Binomial elimination

[Steve at]

A potential problem with using a single name for taxa will be homonyms.
Under the current system you only need to check for previous use of a name
in the genus you are working with.  Under the proposed system you would need
to check all previously named animals (or plants, or living things, or
whatever).

Sure, we could rely on a central authority to supply unique
names/numbers/etc., but that presents all sorts of problems of its own.

I suggest sticking to the current binomial system.  Certainly in the group I
work on (ants) generic names are very useful and convey lots of information.
 It's much easier to think in terms of the 300 generic names than it would
be to have 10,000 species names as the basic unit of classification.

Steve Shattuck
Australian National Insect Collection
CSIRO, Div. of Entomology
P. O. Box 1700
Canberra, ACT  2601
Australia
steves at ento.csiro.au