Jor-dan and Evennann. — Fishes of North America. 2653 



1040. MICROSTOMUS,* Gottsche. 

 (Smeak Dabs.) 



Microstomus, Gottsche, Archiv farNaturgesch. 1835, 150 (latidens) ; not Microstoma, Risso, 



182G. 

 Cijnicoglossus, Bonaparte, Fauna Italica, 1837, fasc, xix (cynoglossug, Nilsson, not of L.). 

 Cyiioglossa, Bonaparte, Catalogo Metodico Pesci Europei, 48, 1846 (microeephalus) -, not 



Cynorlossus, Hamilton, 1822. 

 Bracliyprosopon, Bleekek, Comptes Rentlus Acad. Sci. Amslcrd., xiii, Pleurou., 7, 1862 



(7nicroeephalt<s). 

 Cij7iicoglossus, Jordan & Gilbert, Synopsis, 460, 1883 (microeephalus). 



Body elongate, compressed; moiitli very small; teeth broad, incisor- 

 like, on blind side only; scales small, all cycloid; vertebra' numerous 

 (48 to 52) ; dorsal rays 90 to 100; anal rays 70 to 85; anal spine obsolete; 

 left side of skull normal, without mucous cavities; ventral fins with 5 

 rays each. Arctic seas. This genus is widely separated from Pleuronectes 



* "We here retain tlie generic name Microstomus, altliough in accordance with recent 

 usage of most ornitliologists and ichtliyologists, it slioiild be suppres-sed, as identical 

 with Microitoma. The two words are from tli<> same root, and ditier only in the termi- 

 nation. But is not tliis difference enough ! The code of nomenclature of the American 

 Ornithologists' Union very properly declares that "a name is only a name, and ha.s no 

 necessary meaning. " and therefore no necessarily correct spelling, except the spelling 

 selected by the writer from whom it dates its origin. As a result of this, the original 

 spelling of each generic name is (undoubted misprints aside) the orthography to be adopted, 

 regardless of all questions as to the correct etymology of the word. As a necessary 

 .sei|iience, it seems to us that all generic names, not actually preoccupied bynames sjielled 

 in the same way, shmild lu^ tenable. There is no other cirt.iiii lioundary line between 

 names tt'nal)le and names untenable. We therefore regard -.'Al generic names as available 

 unless used in zoology earlier and in exactly the same orllioi;ra])liy. Among American 

 genera of hslies we may therefore use the following, notwithstanding their earlier 

 analogies : 



Microstomus for Cynieoglossus notwithstanding the prior Microstoma. 



Heterodontus Cestracion llclerodoii. 



Lucfuiia Lucanus. 



Thj/malhis Choregon Thymalus. 



Nebris Ncoria. 



Xiphidion Xiphistcr Xiphidium. 



Amitra Monomitra Amitrui. 



Scytalina Scytalisctis f^cj/taliniis. 



Lngochila (hiassilahia Lagocheilus. 



Auchenopterus Crcmnohatcs Aucheniptcrus. 



Lyapseita Liopsetta. 



Leucos Myloleticun Leucus. 



Pternphryne Pteroplirynoides Pterophrynus. 



"Scapli irhynchus Scaphirhynchops Scaphorhynchut. 



Leindion Haloporpkyrus lApidia. 



Gramma &ram,mia. 



Stenotomus Stenotoma. 



If Microstomus be discarded, the next name in order of date is Cynicoglossut. 

 The following is Bonaparte's definition of Cynieoglossus as quoted by Gill (Proc. Ac. 

 Nat. Sci. Phila. 1864, 222) : 



"Secundo 6 Cynieoglossus nob. che come il PI. eynoglossus L. ha la linea laterale retta, 

 l.T. bocca piccola, i denti come quello di sopra [Platessa] ma la mascelle iguale, con labbra 

 turgide, e 1' ano seuza spina. " 



Later, in his Catalogo Metodico dei Pesci Europei, Bonaparte changes this name from 

 Cynieoglossus to Cynoglo.isa, giving the sole species as Cynoglossa inierocephala, and <iuot- 

 ing as its synonym " Pleuronectes eynoglossus, N. Nilss.", showing that his identihcation 

 of the Linuiean species coincided with that of Nilsson, who at first used the name ■Pleu- 

 ronectes eynoglossus' for the present species instead of the species of Glyptocephalus. In 

 Bonaparte's Catalogo, Glyptocephalus, Gottsche, is regarded by Bonaparte as synonymous 

 with Platessa. 



It is thus evident, as Dr. Gill has suggested, that Bonaparte meant to refer to the 

 Pleuronectes mierdcephalus instead of PI. eynoglossus, he "having followed Nilsson in hia 

 erroneous identification " of the latter with the former. In further evidence of this we 

 have the fact that Cynicnglossus m.icrocejihalus (kitt) has no anal sjiine, while such a spine 

 is ju'esent in the species of Glyptocephalus. We would be, tlieret'ore, justified in the use 

 of Cynieoglossus instead of the later Brachyprosopoti. if Alierdstnmiis should be regarded 

 as ineligible on account of the prior Taaww. Microstoma. (Jordan i: Goss.) 



