No, I'm serious! I need closure. It's a real conundrum. I changed the names
and years to protect the innocent, but it involves the maligned Humphrey,
the eccentric Swainson, and the curmudgeonly Gray.

But 1757 is close.





At 02:43 AM 2/20/2002 +0000, you wrote:
>Tom;
>         You had me almost literally "rolling on the floor" with that one
> :-=)!
>The answer of course, is 1757.
>
> >From the Great Slush-filled North,
>Ross M.
>
>From:
>                   G Thomas Watters <[log in to unmask]>
>
>
>
>Here's a puzzler for all the taxonomic folk. I've read and reread the Code
>and can't get a clear answer.
>
>1. Smith introduces the generic name Buster in 1823.
>2. Smith's work is tossed out by an ICZN opinion in 1923.
>3. Jones uses Smith's name in 1830, but gives no examples. Is Jones now the
>author of Buster?
>4. White in 1850 lists Buster Smith, 1823, as a synonym of another genus,
>and gives a single species (browni) for Buster, but does not specifically
>call it the type. Has White designated a type for Buster? If Jones isn't
>the author, is White? Has Buster been introduced in synonymy?
>5. Later, White (1852) uses Buster as a valid genus and gives himself as
>the author and lists several examples, apparently believing the earlier
>Buster was unavailable. None of the included species are browni.
>6. So, does Buster date from White (1852), with an unchosen type, or from
>Jones (1830) with browni as type, or from White (1850) with browni as type?
>
>You have 30 seconds. Begin.
>
>G. Thomas Watters, PhD

G. Thomas Watters, PhD
Curator of Molluscs
Museum of Biological Diversity
Department of Evolution, Ecology & Organismal Biology
The Ohio State University
1315 Kinnear Road
Columbus, OH 43212
v: 614-292-6170
f: 614-292-7774

Visit the Molluscs Division at:
http://www.biosci.ohio-state.edu/~molluscs/OSUM2