Nominal Taxa of Recent Amphibians and Reptiles. I. Gymnophiona

Abstract

All scientific names properly applied to taxa of the order Gymnophiona are summarized and analyzed. The summary constitutes the first of a series intended to embrace separately all taxa of ordinal or subordinal rank of amphibians and reptiles, drawn in most cases from the Zoological Record and covering the periods since Boulenger's catalogues. The gymnophionan anatysis is, because of Taylor's recent monograph and because of Taylor's participation in preparation of this summary, more complete and detailed than the rest of the series can be. The status of the Order-group name Gymnophiona is discussed in the context of the some 20 names that have been applied to the order. Names applied to taxa below the Order-group level total 246 to date: 196 to species-group taxa, 44 to genus-group taxa, and 6 to familygroup taxa. Respectively, 172, 34 and 5 names are now considered valid by Taylorv An analysis of the growth of the literature on gymnophionans is given. A bibliography summarizes the tax nomic literature subsequent to Taylor's monographv The main list gives in alphabetical order all family-, genusand species group names, with full bibliographic citations, typblocality or typbspecies data, family or subfamily allocatton, and nomenclatural status for each. Lists follow of (a) valid species-group names, with synonytns, arranged alphabetically by family; (b) invalid, unallocated and recombined species-group names, with the current disposition of each; (c) authors, keyed to their taxa; (d) type-'ocalities, keyed to their tawa; (e) literature sources, giving full titles of journals and books in which original descr;> tions appeared; a1ld (f) individual names, arranged in alphabetical order and keyed to the master list of taxa as originally proposed. Trans. Kans. Acad. Sc;., 75 (1), 1972. The present summary is projected as the Srst of a series of compilations of all names proposed for extant taxa of amphibians and reptiles. It is intended that they be issued group by group, each separate from the others, of ordinal or subordinal rank: viz., the gymnophionans, anurans and caudatans, among the Amphibia; and the turtles, lizards, snakes and the smaller groups collectively (amphisbaenians, rhynchocephalians, crocodilians), among the Reptilia. For the most part these compilations will be drawn from the Zoological Record, and will be constructed as supplements to Boulenger's great catalogs of the British Museum, since his volumes summarize virtually all This content downloaded from 157.55.39.127 on Mon, 27 Jun 2016 07:01:42 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms Taxa of Amphibivtts and Keptiles 53 names proposed up to their times. Insofar as the Zoological Record is incomplete, these summaries will likely be incomplete, for an exhaustive search of the original literature is not feasible. We shall seek ie heIp of experts in providing more complete coverage ffian the Zoological Record provides, and will utilize to the same end synopses that may be