1932 ] 
Nomenclature of the Moss-mites 
59 
CONCERNING OUDEMANS’ “KRITISCH HISTORISCH 
OVERZICHT DER ACAROLOGIE” IN ITS REARING 
ON NOMENCLATURE OF THE MOSS-MITES 
By Arthur Paul Jacot 
Monroe, Conn. 
As supplements to the Tijdschrift voor Entomologie, 
vols. 69 and 72 (1926 and 1929), and comprising 500 and 
1097 pages of text, Dr. A. C. Oudemans reprints most of 
the text and figures of all literature on the A carina previous 
to 1805, adding his comments and interpretations of identi- 
ties. Since pre-Linnean references are of no systematic or 
nomenclatorial interest, they are not considered in the pres- 
ent review unless an earlier edition or description throws 
more light on a post-Linnean species of the same author. 
I have no faith in the descriptions or redescriptions or iden- 
tifications or reidentifications of any one species by different 
authors in those early days, even though bearing the same 
specific name. This is an important principle which will 
be dwelt on more fully where it is a case in point. The fol- 
lowing appear first : 
Acarus scaber Linne 1758 
(Oudemans, part I, pp. 347-348; part II, pp. 771-773) 
In this case it is legitimate to go back to the Fauna 
Suecica, Ed. I (by the same author) , although pre-Lin- 
nean and nonbinomial, to get the fuller description. This 
Linne intended us to do. It saved reprinting much material. 
The words in this description “podex depressus, bidenta- 
tus” fits only some species of Michael's Nothrus, namely : 
N. bicarinatus Mich., N. biverrucatus Mich., N. targionii 
Mich, and N. segnis Mich, (without the nymphal skin) . 
N. horridus is quadridentate. All these are yellow to dull 
brown (not dark grey), but “rough and . . . thickly 
