Author: Smith, 1828
Remarks:
There has been considerable variation in spelling of the generic name of the whale shark, and much usage of several of the variants. Although Rhiniodon has priority, the variants Rhincodon and Rhineodon (and to a lesser extent Rhinodon) have had much more usage. Following Bigelow and Schroeder (1948) the variant Rhincodon has developed a considerable 'public', and proposals to stabilize it (Robins and Lea, 1975; Swift, 1977) have been presented to the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature. In contrast Hubbs, Compagno and Follett (1976) proposed that the earliest spelling, Rhiniodon should be preserved for the whale shark because of priority, more correct orthography than Rhincodon, and because the use of Rhincodon has not been universal since Bigelow and Schroeder's work. At present the International Commission has yet to hand down a ruling on the matter and, until it does, I prefer to use the earliest spelling (Rhiniodon).