Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature 341 OBJECTION TO DR. L. B. HOLTHUIS* PROPOSALS RE-LATING TO THE NAMES " CRANGON " FABRICIUS, 1798, AND "ALPHEUS" FABRICIUS, 1798 (CLASS CRUSTACEA, ORDER DECAPODA) By FRANK A. MCNEILL {Atistralian Museum, Sydney, New South Wales) (Commission's reference Z.N.(S.)231) (Extract from a letter dated 2nd January, 1951) My American colleague, Femier A. Chace, Jr., has wTitten me and given details of Dr. L. B. Holthuis' application to the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature. He also included in his letter a copy of the case he prepared and submitted to you for the consideration of the Commission. Dr. Chace's case is presented in a fair and logical way. It is in complete agreement with my views on the matter and in accordance with modern accepted usage. There are, however, one or two points that I would like to contribute to the discussion. First, I have always been an adherent to the golden rule of priority ; this is one of the foundation stones of our taxonomic science today. At times a worker must find it a nuisance, but no amount of argimient can get aroimd the right of an earlier accepted author's claim to recognition. The law of priority has been clearly set out by the Commission and it would surely lose in standing and confidence if it started now to make exceptions. This " Alpheus — Crangon issue " has a classical parallel in taxonomy. I refer to Alcock's impassioned appeal for the retention of Gelasimus (Fiddler Crabs) as against the prior name Uca. In any consideration on the question imder discussion this appeal of Alcock's should be carefully considered by the Commission ; the reference is : 1900, J. asiat. Soc. Bengal (Pt. 2) 69(3) : 350. Every carcinologist today knows that this was a lost cause, for it is a rarity for the old name Gelasimus to appear in modern literature.
Objection to Dr. L. B. Holthuis' proposals relating to the names Crangon Fabricius, 1798 and Alpheus Fabricius, 1798 (Class Crusta-cea, Order Decapoda)
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