Bulletin ofZoological Nomenclature 60(2) June 2003 171 OPINION 2043 (Case 3113) Betta Bleeker, 1850 (Osteichthyes, Perciformes): specific names conserved by the suppression of the generic and specific names Micracanthiis mavchei Sauvage, 1879 Abstract. The Commission has ruled that the specific names ofthe Southeast Asian 'fighting fishes' that belong to the genus Betta Bleeker, 1850 (family osphronemidae) are conserved by the suppression of the unused generic and specific names Micra- canthiis marchei Sauvage, 1879. Keywords. Nomenclature: taxonomy; Osteichthyes; Perciformes; osphronemidae; Betta; Micracanthiis; Bettasplendens; Betta siuaragdina; Betta imbellis; Micracanthiis marchei; fighting fishes; Southeast Asia. Ruling (1) Under the plenary power the generic and specific names of Micracanthus marchei Sauvage, 1879 are hereby suppressed for the purposes ofthe Principle ofPriority but not for those ofthe Principle of Homonymy. (2) The name Micracanthus Sauvage, 1879 (gender: masculine), as suppressed in (1) above, is hereby placed on the Oflficial Index of Rejected and Invalid Generic Names in Zoology. (3) The name marchei Sauvage, 1879, as published in the binomen Micracanthus marchei and as suppressed in (1) above, is hereby placed on the OflRcial Index ofRejected and Invalid Specific Names in Zoology. History of Case 3113 An application to conserve the specific names of the Southeast Asian 'fighting fishes' which belong to the genus Betta Bleeker, 1850 (family osphronemidae), by the suppression of the unused name Micracanthus marchei Sauvage, 1879, was received from H.H. Tan and Peter K.L. Ng (Department of Biological Sciences, National University ofSingapore, Singapore, Republic ofSingapore) on 16 January 1999. After correspondence the case was published in BZN 57: 29-31 (March 2000). Notice ofthe case was sent to appropriatejournals. No comments on this case were received. Decision of the Commission On 1 December 2002 the members ofthe Commission were invited to vote on the proposalspublished in BZN57: 30. At theclose ofthe votingperiod on 1 March 2003 the votes were as follows: 23 Commissioners voted FOR the proposals, 1 Commis- sioner (Rosenberg) voted AGAINST, no vote was received from Mahnert, Ng was on leave ofabsence. Votingagainst, Rosenbergcommented; 'Micracanthusmarcheiis anomendubium. DNA If at some point or other technology allows positive identification of the species, and it proves to be a senior synonym of a known species, the merits of 172 Bullelin ofZoological Nomenclature 60(2) June 2003 suppressing the name can be evaluated. Only four publications using the possibly junior synonyms from the 1970s are cited, so the earlier name seems to pose no great threat to stability'. Original references The following are the original references to the names placed on Official Indexes by the ruling given in the present Opinion: Micracanthus Sauvage. 1879, Bulletin de la Societe Philomathiqiic ck Paris. (7)3: 95. marchei. Miaacaiulnis, Sauvage, 1879, Bulletin de la Societe Pliilonuiiliii/ue de Paris, (7)3: 96.