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Opinions 68 to 77 



OPINION 68 



The Type Species of Pleuronectes Linn^us, 1758A 



Summary. — Fleming, 1828, p. 196, does not designate the type of Pleuronectes. 



Statement of case. — Chancellor David Starr Jordan has submitted 

 the following case for opinion : 



THE TYPE OF PLEURONECTES L. 



The Linnaean genus Pleuronectes, containing many species, was subdivided 

 by Rafinesque, 1810, Indice d'lttiologia Siciliana, pp. 14-15, and by Cuvier, 1817, 

 Le Regne Animal, vol. 2, pp. 218-224. In neither case was the name Pleuro- 

 nectes applied to any one of these subdivisions. Such application to a restricted 

 group was first made by Fleming, 1828, pp. 196-199 (History of British 

 Animals). He recognizes four genera of flounders, Pleuronectes, Solea 

 (Rafinesque), Platessa (Cuvier), and Hippoglossus (Cuvier). The types of 

 the last three genera are clearly Pleuronectes solea L., Pleuronectes platessa L., 

 and Pleuronectes hippoglossus L. As to Pleuronectes Fleming says : 



"Gen. XLVI. Pleuronectes. Turbot. Mouth entire; teeth numerous, 

 slender. Lateral line curved. Eyes on the left side." 



The five species named represent five modern genera, all allies of the turbot. 

 Pleuronectes maximus L. is the type of the genus Psetta Swainson. 



The first species named by Fleming is " 96, P. maximus. Common Turbot." 



Under the rules of the Zoological Congress, does this act of Fleming restrict 

 the name of Pleuronectes to the Turbot group ? In this case later usage has 

 made Pleuronectes maximus L., the Turbot, the type. 



Or does Fleming fail to fix the type? In this case we go on to Bleeker, 1862, 

 pp. 422-429 (Versl. en Mededeel. Kon. Akad. Wetens. Amsterdam), who makes 

 Pleuronectes synonymous with Platessa Cuvier, the type being Pleuronectes 

 platessa L. In this Bleeker has been followed by common usage. 



Discussion. — It is to be noticed that Doctor Jordan does not ask 

 the Commission to determine the type of Pleuronectes, but only 

 whether Fleming in 1828 does, or does not, fix the type of this genus. 



Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections, Vol. 73, No. 1 



