Notes on the status of the names of fishes presented in the Planches de Seba (1827-1831) published by Guérin-Méneville

The Planches de Seba were published in 48 issues (livraisons) between 1827 and 1831 under the direction of Guérin-Méneville. Livraison 13 contains two sheets (eight pages) of text dealing with plates 1 to 48 of volume 3 of Seba’s Locupletissimi rerum naturalium Thesauri (1759). Plates 23 through 34 depict fishes. No types are known for these specimens. Examination of the text published in the Planches de Seba reveals the presence of 94 specific names of fishes. The present status of each of them is reported. In particular, we found that 16 binomina represent original combinations and all but one (Anampses moniliger) have never been recorded in the ichthyological literature, with Planches de Seba as reference. Except for one name (Amphiprion albiventris), which is completely unknown in the literature, all other names bear the date of the original description of well established fish names. Based on the current status of these names, the predated names found in the Planches de Seba are here regarded either as junior synonyms (Agonus europaeus, Amphisilia velitaris, Chaetodon sebanus, Diagramma lineatum, D. pica, D. poecilopterum, Holocentrus orientale, Mesoprion annularis, Pomacanthus cingulatus, Premnas trifasciatus, P. unicolor and Serranus taeniops) or senior synonyms (Chaetodon sebae and Caranx fallax) of well known fish species. For these two latter names, in accordance with the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, an action was undertaken to set aside the automatic application of Principle of Priority to allow prevailing usage of the current names to be maintained.