The nomenclatural status of Agama cristata Merrem, 1819 and Corytophanes Schlegel, 1826 (Squamata, Corytophanidae) and of other tropical lizard nomina, with comments on some tricky issues of zoological nomenclature

Abstract

The nomenclatural status of the nomina Agama cristata and Corytophanes (Squamata, Corytophanidae) are examined. The former should be credited to Merrem (1819), not Merrem (1820), and the latter to Schlegel (1826a), not H. Boie in Schlegel (1826b). The nomen Iguana superciliosa Latreille in Sonnini & Latreille, 1801 is shown to be a senior synonym of Agama cristata Merrem, 1819. Article 23.9 is used here to protect the latter through reversal of precedence. Several other nomenclatural problems related to these nomina and related ones are explored. Updated synonymies and aponymies are provided for all the nomina of the genus Corytophanes currently considered valid and for the family, the valid nomen of which is Corytophanidae Fitzinger, 1843 [Frost & Etheridge, 1989] based on Article 35.4.1 and through reversal of precedence. Attention is drawn to several nomina and spellings present in the literature but forgotten by all or most authors until now.