316 Miscellaneous. 



Cossyphodes take precedence of Riippell's name. The latest s j-nonymy 

 of the genus is that given hy Jordan and Snyder CProc. U.S. Nat. 

 Mus. xxiv. 1902, p. 614) ; but if Bleeker is correct, as he doubtless 

 is, in the statements (Atlas Ichth. i. pp. xiii, 161, & 162, 1862) 

 that the name Choirodon was proposed for these fishes more than 

 sixteen years (" il y a plus de 16 ans") before the publication of 

 the work last quoted, then the date — 1856 — given by Jordan and 

 Snyder is manifestly incorrect, and should be altered to 1846, while 

 the reference to Cossyphodes should be, on Bleeker's own evidence 

 (ibid. p. xiii), 1849 instead of 1861. It is true that Bleeker him- 

 self asserts that Chosrops, lUippell, has priority over his Cossyphodes 

 (" etant posterieur a celui de M. Ptiippell doit aussi etre supprime "), 

 but the facts, as we know them, fail to support this contention. It 

 is quite possible that Bleeker was awar'e of Riippell's intention to 

 name the genus Chcerops, and designed to adhere loyally to that 

 name, yet, through his neglect to cancel his own Cossyphodes, that 

 name was eventually issued earlier than Iliippell's ; and as we are 

 very rightly bound to accept the earliest available published name, 

 without regard as to whether its author subsequently rejected it or 

 not. it follows that Cossyphodes should be employed for this genus, 

 since Choirodon, presumably from previous use, is inadmissible 

 according to its author (" nom que ne pouvait pas etre conserve "). 

 I am, however, unable to find any record of the use of Choirodon as 

 a generic name prior to its employment by Bleeker, aad if others 

 who are more happily placed than I in regard to works of reference 

 are equally unsuccessful, that name, having jjrecedence of date, 

 should stand. Xo mention of either of the Bleekerian genera is 

 made by Scudder (1882) or "Waterhouse (1902), but the former 

 catalogues a " Cossyphodis, Westwood, 1851," in Coleoptera ; it 

 will be necessary to cancel this name if it be in use, since Bleeker's 

 employment of the term antedates Westwood's by two years. 



I append the synonymy of the genus so far as I am able to 

 determine it : — 



Cossyphodes, Bleeker. 



1846 or earlier. Choirodon, Bleeker, Bijdr. Gen. Topogr. Batav. p. .513 



(macrodontus) . Name alleged to be untenable by its author. 

 1849. Cos'iyphodes, Bleeker, Verb. Batav. Gen. xxli., Gladsch. Labr. 



p. 10 (macrodontus]. Substitute for Choirodon. 

 1852. Chnerops, Elippell, Verz. Mus. Senck., Fiscb. p. 20 {mel€agris= 



macrodontus). 

 1861. Hypsigenis, Giinther, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. (3) viii. p. .383 



{macrodontus). 

 1875. Torresia, Ca&tQlnsM, Res. Fish. Austr. p. 36 [austraUs = cyano- 



stolus). 



Brisbane, August 1908. 



