COMMISSION ON ZOOLOGICAL NOMENCLATURE. OPINION 184. 29 



The literature covering the above case is as follows : — 



Martini, F. H. W., and Chemnitz, J. H., Neues systematisches Conchylien- 



Cabinet, vols. i-ii, 1 769-1 795. 

 Stewart, R. B., "Gabb's California Cretaceous and Tertiary Type LamelH- 



branchs," 1930, Spec. Publ. Acad. nat. Sei. Philad. 3 : i— 313, pls. 1-17. 

 Bolten, J. F., Museum Boltenianuni, Pars secunda, Hamburg, 1798. 

 Dali, W. H., " Synopsis of the Family Veneridae and of the North American 



Recent species," 1902, Proc. U.S. nat. Mus. 26 : 335-412. 



IL— THE SUBSEOUENT HISTORY OF THE CASE. 



2. The present case was communicated by Commissioner C. W. 

 Stiles, Secretary to the Commission, to the members of the Com- 

 mission for consideration in June 1935, with a Suggestion that the 

 Commission might find it possible to deal with the issues involved 

 at their meeting due to be held at Lisbon in September of that 

 year. This Suggestion did not prove practicable and accordingly 

 it was arranged that this case should be settled by correspondence. 



3. In the foUowing year a shghtly different aspect of this case 

 was raised in the following letter dated 23rd April 1936 from Miss 

 Lois M. Schoonover, Palaeontological Research Institution, 126 

 Kelvin Place, Ithaca, New York : — 



Would you please give me your opinion as to whether the names used 

 by J. H. Chemnitz in the Neues systematisches Conchylien-Cabinet, vol. 6, 

 1782 and vol. 7, 1784, are valid binominal names? The particular refer- 

 ences in question are as follows : — 



Vol. 6, 1782, page 217. " Mactra cygnea testa triangulari, gibba, 

 tumida, Candida, antice quasi abscissa et truncata, leviter rugosa, ano 

 cordiformi et tenuiter striato." 



Vol. 6, 1782, page 318. "Venus divaricata Guinaica, testa cordata, 

 diversimode bifariam striata, antice striis transversalibus postice longi- 

 tudinalibus, margine crenulato." 



Vol. 6, 1782, page 317. " Venus divaricata, teste cordata ex albo et 

 fusco variegata, decussatim striata, striis a natibus bifariam ad utrumque 

 latus divergentibus ; rima lanceolata, obliterata, ano ovata rufo, margine 

 crenulato." 



Vol. 7, 1784, page 61. "Venus plumbea Oceani Australis ad littus 

 Guineae novae nuper inventa, testa subcordata, valde crassa, convexa, 

 ponderosa, cinerea, inaequilatera antice gibbosiore, parum effusa, sub- 

 angulata, postice angustata et rotundata in superficie imprimis penes 

 marginem ambitus et in unbonum apicibus concentrice seu arcuatim rugosa, 

 parte intermedia ad splendorem usque glaberrima; . . ." 



From these I most wish to know whether you would consider that 

 " Venus plumbea Chemnitz " is to be accepted as binominal. 



4. In June 1936, Commissioner Stiles, then Acting Secretary to 

 the International Commission, invited the members of the Com- 

 mission to vote on an Opinion declaring that, if new generic names 

 were contained in volumes i to 11 of Martini and Chemnitz's 

 Conchylien-Cabinet, they were to be considered under the rules, 



