and that it remained for Fitzinger
(Syst. Rept., p. 30, 1843) to select one of these as a type; he chose
_coromandelicus_ Geoffroy, which is a synonym of _granosa_ Schoeppff, a
species belonging to a different genus (as now recognized) from that to
which _triunguis_ belongs, although Geoffroy had made the mistake of
considering both groups as members of his genus _Trionyx_. Now if
Fitzinger's type designation is accepted, the name _Trionyx_ is to be
applied to that group containing _granosa_ (only one other form is known
in the genus, and both forms occur only in India and Burma), whereas the
name _Amyda_ of Geoffroy (_op. cit._, p. 1) is applied to the genus (as
now recognized) which includes _triunguis_ and some 20 other species of
Asia and North America. The type of _Amyda_ is a typical member from
Asia (_cartilagineus_ Boddaert). On the other hand, if Geoffroy's type
designation is accepted, the American forms (and the others of that
genus) would take the generic name _Trionyx_, of which _Amyda_ would be
a synonym, and the genus to which _granosa_ belongs would take the name
_Lissemys_ Malcolm Smith (Fauna Brit. India, Rept. Amph., 1:154, 1931).

Stejneger discussed the various aspects of this problem (_op. cit._, pp.
6, 7), and I can add nothing to his discussion. His arguments for the
acceptance of Fitzinger's type designation rather than that of Geoffroy
are well founded upon the statement of the International Rules of
Zoological Nomenclature, while those of Smith are not. In weighing these
two alternatives, the practical value of maintenance of the "status quo"
is not here important, for the whole system of nomenclature in this
field is completely upset; _any_ conclusive decision would be of great
practical value and one alternative holds no special, practical
advantage over the other. Accordingly, it seems reasonable to consider
the matter closed with Stejneger's analysis, retaining _Amyda_ for the
American and related species of soft-shelled turtles. That this
assemblage contains natural subgroups that may warrant subdivision into
other genera is obvious, but to none of these will the name _Trionyx_ be
applicable.

Table of Data on _Amyda_

Transcriber's note: Legend has been created for the column headings to
make the table fit.

Column headings:

A: Number
B: Sex (M = male, F. = female)
C: Width (mm.)
D: Length (mm.)
E: Ratio, width-length
F: Height (mm.)
G: Ratio, width-height
H: Neurals
I: C