﻿250 
  

  

  PllOCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  MALACOLOGICAL 
  SOCIETY. 
  

  

  these 
  species, 
  together 
  witli 
  their 
  Linnean 
  equivalents, 
  and 
  the 
  genera 
  

   to 
  which 
  they 
  have 
  subsequently 
  been 
  referred 
  : 
  — 
  

   Specific 
  Names. 
  

  

  MODEEN 
  

  

  Geneea. 
  

   Cyprina, 
  Lam., 
  1812. 
  

   CalUsta, 
  Morch, 
  1853. 
  

   Cytherea, 
  Bolten 
  (Dall). 
  

   Dosinia, 
  Scopoli, 
  1777. 
  

   Chione, 
  Megerle, 
  1811. 
  

   Chione, 
  Megerle. 
  

   C}iio7ie, 
  Megerle. 
  

   Astarte, 
  Sow., 
  1816. 
  

   Circomplialus 
  , 
  Morch. 
  

   Tellina 
  {Arcopagia) 
  . 
  

   ? 
  Tellina 
  (not 
  figured) 
  . 
  

  

  Out 
  of 
  these 
  eleven 
  species 
  one 
  has 
  to 
  be 
  chosen 
  as 
  the 
  type 
  

   of 
  the 
  genus 
  Pedunculus 
  (Da 
  Costa), 
  and 
  the 
  next 
  question 
  is 
  to 
  

   consider 
  what 
  principle 
  should 
  guide 
  us 
  in 
  the 
  selection. 
  

  

  I 
  tliink 
  this 
  is 
  a 
  case 
  in 
  which 
  we 
  should 
  seek 
  a 
  way 
  of 
  effecting 
  

   the 
  least 
  disturbance 
  of 
  current 
  nomenclature, 
  and 
  in 
  which 
  one 
  of 
  

   the 
  least 
  important 
  of 
  the 
  groups 
  represented 
  sliould 
  bear 
  the 
  name 
  

   because 
  in 
  the 
  first 
  place 
  the 
  author 
  could 
  and 
  ought 
  to 
  have 
  used 
  the 
  

   Linnean 
  name 
  Venus 
  for 
  his 
  genus, 
  and 
  secondly 
  because 
  it 
  is 
  only 
  

   the 
  rigid 
  application 
  of 
  modern 
  rules 
  of 
  nomenclature 
  which 
  makes 
  it 
  

   necessary 
  to 
  revive 
  the 
  name 
  Pectunculus 
  at 
  all. 
  It 
  would 
  have 
  been 
  

   much 
  more 
  satisfactory 
  if 
  the 
  name, 
  once 
  displaced, 
  could 
  have 
  been 
  

   abandoned 
  for 
  ever 
  ; 
  and 
  I 
  think 
  everyone 
  will 
  admit 
  that 
  the 
  

   application 
  of 
  the 
  name 
  to 
  some 
  other 
  large 
  genus, 
  which 
  has 
  hitherto 
  

   been 
  known 
  hj 
  a 
  different 
  name, 
  would 
  be 
  very 
  irritating 
  and 
  

   inconvenient. 
  

  

  Since, 
  however, 
  we 
  liave 
  to 
  recognize 
  the 
  name 
  Pectunculus, 
  let 
  us 
  

   make 
  choice 
  of 
  a 
  species 
  which 
  will 
  represent 
  a 
  section 
  or 
  subgenus 
  

   of 
  a 
  previouslj^ 
  established 
  genus, 
  i.e. 
  either 
  Venus 
  exoleta 
  of 
  Linnseus 
  

   or 
  the 
  V. 
  crassa 
  of 
  Graelin. 
  The 
  first 
  of 
  these 
  would 
  make 
  Pectunculus 
  

   replace 
  the 
  Orbiculus 
  of 
  Megerle, 
  which 
  is 
  a 
  section 
  of 
  Dosinia 
  

   (Scopoli) 
  ; 
  \ 
  if 
  the 
  second 
  were 
  chosen 
  it 
  would 
  become 
  a 
  subgenus 
  

   of 
  Tellina 
  in 
  the 
  place 
  of 
  Arcopagia 
  (Leach, 
  1827). 
  On 
  the 
  whole 
  

   I 
  prefer 
  to 
  select 
  P. 
  capillaceus 
  of 
  Da 
  Costa 
  as 
  the 
  type, 
  and 
  to 
  

   relegate 
  the 
  name 
  Pectunculus 
  to 
  a 
  mere 
  section 
  of 
  Dosinia, 
  so 
  that 
  

   its 
  use 
  may 
  trouble 
  no 
  one 
  except 
  those 
  who 
  make 
  a 
  special 
  study 
  of 
  

   that 
  genus 
  and 
  its 
  subdivisions. 
  

  

  CuNEDS 
  (Da 
  Costa). 
  

  

  This 
  is 
  another 
  name 
  which 
  lias 
  been 
  used 
  for 
  different 
  genera 
  or 
  

   subgenera 
  b}' 
  different 
  authors, 
  and 
  the 
  proper 
  application 
  of 
  which 
  

   lias 
  never 
  yet 
  been 
  determined. 
  

  

  The 
  earliest 
  post-Linnean 
  and 
  binomial 
  use 
  of 
  it 
  was 
  by 
  Da 
  Costa 
  in 
  

   1778, 
  who 
  defined 
  a 
  genus 
  Cuneus 
  and 
  assigned 
  to 
  it 
  five 
  British 
  

   species. 
  Of 
  these 
  two 
  belong 
  to 
  the 
  Tapes 
  of 
  Megerle 
  {T. 
  decussatus, 
  

   Linn., 
  and 
  T. 
  rhomhoides, 
  Penn.), 
  one 
  to 
  Venerupis, 
  and 
  two 
  to 
  Donax. 
  

   Under 
  existing 
  rules 
  one 
  of 
  these 
  species 
  must 
  be 
  chosen 
  to 
  perpetuate 
  

  

  