Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature 48(4) December 1991 325 Comments on the proposed conservation of Cryptus Fabricius, 1804 (Insecta, Hymenoptera) (Case 2324; see BZN 44: 9-10) (1) Henry Townes (deceased) American Entomological Institute, Gainesville, Florida 32608, U.S.A. It is depressing to see a proposal to deviate from the normal method of deciding zoological names by the Principle of Priority. I protest against this deviation. As to usage, the preoccupied name Cryptus Fabricius, 1 804 was much used in older literature, but as a vaguely understood taxon for species now distributed in about 60 genera and several subtribes. In the last 40 years there have been some 14 nomenclatur-ally influential publications which either accepted usage of the preoccupied name Cryptus in the ichneumonidae or rejected it; two of these accepted it and 1 2 did not (see the references listed below). I know from personal experience that in most major collections in the Nearctic, Neotropic, Ethiopian and Oriental regions the name Cryptus is not used in labeling specimens. European museums are divided (or confused), which might lend support to van Rossem's application, but the rest of the world has adopted the correct nomenclature and this should not be ignored. I try to be consistent and logical in scientific nomenclature and I therefore treat Cryptus Fabricius as a preoccupied name. A voted decision by the Commission does not change compelling bibliographic facts. Additional references Publications which adopted the name Cryptus Fabricius, 1804 Carlson, R.W. 1979. Family Ichneumonidae. Pp. 315-741 in Krombein, K.V., Hurd, P.D.,Jr, Smith, D.R. & Burks, B.D. (Eds.), Catalog of Hymenoptera of America north of Mexico, vol. 1. xvi, 1 198 pp. Smithsonian Institution, Washington. Rossem, G. van. 1969. A revision of the genus Cryptus Fabricius s.str. in the western Palearctic Region, with a key to the genera of Cryptina and species of Cryptus (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae). Tijdschrift voor Entomologie, 112(9): 299-374. Publications which rejected the name Cryptus Fabricius, 1 804 Fitton, M.G. 1978. Ichneumonidae. Pp. 12^6 in Kloet, G.S. & Hincks, W.D. (Eds.), A check list of British insects, Ed. 2, part 4. Royal Entomological Society of London, London. Gauld, I.D. 1984. An introduction to the Ichneumonidae of Australia. 413 pp. British Museum (Natural History), London. Gupta, V.K. 1987. The Ichneumonidae of the Indo-Australian area. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute, 41(1,2): 1-1210. Kasparyan, D.R. 1981. A guide to the insects of the European part of the USSR. Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae. 687 pp. Short, J.R.T. 1978. The final instars of the Ichneumonidae. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute, 25: 1-508. Townes, H.K. 1970. The genera of Ichneumonidae. Part 2 (Gelinae). Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute, 12: 1-537. Townes, H.K., Momoi, S. & Townes, M. 1965. A catalogue and reclassification of the eastern Palaearctic Ichneumonidae. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute, 5: 1-661 .
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