Early scientific names of Amphibia Anura II. An exemplary case: Rana arborea Linnaeus, 1758

This paper provides a detailed analysis of the nomenclatural status of the scientific name Rana arborea Linnaeus, 1758, with identification of its primary, secondary and tertiary syntypes, discussion of the status of these specimens, and final designation of one of them (now lost) as lectotype of this nominal species. During this analysis, the status of the following other names are also discussed: Rana hyla Linnaeus, 1758; Hyla Laurenti, 1768; Hyla ranaeformis Laurenti, 1768; Hyla rubra Laurenti, 1768; Hyla sceleton Laurenti, 1768; Hyla viridis Laurenti, 1768; Rana pentadactyla Laurenti, 1768; Hyla gibbosa Lacepède, 1788; Hyla aurantiaca Daudin, 1802; Rana bilineata Shaw, 1802; Hyla arborea var. meridionalis Böttger, 1874; Sphaenorhynchus eurhostus Rivero, 1961. The lines of reasoning illustrated in detail in this case will be used again in further papers of this series dealing with many other early scientific names of Amphibia Anura.