The present treatment of monotypic genera of fungi * 



C. T-. Shear 



In view of the approaching International Botanical Congress 

 to be held in Brussels in 1 910, at which it is proposed to provide 

 rules for the nomenclature of the cellular cryptogams, and also in 

 view of the impression which seems to prevail in some minds 

 that the nomenclature of the fungi is in no great need of re- 

 vision, it may not be inappropriate to call attention to one im- 

 portant phase of conditions as they now exist in mycological no- 

 menclature, namely, the treatment of monotypic genera. What- 

 ever views one may entertain in regard to the type method in 

 general; as a basis of fixing genera and species, we do not antici- 

 pate there are many who would deny that genera originally based 

 upon a single species should retain that species. In other words, 

 one would rather expect a monotypic genus always to contain its 

 monotype, however many other species might be added to it. The 

 International Commission of Zoological Nomenclature has already 

 adopted the type method of fixing genera. Their first rule is " a 

 genus proposed with a single original species takes that species as 

 type/' In order to show the actual condition prevailing at present 

 with reference to this particular phase of the question, the follow- 

 ing cases are cited. These have been selected at random from the 

 Pyrenomycetes and Fungi Imperfecti. Many more cases of the 

 same kind could be found without difficulty. 



Coelosphaeria Sacc, Myc. Ven. Spec. 115. 1873 was proposed 

 as a substitute for NitschkiaOiXh^. 1869, which Saccardo regarded 

 as a homonym of Nitzschia Hassall 1845. Only one species, (T. 

 Fuckelii (Nitsch.) Sacc, was included in the genus by Saccardo, 

 loc. cit.j and this species happened to be the type o{ Nitschkia, the 

 genus for which Coelosphaeria was substituted. Overlooking the 

 fact that this same species was the type of Cyathisphaeria Dumort 

 1822, note the use of the name Coelosphaeria by Ellis and Ever- 



* Read beford Section G of the American Association for the Advancement of 

 Science at the Baltimore Meeting, December 31, 1908, 



147 



