names for sale

[Barry M. OConnor]

At 9:03 AM 3/28/96, Robin Panza wrote:

>However, we now require peer review for validity of a name, which will act as a
>brake to such a tendency.  I think this would minimize the danger of
>oversplitting for the sake of funding.
>

I don't remember any requirement in the ICZN about peer review.  There are
numerous examples of privately published "journals" which have met the
requirements for availability.  In the mite world, we have "Acarologie"
which was always privately published but attracted authors other than the
publisher.  At the other extreme was the "Leaflets of Acadian Biology"
which was privately printed, but the author/publisher hand carried copies
to several libraries to insure that his names were valid.  The latter
publication contained lots of personal anecdotes of the sort that would
have been eliminated by any editor or peer reviewer.  It's sometimes fun to
read about the wonderful dinner served to the author by the individual to
whom a new species was dedicated, or the fun times spent as a child with a
relative to whom another species was dedicated.
        We also have to remember that peer review as such does not exist as
such for many outlets for taxonomic papers.  In the early 1990's, for
example, a number of new species of mites were described by one group of
authors (with university positions) which were characterized by the fact
that similar structures could be observed underneath others.  Most
arthropod biologists would recognize that such individuals were in the
process of molting.  However, the names are vaildly published and must be
dealt with in formal nomenclature.
        It would be nice to ensure that all publications met minimum
standards of quality, but I think that day will never come. - Barry OConnor

Barry M. OConnor                phone: (313) 763-4354
Museum of Zoology               FAX: (313) 763-4080
University of Michigan          e-mail: bmoc at umich.edu
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1079  USA