Priority rules

[Alfred F. Newton]

On Thu, 11 jan 1996, Wolfgang Wuster wrote:

>I don't know about the Botanical code, but in the Zoological code, such
>older synonyms can be discarded if they have not been used in the last 50
>years, or if reintroducing them would seriously perturb a
>well-established nomenclature.
>At the moment, this requires an appeal to the International Commission on
>Zoological Nomenclature, but if the currently proposed revisions are
>integrated into the next edition of the ICZN, then synonyms not used as
>valid for 50 years are automatically defunct.  ...

     Such older unused names would NOT become "discarded" or "defunct" in
the current or proposed Zoological Code!  The younger name in current use is
simply given "precedence over" the older name for the purposes of priority,
meaning the  older name would be treated as a junior synonym of the younger
one, but would continue to be available otherwise.

Alfred F. Newton  (newton at fmnh.org)
Field Museum of Natural History - Zoology, Insects
Chicago, IL 60605 USA
     tel. 312-922-9410 ext. 263;  fax 312-663-5397