of the close relationship 

 of the two, notwithstanding their reference to distinct subfamilies 

 by Doctor Giinther. 



CHCERODON.'- 



SYNONYMY. 



Chocrodon Bleeker, Ov. gladschub. Labroid., 1847, p. 10. (Type, C. macro- 

 don Lacepede.) 



Choerops Ruppell Verz. Mas. Senckenberg. X. (J. Saninil., IV, ]S. r >2, p. 20. 

 (Type, ('. meleagris.) 



Hypsigenys (Iunther, Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist., (3) VIII, 1861, p. 383. 

 (Type, 77. macrodon Lacepede.) 



Cossyphudes Bleeker, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1861, p. 41G. (Named as 

 syn. of Choerops.) 



a So far as the definition goes, that by Riippell for Choerops has no advantage 

 over Churodon. There is no character in his diagnosis which is not equally 

 applicable to Bodianus or Ilarpe (=CQSsypJm8) and several other genera. 

 The only reference to a type is "Choerops (now gen.) meleagris Riipp. Sic. Mare 

 Javanicum." No definition then or later was attached to the name. Bleeker, 

 in 1859, in his Knnineratio speciernni Piscium hucusque in Archipelago Indico 

 ohservatornin, enumerates the genns Choerops (p. xviii) and the species Choe- 

 rops meleagris (94) but did not recoginze the identity of the latter with the 

 species lie then called Cossyphns macrodon (93). In his Atlas Ichthyologiqne 

 he remarked: " C'est a M. Riippell qn'est dn 1'etablisseinent de ce genre, mais 

 ne le detinissant pas sntlisannnent et n'en decrivant pas l'espece typiqne qu'il 

 nomma Choerops meleagrides \\. e., meleagris], il iaissa, quant a son type, des 

 dontes. qui ne sont dissipes qn'apres que j'ai pu me convaincre, lors de mon 

 sejonr a Francfort snr le Main, en l'an 1861, que le Cheorops meleagrides 

 \m<lcaijris\ n'est autre que le Labrus macrodontus Lac." 



h Reference is made by Bleeker, in his Atlas Ichthyologiqne des Indes Orient- 

 :.les neerlandaises. 1, 1862, p. 162, to " Bijdr. (ieneesk. Topogr. Batavia, p. r»l.">." 

 A search reveals that the publication referred to is in the Natuur-en-Geneesknn- 

 dig Archief voor Neerland*s-Indie, tweede .Taargang, 1845; at p. 513 is a list of 

 the " Labroieden," and of them is mentioned "1 [soort] van Choerodon (nov. 

 g.).*' This is the only indication, and the name is therefore a pure nomen 

 nudum. 



