p. 49-52 ; 24 cm.Includes bibliographical references

Allen, J. A. (Joel Asaph), 1838-1921.

American Museum of Natural History Scientific Publications

59.9.82MArticle V.- THE PROPER GENERIC NAME OF THE MACAQUES.BY--J. A. ALLEN.Recently in the 'Proceedings' of the Biological Society of Washington 1Dr. M. W. Lyon, Jr., showed conclusively that the name Pithecus Geoffroyand Cuvier (1795), adopted by the late Dr. D. G. Elliot in his 'Review ofthe Primates'2 was untenable as a generic name, being indeterminate.Lyon concludes with the statement: "Hence Pithecus must be dropped asthe technical name of the macaques and the more familiar Macaca berestored."For nearly a century Macaca Lacepede, 1799, has been the commonlyrecognized name of the macaques, usually taken, however, from Desmarest(1820) with the original spelling modified to Macacus. In early days theBarbary ape (Simia sylvanus Linne, 1758 = Simia inuus Linne, 1766) wasincluded in Macacv., and some taxonomers still question the necessity ofseparating it genericaily from the other macaques. It happens that theBarbary ape (Simia inuus Linne, 1766) was the only species mentionedunder Macaca by the founders of the genus, and this species is thereforethe genotype of Macaca.It has recently been decided, on the principle of tautonymy,3 that thetype of the Linnean genus Simia is Simia sylvanus Linne, an earlier name forSimia inuus, the type of Macaca. It becomes necessary, therefore, todetermine which name among the score of generic and subgeneric namesthat have been bestowed upon the various species of the genus Macaca istenable to replace Macaca as usually accepted. The Barbary ape proves tobe the type of many of them, as shown by the following summary:1758. Simia Linn6, Syst. Nat., 10th ed., I, 1758, p. 25.Type, by tautonymy, Simia sylvanus Linne, 1758 = Simia inuus Linne,1766. Cf. Thomas, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1911, p. 125.1799. Macaca Lacepede, Tabl. Mamm., 1799, p. 4.Type, by monotypy, Simia inuus Linn6 = Simia sylvanus Linne.1812. Inuus Geoffroy, Ann. Mus. Hist. Nat. Paris, XIX, 1812, p. 100.Type, Inuus ecaudatus Geoffroy = Simia inuus Linne.1816. Sylvanus Oken, Lehrb. Naturg., Theil 3, Zool., Abth. 2, 1816, p. 1223.New name to replace Inuus Geoffroy. Also preoccupied by SylvanusLatreille, 1807, for a genus of insects.I Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, XXVlll, p. 179, Nov. 29, 1915.2 Review of the Primates, II, pp. xxxii, 176, 1912 (June, 1913).3 Cf. Thomas, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1911, p. 125, March, 1911.49Bulletin American Museum of Natural History. [Vol. XXXV,1820. Macacus Desmarest, Mamm., I, 1820, p. 63.Emendation of Macaca Lac6pede, 1799.1827. Magus Lesson, Man. Mamm., 1827, p. 43.Contained originally two species, Magus sylvanus (Linn6) and M. maurus(F. Cuvier), but in 1840 Lesson himself removed M. maurus to his new genusRhesus, leaving in Magus only Simia sylvanus Linn6, which thus became thetype. Gymnopyga Gray, 1866, is available for Magus Elliot (nec Lesson),as noted below.1828. "Pithes Burnett, Quart. Journ. Sci. Litt. and Art. XXVI, p. 307, Oct.-Dec.,1828."Type: Pithes ? sylvanus (=Simia sylvanus Linnaeus, from northern Africa."(Not seen; from Palmer, Index Gen. Mamm., 1904, p. 540.)1841. Salmacis Gloger, Hand-u. Hilfsb. Naturg., I, 1841, p. 35.New name to replace Macaca Lacepede, 1799, apud Palmer, Index Gen.Mamm., 1904, p. 617. (Gloger's work not seen.)The foregoing eight names are synonyms of Simia and need not befurther considered. The following eleven names have been used for speciesof the restricted group " Macacus," and it is from this series a substitute forMacaca must be selected.1795. Pithecus Geoffroy & Cuvier, Mag. Encyclop., III, 1795, p. 462.Originally contained 5 species, without designation of type.Type, by subsequent designation (Thomas, 1894), Simia veter Linn6, anindeterminate species, selected with the express purpose of consigning Pithecus"to the limbo of unrecognizable names." In 1913 Elliot,' unaware of whatThomas had done in the case, substituted Pithecus for Macacus, on the basisof priority, and designated Simia sinica Linne as the type, an invalid act.1820. Silenus Goldfuss, Handbuch Zool., II, 1820, p. 479.Subgenus of Cynocephalus Iliger.Type, by monotypy and tautonymy, Simia silenus Schreber (nec Simiasilenus Linne, indeterminable) = Pithecus albibarbatus Elliot, ex Simia (CerGo-pithecus) silenus albibarbatus Kerr = Ouandcr'mu Buffon, Hist. Nat., XIV,1776, pp. 169, 174, pl. xviii.1839. Maimon Wagner, Suppl. Schreber's Saug., I, 1840 (Oct. 1839), pp. ivbis, 141.As a subgenus of Inuus, with 6 species, and without designation of type;4 of the 6 species are included by Elliot in Pithecus. As no type appears tohave been indicated I here designate Inuus erythrceus (F. Cuvier) as the type(= Simia rhesus Audebert).1840. Rhesus Lesson, Sp. Mamm., 1840, pp. 49, 95. (Dedication dated Oct., 1840.)As a subgenus of Macacus. Type, by tautonymy, Macacus rhesus Desmar-est = Simia rhesus Audebert.1840. Pithex Hodgson, Journ. Asiat. Soc. Bengal., IX, 1840, p. 1212.Two species, without designation of type. Type, by present designation,Pithex oinops Hodgson = Simia rhesus Audebert, apud Elliot.I Review of the Primates, lI, p. 17C, June, 1913.50Allen, The Generic Name of the Macaques.1848. Lyssodes Gistel, Naturgesch. Thierreichs f. hohere Schulen, 1848, p. ix."Type, Macacus arctoides I. Geoffroy" = Macacus speciosus F. Cuvier,1825, apud Palmer, Index Gen. Mamm., 1904, p. 390. (Gistel's work notseen.)1862. Vetulus Reichenbach, Volistand. Naturg. Affen, 1862, p. 125, pl. xxii, figs.321-326. Wrongly given to replace Sitlenus Lesson, 1840 (= Silenus Gold-fuss, 1820).1862. Cynamolgus Reichenbach, Vollstand. Naturg. Affen, 1862, p. 130.Includes two subgenera (Zati and Cynamolgus) and 9 species, without desig-nation of types.Type of Cynamolgwm, by present designation, Macacus irus F. Cuvier(= Cynamolgus cynocephalus Reichenbach).1862. Zati Reichenbach, Volistand. Naturg. Affen, 1862, pp. 130-133, pl. xxiii,figs. 327-331.Type, by designation of Elliot (Primates, I, p. xxxviii), Simia sinica Linn6 =Zati sinicus Reichenbach).1862. Nemestrinus Reichenbach, V6llstiind. Naturg. Affen, 1862, pp. 130-140, pl.xxiv, figs. 349-353, 359-363.Type, by monotypy and tautonymy, Simia nemestrinus Linne. Pre-occupied for a genus of Diptera.1866. Gymnopyga Gray, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1866, p. 202, pl. xix.Type, by monotypy, Macacus innominata Gray (= Macacus maurus F.Cuvier, apud Elliot). Hence not a true macaque. The name should replaceElliot's Magus (nec Magus Lesson).From the above it is evident that not only is Elliot's use of Pithecusuntenable but that all but one of the names he adopted for his subgenera ofPithecus are also untenable.The available name to replace Macaca Lacepede (Macacus auctorum) isSilenus Goldfuss, 1820. Owing to the confusion that has always attendedthe identification of Simia silenus Linne, Silenus is not an ideal substitutefor Macacus, the genotype for Silenus being Simia silenus Schreber (necLinne) = Silenus albibarbatus (Kerr), primarily the Ouanderou of Buffon.Maimon Wagner, 1839, the next name in order, with Simia rhesusAudebert as genotype (here designated), is involved with Mormon, bothmormon and maimon having been used specifically for the same species(Simia sphinx Linne), as well as for different genera of Primates.'Rhesus Lesson (1840), type Simia rhesus Audebert, fills every qualifica-tion except that of priority, it being one year later than Maimon and twentyyears later than Silenus, and is of course therefore unavailable. For thesereasons Silenus seems the necessary choice as the name of the group of latecommonly known as " Macacus."1 Trouessart (Cat. Mamm., Suppl., 1904, p. 21) used Maimon as a "nom. nov." for a subgenus ofPapio, to replace Mormon Lesson, nec Illiger.511916.1Bulletin American Museum of Natural History. [Vol. XXXV.It happens that Dr. Elliot was not only unfortunate in his selection of ageneric name for the macaques, but also in selecting names for the subgenericdivisions of the genus, of which there are five.' The first is without nameand may be supposed to represent a subgenus Pithecus. But this is notreally the case, since his type of Pithecus is the sole species of his subgenusVetulus, which is a pure synonym of Silenus.For his second subgenus the name Nemestrinus is used, which is pre-occupied by Nemestrinus Latreille, 1802, for a genus of Diptera.His third subgenus, as stated above, is Vetulus Reichenbach, 1862, aname given to replace Silenus, and as Vetulus has the same type as Silenus,the latter becomes the typical subgenus of Pithecus Elliot.His fourth subgenus bears the name Zati Reichenbach, 1862, withSimia sinica Linne as type by designation of Elliot, and requires no change.His fifth and much the largest subgenus is designated Macacus, nowshown to be unavailable. For this Cynamolgus Reichenbach may be sub-stituted, with Macacus irus F. Cuvier as type, as above designated.The generic and subgeneric names of the macaques, as now determined,may be shown in comparison with Elliot's, as follows:ELLIOT, 1913. ALLEN, 1916.Genus Pithecus Erxleben, 1777. Genus Silenus Goldfuss, 1820.Subgenera. Subgenera.1. Lyssodes Gistel, 1848.2. Nemestrinus Reich., 1862. Rhesus Lesson, 1840.3. Vetulus Reich., 1862. Silenus Goldfuss, 1820.4. Zati Reich., 1862. Zati Reich., 1862.5. "Macacus" Lacepede, 1799. Cynamolgus Reich., 1862.I Subgenus Neocebus in Vol. II, p. 224, is a duplication, by error in make-up, of Neocebus, a sub-genus of Lasiopyga, on p. 319 of the same volume. Cf. Elliot, Primates, Vol. I, p. xl. and Vol. II,p. 319. See also Vol. I, p. lx, where Neopithecus appears in error for Neocebus!52

Generic name of the macaques

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