NO. I OPINIONS 68 TO "J"] 13 



OPINION 70 



The Case of Libellula Americana L., 1758, vs. Libellula 



AMERICANOS DrURY, 1 773 



Summary. — In view of the fact that Libellula amcricanus Drury, 1773, is an 

 evident lapsus calavii for Gryllus americanus, the lapsus is to be corrected, 

 and the specific name in this instance, amcricanus 1773, is not invalidated by 

 Libellula americana 1758. 



Statement of case. — A. N. Caudell presents the following case 

 for opinion : 



Shall the specific name amcricanus Drury, 1773, '^e suppressed in favor of 

 serialis Thunberg, 1815? 



The pertinent references are : 



1770, Drury, Illustrations of Nat. Hist., vol. i, plate 49. 



1771, Linnaeus, Mantissa Plantarum, p. 533. 



'^773> Drury, Illustrations of Nat. Hist., vol. i, inde.x. 



1815, Thunberg, Mem. Acad. Imp. Sci., St. Petersb., vol. 5, p. 241. 



Drury, 1770, figured two locusts, but used no names except an indication that 

 figure 2 of the plate was related to [or identical with^] Gryllus iartaricus of 

 Linnaeus. 



Linnaeus, 1771, refers to the above plate by Drury, and names figure I as 

 Gryllus ? squarrosus. 



Drury, 1773, in index, refers to the above work of Linnaeus, quoting the 

 name squarrosus, but the species is placed under the generic name Libellula. 

 No. 2 of the plate is here given the specific name amcricanus and is, like the 

 name squarrosus Linn., placed under Libellula. 



Thunberg, 1815, described the species Gryllus serialis, which has been 

 found to be a synonym of the above americanus of Drury. 



In the tenth edition of Linnaeus' Systema Naturae, there is described a true 

 dragon fly under the name Libellula americana, and thus the above combina- 

 tion of Libellula a»icricanus by Drury apparently makes the latter a primary 

 homonym. However, this inclusion of this species by Drury in the genus 

 Libellula seems to be an error, or lapsus calami^ for the following reason: 



1. The insect Gryllus tartaricus of Linnaeus, which Drury mentions in 1770 

 as related to his figure 2, is a locust, that is, the genus Gryllus as then used. 



2. In the index of vol. i of Drury's Illustrations in 1773, mention is made 

 of the reference of squarrosus to the genus Gryllus by Linnaeus in 1771, and in 

 the absence of other evidence there seems no reason to think Drury intended 

 other than to follow him ; squarrosus is figure i of the plate, and the second 

 figure, americanus, also a locust, would clearly be treated the same. 



3. The termination of the two species as appearing in the index, 1773, is 

 " us," an ending agreeing with Gryllus but not with Libellula. It is to be noted, 

 however, that Drury is not consistent in his termination, as in the index the 

 names cincta and squamosus are included under the genus Vespa. 



* " I have not seen it anywhere described unless the insect mentioned by 

 Linnaus .... is the same with this." 



