Introduction 7 



5— PEINCIPLES ADOPTED IN THE CLASSIFICATION 



OF TYPES. 



The importance of the correct designation of type-specimens is 

 often overlooked by nomenclators, and the describers of new forms 

 are often faced with the difficulty of deciding what specimens exactly 

 represent the previously-described allied form. 



The first scientific classification of types was made by Schuchert 

 and Buckman in 1905 and forms the subject of a paper in the Annals 

 and Mag. Nat. Hist, for that year, Ser. 7, vol. 16, p. 102. This 

 scheme has been adopted by the Hill Museum in the classification of 

 new forms, and in re-classifying the types of other authors which are 

 contained in the collection. 



We take this opportunity of placing before entomologists the 

 following amendment to the paper of Schuchert and Buckman. 



Primary Types. 



Allotype (A.T.). — " A paratype of the opposite sex to the holotype." — 

 "The Entomological Code." Washington, May, 1912, § 70. 



Neallotype (N.At.). — A specimen described subsequently as the type 

 of the other sex. 



This word was suggested by Mr. J. Hartley Durrant to 

 illustrate our definition. 



Paratype (P.T.). — This term should be accompanied by the sex 

 of the specimen, as P.T. 3 , meaning a specimen of the original 

 $ series, or P.T. ? , for a specimen of the original ? series. 



A paratype may be a specimen of a series represented by 

 a holotype, an allotype, or by a neallotype. 



Besides giving the specimen its proper type label, a method of 

 numbering has been adopted by Mr. Durrant. He gives each specimen 

 a fractional number, the numerator being the number of the indi- 

 vidual in the series, the denominator the number of specimens in 

 the series. Thus 2/18 denotes the second specimen in a series of 18. 

 As the original description should indicate the number of specimens, 

 we see no use in noting each one unless they call for special notice. 



We propose to apply this method where the original series shows 

 any variation, the number 1 indicating the holotype or the allotype, 

 and succeeding numbers indicating divergence. If there are ten 

 variable specimens, they should be arranged in order of divergence 



