PRIORITY IN FAMILY NAMES AND RELATED MATTERS. 



By E. P. VanDuzee,* 

 University of California, Berkeley, Cal. 



What would we say if some iconoclast in nomenclature 

 should promulgate the dictum that the type of each genus must 

 be the earhest described species now included in that genus? 

 But when we stop to think of it that would be no more revolu- 

 tionary than Kirkaldy's scheme to make the earhest described 

 genus in each family the type genus of that family and when 

 necessary to rename the family so it shall bear the name of such 

 genus; a scheme, strange to say, that has had a considerable 

 following among continental Hemipterists. Kirkaldy was led 

 to his action through his efforts to restrict the Hmits of certain 

 of the families of the eariier writers on Hemiptera and to use 

 the names already applied for his new family concepts. Had 

 he adopted instead the "historical method" used by him in 

 naming genotypes and treated family names by the same rule 

 he applied to generic names most of his difficulties would have 

 vanished at once. 



In 1911 Dr. Horvath gave us in outline his plan to apply the 

 rule of priority to family names as it has long been applied in 

 the case of generic and specific names. This it seems to me is 

 the only logical way to treat family names. I can conceive of 

 no argument against such a course that would not apply with 

 equal force to the apphcation of the rule of priority to the 

 names of genera and species. 



In working out the nomenclature of my Catalogue of North 

 American Hemiptera I adopted Dr. Horvath's plan in its 

 broader principles, changing a few details where its practical 

 application developed weak points. I have become much 

 interested in the results of my undertaking and thought it 

 might not be inappropriate to lay before this Society an outline 

 of the ''rules" if such they might be called, for the formation 

 and Hmitation of the names of families and other group names 

 higher than genera, used by me in the preparation of this 

 catalogue. In brief these are as follows: 



*Read before the Berkeley meeting of the Entomological Society of America 

 August 5th, 1915. ' 



