﻿JrLY, 1896.] 



NOMENCLATURE. 



15 



as both Lemmns and Microtus were included in the then undivided 

 geuus Lemmns Liuk, the name Hijpudcvus must hipse into synonymy. 



Myodes Palhis, 1811 (Zoog. Eosso -As.. I. p, 172), embraced ten spe- 

 cies, now placed in four genera. The species are: Lemmns, torquatns, 

 lagnrus, oeconomus. arraJis, sa.ratilis, gref/aJis, socialis. allkirius. and 

 rtiHIus; the genera : Lemmus {Jemmus), L>icrostony,r {torqnatus). Jlicrotus 

 {oeconomus, arraJis, saxatilis, gregalis, sociaJis, aUiarius, lagurus), and 

 Evoiomys [rniilus). Since 2Iyodes contained sj^ecies of exactly the same 

 modern genera as Lemmus Link and no groui)s not included in the lat- 

 ter, the name is a synonym of Lemmu.s. 



BrachyurusYischer, 1813 (Zoognosia, I, 3d ed , pp. 11. 21: III, 1811, p. 

 55), contained the species: ar rails, rutilus, amphihrus. lemmus, torquatus, 

 aUiarius, hJumejihachii, fulrus Geoffroy, 7iiJoticus Geoffroy: also the 

 ' species dubia^ ' : zem n i. gregarius. soeiaJis, Jagurus, eeconomus. The name 

 is a pure synonym of Lemmus Link, unless it may be applied to some of 

 the exotic or dubious species.^ 



Alrieeola Blainville, 1817 (Xouv. Diet, d'llist. Xat., IX, p. 287). pro- 

 posed for ' le Genre Camj)agnol ' is probably an erratic misprint for 

 Arricola. Xo type is mentioned. 



Mynomes Eafinesque, 1817 (American Monthly Magazine, II, p. 15), 

 was based on Wilson's figure of the common meadow mouse of the east- 

 ern United States. The name is thus a synonym of Microfus Schrank, 

 as 2Iicrotus arralis and M. 2)ennsylr((niciis can not be separated sub- 

 generically. 



Psammomys LeConte, 1830 (Ann. Lyc. Xat. Hist., X. Y., Ill, p. 132), 

 is the first name proposed for the subgenus containing Microtus x)ine- 

 torum. It is, however, preoccupied by Psammomys Cretzschmar, 1828 

 (Atlas zu der Eeise im Xordl. Afrika. Iste Abtb., Zool. (1826), Heft XL 

 1828, p. 5G. Type Psamnwmys ohesns Cretzschmar) and so can not be 

 used here. The date of Psammomys LeConte is usually quoted as 1829, 

 but the paper on this genus, although read on December 21, 1829, was 

 probably not published until after the end of ^Tanuary, 1830, since papers 

 read January 11-25, 1830, are included with it in one signature. 



Pitymys McMurtrie and Ammomys Bonaparte both ai^jjeared in 1831. 



McMurtrie (American ed. Cuvier's Eegne Animal, I, p. 131) pointed 

 out that Psammomys LeConte is preoccupied, and for this name substi- 

 tuted Pitymys. Bonaparte (Saggio Distrib. Metod. degli Anim. Yert., 

 p. 20, footnote) after showing that LeConte's name Psammomys is not 

 tenable, proposed to change it to Ammomys, thus preserving the original 

 meaning of the word.^ It is impossible to tell which name is the earlier, 



1 This name has been supposed to be preoccupied hy Bracliynnts Spix (Lataste, 

 Auu. Mus. Civ. St. Nat. di Genova, XX, p. 264; Bilchner, Wissenscb. Eesnlt. der von 

 N. M. Przewalski nnteruomm. Eeisen, I. p. 127). Spix's name, however, dates from 

 1823 and vrould in no way invalidate Brachi/urus Fischer, were the latter on other 

 grounds tenable. 



''Prendiamo la liberta d' introdurre una piccola mutazione ortografica nel nome 

 dato al nuovo genere dal Sig. LeConte, la quale non ne cambia pero il significato." 



