88 Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature ^ acting under the procedure prescribed in such cases by the International Congress of Zoology (1950, Bull. zool. Nomencl. 4 : 136-137), should render a " Declaration " stating that, in the case of a nominal genus established prior to 1st January 1931, with an indication, definition or description without citation of any nominal species, the citation by a later author in connection with the name of such a genus of a bibliographical reference to a book or paper containing the names of nominal species is not to be treated as constituting a distinct reference of the nominal species concerned to the genus in question, it being necessary for this purpose for an author explicitly to cite by name a nominal species as being referable to the genus in question. PROPOSED USE OF THE PLENARY POWERS TO SUPPRESS THE TRIVIAL NAME " CAESIUS " CLOQUET, 1818 (AS PUB-LISHED IN THE BINOMINAL COMBINATION " COLUBER CAESIUS") (CLASS REPTILIA, ORDER SQUAMATA) By AETHUR LOVERIDGE {Museum of Comparative Zoology, Cambridge, Mass., U.S.A.) Commission's reference Z.N.(S.)531) During the course of a revisionary study of the African Green snakes commonly referred to the genera Chlorophis Hallowell, 1857 {Proc. Acad. nat. Sci. Philad. 1857 : 53) and Philothamnus Smith, 1847 {III. Zool. S. Afr.) (Kept.) : pi. lix), I find that the trivial name {irregularis) of the commonest and most widely distributed member of the genus Chlorophis is antedated. The trivial name irregularis Leach, 1819 {in Bowditch, Miss. Ashanti : 494 " Fantee, Gold Coast "), as published in the binominal combination Coluber irregularis, has been almost consistently applied (in combination either with the name Ahaetulla or the name Chlorophis or the name Philothamnus) to this common reptile since 1858 (Giinther), occurring 113 times in the Uterature. However, the stability of the name of this species is threatened by the trivial name caesius Cloquet, 1818 {Diet. Sci. imt., Paris 11 : 201 " Region of Cape Verde "), as pubUshed in the binominal combination Coluber caesius, a name which has never been used by anyone, other than its original author Cloquet. The description of caesius conforms to that of irregularis in all respects, except that the number of its subcaudals is given as sixty-four, whereas the range for irregularis is from 97 to 121. I suggest that the tail of the tyj^e speci-men of caesius was truncated, for quite a high percentage of these whip-tailed tree snakes lose the ends of their tails during life. When such a loss occurs early in life, the tail heals over and the terminal point is reproduced, so that the tail closely resembles its original condition. In further support of the identification of caesius with irregularis, we have to note that, with the possible exception of semivariegatus Smith, 1847 Bull. zool. Nomencl, Vol. 6, Part 3. September 1951
Proposed use of the plenary powers to suppress the trivial name "caesius" Cloquet, 1818 (as published in the binominal combination "Coluber caesius") (Class Reptilia Order Squamata)
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