Stenometope Duméril, 1855: 278

Kottelat, Maurice, 2001, Nomenclatural status of names of tetraodontiform fishes based on Bibron’s unpublished work, Zoosystema 23 (3), pp. 605-618 : 611-612

Stenometope Duméril, 1855: 278

Spelled Sténométope . Duméril lists Stenometope under the genera for which Bibron had written the etymology but no diagnosis (see under Aphanacanthe, below). After listing the etymology (narrow forehead), Duméril commented “en effet, remarquables par le peu de largeur de l’espace compris entre les régions oculaires” [= effectively, noteworthy by the limited width of the space between the ocular areas]. This constitutes a diagnosis making the name available and as Duméril authored this diagnosis, he is author of the name. Eleven included species: Tetraodon testudineus Linnaeus, 1758 , T. spengleri Bloch, 1785 , T. plumerii Schneider, 1801 , T. marmoratus Lowe, 1838 , T. angusticeps Jenyns, 1842 , T. laevissimus Bibron in Duméril, 1855 (nomen nudum [listed as available from Cuvier 1829: 368, by Eschmeyer 1998: 863, but in fact a nomen nudum in Cuvier too; Cuvier lists the species as authored by “Bl., Schn”. [Bloch in Schneider 1801], but I did not find this name in Schneider 1801]), T. kieneri Bibron in Duméril, 1855 (nomen nudum), T. binummulatus Bibron in Duméril, 1855 (nomen nudum), T. bernierii Bibron in Duméril, 1855 (nomen nudum), T. subflavus Bibron in Duméril, 1855 (nomen nudum), T. pleei Bibron in Duméril, 1855 (nomen nudum). Type species: T. testudineus Linnaeus, 1758 , designated by Jordan & Snyder (1901: 232). Gender: masculine.

Stenometopus [as spelled by Troschel 1856: 88] and Stenometopus [as spelled by Hollard 1857: 319] are incorrect subsequent spellings.

Aphanacanthe Bibron in Duméril, 1855: 279 (nomen nudum)

For this and three other names, Duméril (p. 278) explicitly stated that Bibron provided no diagnosis but only a name. The etymology of the names is indicated, but formally, there is no explicit statement that these etymologies describe particular characters of the species (common sense suggests they do, but there is no room for common sense in formal nomenclatural arguments). The only included species-group name is a nomen nudum. Thus there is neither description nor indication and Aphanacanthe is a nomen nudum. Included species: Tetraodon reticulatus Bibron in Duméril, 1855 (nomen nudum).

Aphanacanthus Troschel, 1856: 88 and Aphanacanthus Hollard, 1857: 319 are nomina nuda. Aphanacanthus is made available by Le Danois (1959: 174); its type species is Tetrodon hamiltonii Richardson, 1846 , designated p. 183 by the mention of 16 specimens, including those examined by Bibron, identified by the museum name A. reticulatus and which Le Danois considered as “used as type by Bibron, for the species and the genus”. As these “ types ” are unambiguously identified by Le Danois as belonging to her Aphanacanthus hamiltoni , this makes T. hamiltoni type species of Aphanacanthus Le Danois. Unfortunately, Le Danois was either not familiar with nomenclatural practices or had very peculiar nomenclatural concepts, often difficult or impossible to bring in agreement with the Code.

These specimens of “ Aphanacanthus reticulatus ” are listed by Le Danois (1962: 469) as the “ holotype ” consisting of eight specimens [sic] (MNHN B.1576, B.1577, number in each lot not stated) and two “ paratypes ” (consisting of two specimens in MNHN B.1505 and one in MNHN B.1507). In 1959, she also included in her A. hamiltoni , the “type” of Crayracion marmorata Castelnau, 1873 ; in 1962, she listed four specimens in MNHN B.1506 as the “ holotype ”. These specimens have been examined by Hardy (1983: 10) who identified seven specimens in MNHN B.1576, B.1577 (the identity of the eighth specimen is not mentioned) and the four in MNHN B.1506 as Tetractenos glaber (Fréminville, 1813) and MNHN B.1507 as “not conspecific with” the other specimens. We have thus the case of a type species ( T. hamiltoni ) misidentified in the original description of Aphanacanthus Le Danois. Hardy (1983) considered T. hamiltoni and T. glaber as congeneric. Under art. 70.3 of the Code, the type species of Aphanacanthus is fixed as Tetraodon hamiltoni Richardson, 1846 . The type species of Tetractenos Hardy, 1983 is Tetraodon hamiltoni and therefore Tetractenos is a junior objective synonym of Aphanacanthus .

Epipedorhynque Bibron in Duméril, 1855: 279 (nomen nudum)

Spelled Epipédorhynque. Only etymology given, no diagnosis, no available species-group name included, thus not available. Three species included: Tetraodon freycinetii Bibron in Duméril, 1855 (nomen nudum), T. leschenaultii Bibron in Duméril, 1855 (nomen nudum), T. gernaertii Bibron in Duméril, 1855 (nomen nudum). Epipedorhynchus Troschel, 1856: 88 and Epipedorhynchus Hollard, 1857: 319 are nomina nuda.