No. 481] 



NAME OF NECTURUS 



25 



phiuma, the Siren, the Proteus and the Salamaudnt will l.c acknowl- 

 edged by all to constitute separate genera. Tlic Idlinills and 

 allegheniensis not belonging to any of these will rc(|uirc appropriate 

 generic names.... As the most prominent feature (iistin::ni>ln"ng 

 the T. lateralis from the Salamandra is its persistent hranchiu', 

 we have preferred a name significant of this fact. MeiioKraix lius. 

 Generic characters. Persistent branchijB, two row^ of teeth in the 

 upper and one row in the lower jaw; four foott^l, tour io( ^ to each 

 foot, clawless." He describes two species, .1/. lafira/is and M. 

 tetradactylus. Since these were found to be but variations of the 

 same species and since the term tetradactylus describecl a generic 

 character, the first species, only, held. 



Harlan erected the genus Abranchus to include the allcf/hrnirn- 

 sis, but in a note a few months later (same journal and volume, p. 

 270) he changed this to Menopoma having learned that the name 

 Abranchus was preempted for a genus of nudibraiu h iiiollux >. 



Barnes ('26) calls it Proteus lateralis and says f]). 2s7) that "the 

 first specific name given was by Mr. Say who called it latrnili.s in 

 allusion to the black lateral line. The discoveries already made 



show that the character from which he derived this is 



variable. " He dissents from Harlan and does not think that a 

 new genus should be established. He evidently knew nothing 

 of Rafinesque's description. 



In a later note (Barnes, '27, p. 68), he says: "Dr. :Mitchill has 

 laterly called it Proteus maculatus, which as it is a good descriptive 

 name. . . .1 am disposed to adopt." Mitchill had evidently gotten 

 the maculatus from Rafinesque's second paper ('19) but had not 

 seen the first ('18) or third ('20) papers. 



Fitzinger ('26, p. 43) gave a new name to the genus. " Genus. 

 Phaenerobranchus. Aus T.acepede's Proteus tetradactylus, Say's 

 Triton lateraHs, aus Nord Amerika, schiif ieh die (laftunir Phae- 

 nerobranchus (Menobraiichus, Harlan; Necturu-, IlafiiiesipH')." 

 Under the list of reptiles in the Zoological Mu>eum at \ ienna 

 he includes (p. 66) "Phaenerobranchus cepedii i Troteus tetra- 

 <la< tylus. La Cepede)." 



Harlan ('27) in his synopsis inclu<les (p. ;>2:{) " Mcnohranchus 

 lateralis" and this name w^as followed by many writers. 



Wagler ('30, p. 210) returns to the generic name of Xecturus, 



