Case 3885 – Priapus giganteus Forsskål, 1775 (currently Stichodactyla gigantea; Cnidaria, Actiniaria): proposed conservation of prevailing usage of the specific name by designation of a non-topotypic neotype for Priapus giganteus

Abstract

The purpose of this application, under Article 75.6 of the ICZN Code, is toconserve the widely used specific name of the clownfish-hosting sea anemone Priapusgiganteus Forsskål, 1775 (currently Stichodactyla gigantea), originally described fromthe Red Sea, in its current usage. This nominal species of sea anemone is commonly citedin the scientific literature on ecology, behavior, evolution, mutualism and taxonomy, andis among the most recognizable species in the group outside the scientific realm, e.g.,in tourism and the ornamental aquarium trade. Current usage of the name S. giganteais based on Dunn’s 1981 misattribution of Forsskål’s name to a different species thatwas later shown not to occur in the Red Sea (S. gigantea’s type locality). Recently,the incompatibility between the current usage of the name S. gigantea and its originalmeaning was pointed out, and the name S. gigantea has been used to refer to a differentspecies than the one Dunn fixed the name to in 1981. In the interest of the stabilityand universality of nomenclature, we request that the International Commission onZoological Nomenclature use its plenary power to set aside all previous type fixationsfor the nominal species Priapus giganteus Forsskål, 1775 and designate a neotype fromelsewhere than the Red Sea that corresponds to the current usage of S. gigantea, i.e.,sensu Dunn.