Ainil, I860.] 241 



NOTES ON SOME SPECIES OF TBTCHOPTERYQIBJE NEW TO BEITAIN, 

 AND OF VARIOUS ALTERATIONS OF NOMENCLATURE IN THE 

 SAME FAMILY. 



BY THE REV. A. MATTHEWS, M.A. 



Having been lately engaged in furnishing lists of the Trichop- 

 terygidce for new catalogues, which will shortly be published in this 

 country and in France, I take this opportunity of stating my reasons 

 for various alterations of nomenclature, and of describing some new 

 species, the names of which will appear in those publications. 



The reckless manner in which the nomenclature of the Trichop- 

 ferygidcB has been treated by authors, whose works have unfortunately 

 been regarded as test-books of the science, has led to almost endless 

 confusion. In 1844 most of the commoner species were named and 

 described by M. Allibert (Eev. Zool, p. 51, &c.), and his descriptions 

 are in most cases amply sufficient for recognition. In the following 

 year Erichson published his version of the Tr'icliopterygidce (Ins. 

 Deutsch., I., p. 21, &c.), ignoring AUibert's names, and substituting his 

 own in their places ; later on in the same year, Gillmeister's monograph 

 appeared CSturm's Deutschl. Fauna, xvii.), in which, with a culpable 

 disregard of previous works, he brought out a fresh list of names of 

 his own manufacture. From the confusion thus engendered I can see 

 but one way of escape ; that is, by rigidly enforcing the law of priority, 

 and expunging from our lists every name which will not stand that 

 test. On this principle, I propose to restore the AUibertian names to 

 many species, in lieu of those more recently in use, for the following 

 reasons : — 



1st. — That they possess an undisputable claim of priority. 

 2nd. — That the descriptions of M. Allibert are intelligible, and agree 



with the types in his own collection, which has been very kindly 



entrusted to me by its present owner, M. Gruerin-Menevilie. 



If these reasons are allowed to be valid, the following alterations 

 of nomenclature will take place, as a matter of course, viz. : — 



Trichopteryx Ohevrolatii, Allibert. 



vice — T. pygmcea, Erichson. 



T. parallelogramma, Gillm. 

 Tnchopteryx Montandouii, Allibert. 



vice — T. similis, Gillm. 

 Ptilium rugulosum, Allibert. 



vice — Pt.fuscum, Erichson. 

 Ptilium S2)encei, Allibert. 



vice — PL angusfafum, Erichson. 

 P/. ohJongiim, Gillm, 



