l_raty
laurent raty
(I had originally posted this elsewhere, just asking for the reference of the designation, but the problem may be deeper than just this, hence I prefer to treat it separately.)
The generic name Ramphastos was made available by Linnaeus 1758 in the 10th ed. of Systema naturae [here], with four included nominal species: R. piperivorus, R. tucanus, R. picatus and R. aracari.
I'm looking the first subsequent designation of one of these as the type of the genus. (Preferably tucanus, as this is the currently accepted type...)
Several authorities (including H&M4) suggest Vigors did it in 1826; the original source for this claim seems to be Peters 1948 [here]:
Additionally, what Vigors would have done exactly according to this reference is not fully clear to me. Ramphastos erythrorhynchus Gm. is not an originally included nominal species, and thus decidedly not eligible to be the type of Ramphastos; a designation of this nominal species by Vigors might have resulted in the fixation of Ramphastos tucanus L. as the type, if and only if Vigors had listed Ramphastos tucanus L. explicitly as a synonym of Ramphastos erythrorhynchus. But Vigors 1826 treated R. tucanus L. [here] and R. erythrorhynchus Gm. [here] as distinct species: this excludes the possibility that a designation of the latter might be a valid indirect designation of the former in this work.
In 1821 (5 years before the hypothetical designation by Vigors), Swainson [here] designated Ramphastos erythrorhynchus "Lath." (= Gm.) without citing any synonym. Maybe this is the designation that Peters had in mind? Or did Vigors really do it somewhere else? Swainson's designation, in any case, is clearly invalid.
During the middle part of the 19th C, many authors came to regard R. toco as the type (e.g. Gray 1840, 1841, 1855, Baird 1858, Cassin 1867 -- this was due to Ramphastos being traced back to Gesner's use of 'Ramphestes' for [this]). Of course, designations of this nominal species are invalid as well, unless one of the originally included nominal species is listed as a synonym of toco. Cassin 1867 did this, listing picatus L. as a synonym of toco Müller, but with a question mark which makes the designation ambiguous, hence invalid again. [This], however, from c1888, would unquestionably be valid if there is nothing earlier.
Sclater 1891 [here] designated R. erythrorhynchos Gm., while listing R. tucanus in its synonymy [here], which might have been an indirect designation of the latter... but apparently came too late, being after 1888.
Would anybody know of a valid designation before 1888...?
The generic name Ramphastos was made available by Linnaeus 1758 in the 10th ed. of Systema naturae [here], with four included nominal species: R. piperivorus, R. tucanus, R. picatus and R. aracari.
I'm looking the first subsequent designation of one of these as the type of the genus. (Preferably tucanus, as this is the currently accepted type...)
Several authorities (including H&M4) suggest Vigors did it in 1826; the original source for this claim seems to be Peters 1948 [here]:
Vigors 1826, Zool. J. 2:471, is [this] -- but I can't see anything remotely looking like a type species designation there.Ramphastos Linné, Syst. Nat., ed. 10, 1, 1758, p. 103. Type, by subsequent designation, Ramphastos erythrorhynchus Gmelin = Ramphastos tucanus Linné (Vigors, Zool. Journ., 2, 1826, p. 471.)
Additionally, what Vigors would have done exactly according to this reference is not fully clear to me. Ramphastos erythrorhynchus Gm. is not an originally included nominal species, and thus decidedly not eligible to be the type of Ramphastos; a designation of this nominal species by Vigors might have resulted in the fixation of Ramphastos tucanus L. as the type, if and only if Vigors had listed Ramphastos tucanus L. explicitly as a synonym of Ramphastos erythrorhynchus. But Vigors 1826 treated R. tucanus L. [here] and R. erythrorhynchus Gm. [here] as distinct species: this excludes the possibility that a designation of the latter might be a valid indirect designation of the former in this work.
In 1821 (5 years before the hypothetical designation by Vigors), Swainson [here] designated Ramphastos erythrorhynchus "Lath." (= Gm.) without citing any synonym. Maybe this is the designation that Peters had in mind? Or did Vigors really do it somewhere else? Swainson's designation, in any case, is clearly invalid.
During the middle part of the 19th C, many authors came to regard R. toco as the type (e.g. Gray 1840, 1841, 1855, Baird 1858, Cassin 1867 -- this was due to Ramphastos being traced back to Gesner's use of 'Ramphestes' for [this]). Of course, designations of this nominal species are invalid as well, unless one of the originally included nominal species is listed as a synonym of toco. Cassin 1867 did this, listing picatus L. as a synonym of toco Müller, but with a question mark which makes the designation ambiguous, hence invalid again. [This], however, from c1888, would unquestionably be valid if there is nothing earlier.
Sclater 1891 [here] designated R. erythrorhynchos Gm., while listing R. tucanus in its synonymy [here], which might have been an indirect designation of the latter... but apparently came too late, being after 1888.
Would anybody know of a valid designation before 1888...?
Last edited: