NO. 6 OPINIONS 105 TO 114 21 



D, Some authors point out that tlie earUest publication of tlie generic name 

 Sarcoptes was by Latreille, 1802, and that at this date tlie name was monotypic, 

 since only .Icarus scahiei was mentioned in connection with it. 



The Commission is requested to review the premises and to render 

 an Opinion. 



Discussion. — This case is, in some respects, much more complicated 

 than at first it appears. To understand it, one must start with Lin- 

 naeus, 1758a. The case involves the names Acarus 1758, Siro 1759, 

 I795> 1796, 1802, Sarcoptes 1802, Glyciphcujus 1838, Eusarcoptes 

 1888, and Analges 1818. 



Linnaeus, 1758a, 615-618, used Acarus as generic name for 31 

 species ; of these, the following are of special importance in this case : 



No. 10. A. passcrinus. Habitat in Passcrilnis variis. 



No. 15. A. siro, which he divided under two headings in quoting earlier lit- 

 erature, namely, farinac and scabiei. " Habitat in Farina Europae, Amcricae. 

 Inter Sironcs farinae, scabiei, dyscntcriae, Jicmitritciri, non reperi alias differ- 

 entias, quam a loco petitas. Amoen. acad. 3. p. ,333." 



No. 16. A. cxulccrans. Habitat in Scaliie ferina. 



According to the Linnaean rule. Article 3oh, the following most 

 common and medicinal species come into special consideration as 

 possible genotype : 



2. A. aegyptius; tsd. of Hynloiiiiini 1844; 



3. A. reduvius; syn. of (b) riciinis; 



4. A. amcricanus; now in Amblyomina 1844; 

 6. A. ricinns; tsd. (1810) of Ixodes 1796; 



15. A. siro ; later restricted to farinae by Latreille : 



farinac; habitat in Farina, Europe (tpd.) and America; 

 scabiei; on Homo, type host, Europe (tpd.); mt. of Sarcoptes 1802; 

 tsd. of Acarus liy Oudemans ; 



16. A. exitlcerans ; habitat in Scabie ferina. 



Of these 6 Linnaean species, A. siro in the sense of scabiei could 

 best have been chosen as type. 



Kniphof (1759, De Pediculus inguinalilnis insectis et vermibus 

 homini molestis, pp. 20-26) cites § XXI Acarus, with a number of 

 subheadings " Acari capitis," " Acari scabiei," etc., which Sherborn 

 (1902a Index) does not cite as specific combinations as of 1759, and 

 the Secretary inclines to agree with him. On page 20, Kniphof cites 

 " Cyro, Siro," and on p. 52, he cites " Sirones." Sherborn (1902a, 

 909) accepts Siro from p. 52, as of generic status but the reason is 

 not clear to the Secretary, and on this accotuit he (the Secretary) 

 accepts this Siro as dating from Sherborn, 1902a, 909, instead of from 

 Kniphof, 1759, 52. Linne (1758a, 617) also cited Sirones but ap- 

 parently not as a generic name. 



