NO. 2 OPINIONS 78 TO 81 1/ 



OPINION 80 



Suspension of Rules in the Case of Holothuria and Physalia 



Summary. — The Echinoderm genus Holothuria Linn., 1767, restr. Bruguiere, 

 1791, type H. trcinula 1767 = //. tubulosa 1790, and the Siphonophorae genus 

 Physalia Lamarck, 1801, type P. pelagica 1801 =z Holothuria physalis 1758, are 

 hereby placed in the Official List of Generic Names. 



Si atement of case. — Pages 49 to 57 of Opinion 76 are accepted as 

 statement of Case. 



Discussion. — Pages 49 to 57 of Opinion /6 are accepted as 

 Discussion. 



The fact that the suspension of the rules was under consideration 

 for these names was duly published as follows: Science, 1917, v. 45, 

 Feb. 2, p. 113; Nature, Lond., v. 98, 1916, Sept. 21, p. 49; Monit. 

 Zool. Ital., 191 7, V. 28 (11), p. 183. 



The Secretary recommends that the Commission adopt the follow- 

 ing action : 



(i) Suspend the rules in the case of the generic names Holothuria 

 and Physalia; 



(2) Permanently reject Holothuria Linnaeus, 1758, type H. 

 physalis 1758; 



(3) Validate Physalia Lamarck, 1801, type P. pelagica 1801 (syn. 

 H. physalis 1758) ; 



(4) Accept HolotJiuria as dating from Linn., 1767a (type H. 

 tremula 1767 = //. tubulosa 1790) as restricted by Bruguiere, 1791, 

 and despite the publication of Holothuria Linn., 1758 (rejected) ; 



(5) This suspension is not to be construed as invalidating any 

 specific name. 



The grounds for said suspension are : 



(a) In the judgment of the Commission, the strict application 

 of the Regies to the names Holothuria and Physalia " will clearly 

 result in greater confusion than uniformity " ; 



(b) The cases involve a transfer of generic names, almost 

 universally accepted in the sense given above since 1791 (for 

 Holothuria), and since 1801 (for Physalia), to genera in other 

 groups in connection with which they have been used during 

 more than 100 years by only a very few authors. Important 

 supergeneric names, also of long standing, are involved. 



(6) The Commission places on the Official List of Generic Names 

 the name Holothuria Linn., 1767, type H. trciituia 1767 = //. tubulosa 



