1888.] PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 597 



genus, bat also soon afterwards restricted the name Pleuronectes to a re- 

 siduum left after the institution of the other genera recognized by him. 

 Obviously, then, the generic name Pleuronectes should not have been 

 retained afterward for any species of the geuera first eliminated. The 

 fact that Fleming, and later still DeKay, restricted the name to the 

 Turbot and its kindred, in no way affects the question and is ouly evi- 

 dence of their want of knowledge. Our attention will only be needed, 

 then, to any proposals to restrict the name within the limits left by Ra- 

 finesque.* 



BONAPARTE'S USE OF THE NAME PLEURONECTES. 



In 1832, Charles Bonaparte, in his classification of the Vertebratest 

 (p. 117), divided the family Pleuronectidce as follows: 



Famiglia 24. Pleuronectidce. 



289. Pleuronectes, L. 



1. Platessa, Cuv ,.Atl. eur. americano +10 



2. Hippoglossus, Cuv M. Ind. Med. Atl 10 



290. Rhombus, Cuv. {Bothus 



Safin.) M. Ind. Med. Atl 20 



1. Rhombus, Nob M. Ind. Med. Atl 



2. Bothus,Nob Mediterraneo. Atl 



291. Solea, Nob. 



1. Solea, Cuv M. Ind. Med. Atl 20 . 



2. Monochir, Cuv M. Ind. Med. Atl 7 



3. Achirus, Lace"p M. Am. Ind 4 



4. Plagusia, Brown M. Am. Ind 6 



In 1833, Bonaparte, in his Fauna Italica,§ in the article on Pleuronectes 

 macrolepidotus, proposed anew arrangement of the family Pleuronectidce 

 and gave the name Pleuronectes to a new subdivision of the old genus. 



The outlines of his arrangement of the family may be given in his 

 own words : 



In sei generi nierita a nostro giudizio d'esser ripartita l'intiera famiglia, e qnesti 

 diremo Platessa, Hippoglossus, Pleuronectes, Rhombus, Solea, Plagiusia ; i primi qnattro 

 constituiscono i nosfcri Pleuronectini, i rimanenti formano lasottofamiglia dei Soleini. 



The genus Pleuronectes is thus limited : 



II nostro genere Pleuronectes ha i denti mascellari e i fariugei tutti acnti. La 

 pinna dorsale ha origiue al di sopra degli occhi, oppure pin innanzi ; tauto essa, quanto 

 l'anale si prolnugano lino alle coda. II corpo e ovato-obluugo quasi scolorato da am- 

 bedue i lati pellucido. Lo scaglie grandi, caduche. L'ano s'apre nelle carena del 

 ventre. 



* Ratinesque's reference of his " Scophthalmus dvurus" to that genus was simply the 

 result of a misunderstanding. His reference of Pleuronectes platessa to Solea was an 

 example of his general blundering proclivity. 



t Saggio di una distribnzione metodica degli Auimali Vertebrati di Carlo Luciano 

 Bonaparte, Principe de Mnsiguano. Roma. Presso Antonio Bonlzaler, 183l[-1832]. 



tThe numbers in the right-hand column indicate the supposed number of species 

 of each subgenus. 



§ Fauna Italica, Fasc. iv, 1833. 



