122 INSECUTOR INSClTIy© M^NSTRUUS 



valid previous designation exists. The authors of this work 

 state on page 5 of their introduction in part I : "In Betreff der 

 Gatt'ungsnamen war fijr uns massgebend, jenen Namen zu be- 

 lassen, welcher der altesten Art einer Gattung als Type zu- 

 kommt."^ This statement clearly announces their intention 

 and practice to cite type species for their generic concepts. In 

 order to interpret the motif of this statement, we must under- 

 stand the authors' conceptions of genera and genotype fixation. 

 They were that the earliest described species currently and by 

 common usage referred to a given genus, and necessarily agree- 

 ing with it in general characters, must stand as the genotype 

 and carry with it the generic name applied to it, regardless of 

 considerations of priority. In other words, their concept of 

 a genus took the name that went with the oldest species in- 

 cluded in that concept, which automatically became the type, 

 regardless of priority in generic names. Thus they meant to 

 maintain the proper genotypes of the genera defined by them, 

 and they did maintain and cite what they considered as such. 

 When their action does not conflict with established procedure, 

 as above noted, their citations appear to be valid designations 

 under the International Code regulations. 



In 1889-1893 (I, 147; III, 67) these authors designated 

 Thereva lanipes Fab. as type of Trichiopoda Latr. The sec- 

 ond reference is to be interpreted by the first. This is the 

 logical genotype, since it embodies the prevalent sense of the 

 genus, while plumipes does not. Polistomyia thus stands with 

 Trichiopoda trifasciata Loew as type, which species appears 

 to be congeneric with plumipes Fab. 



Galactomyia Townsend, 1908, Tax. Muse. Flies, 135-6 equals 

 Trichiopoda Latr. (1829), since its genotype, radiata Loew, 

 is quite clearly congeneric with lanipes Fab. 



"'With regard to generic names, it was incumbent upon us to retain 

 that name which falls to the oldest species of a genus as type." 



