Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature 347 PROPOSED USE OF THE PLENARY POWERS TO PRESERVE THE GENERIC NAME " ELAPHE " FITZINGER, 1833 (CLASS REPTIUA) By ROBERT MERTENS {NcUur-Museum und Forschungs-Institui Senckenberg, Frankfurt a. Main, Germany) (Commission's Reference : Z.N.(S.) 824) The object of the present application is to ask the International C!om-mission to use its Plenary Powers to prevent the ■^vell-kno^^■n generic name Elaphe Fitzinger, 1833 (Class ReptUia) from disappearing as a jimior subjective synonym of the generic name Gonyosoma Wagler, 1828. The facts of this case are set out in the following paragraphs. 2. Attention was drawn to this problem by Malcolm Smith in 1943 {Fauna Brit. Ind. Ceylon, Burma, Rept. & Amph. 3 : 139, 141), who, when dealing with the Indian species of the genus Elaphe Fitzmger, 1833, \^Tote as follows : — " I cannot find any morphological characters by which to distinguish Gonyo-soma Wagler, 1828, type viride=oxycephala, from the species usually placed under Elaphe Fitzinger, 1833. Gonyosoma therefore should stand as the name of the genus ". In view, however, of the distui'bance in current practice which tliis change of name would have caused, Malcolm Smith retained the generic name Elaphe Fitzinger. 3. According to current taxonomic views Elaphe parreyssii Wagler, 1833, the type species of Elaphe Fitzinger, 1833, by monotypy, is a junior subjective synonym of Coluber sauromates PaUas, [1814], which is ciuxently treated as being a subspecies of Coluber quatuorlinearus Lacepede, 1789, and Gonyosoma viride Wagler, 1828, the type species, by monotjrpy, of Gonyosomu Wagler, 1828, is a junior subjective synonym of Coluber oxycephalas Boie, 1827. Further it is currently considered that Coluber quatuorlineatus Lacepede and Coluber oxycephalus are congeneric with one another. Thus, as observed by Malcolm Smith, the name Elaphe Fitzinger, 1833, is a junior subjective synonym of Gonyosoma Wagler, 1828. 4. The substitution of the name Gonyosoma for Elaphe would be very troublesome and confusing in view of the large number of Elaphe forms, including nine in Europe alone, thirty-three in Asia and sixteen in North and Central America. The disturbance which would be caused by this change in name would aflfect check lists and numerous taxonomic and faunistic works. Bull. zool. Nomencl. vol. 11, Part 11 (May 1956).
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