designating a photo as holotype?

[Thomas Pape]

At 16.17 1997-11-07 -0300, Doug Yanega wrote:

>        The primary question is this: I'll probably designate the headless
>specimen as the holotype, but do I have the option of using the image of
>the intact insect?

Doug:

You can use the image for descriptive purposes only, not as a type as such.
This holds even for lectotype designations. You mention that illustrations
may "stand in for a holotype", but the type proper is still the specimen
illustrated.

The Code is explicit on this issue:

72(c:v) -- "Only the following are eligible to be a name-bearing type of a
nominal species-group taxon:" "in the case of a nominal species-group taxon
based on an illustration or description or on a bibliographic reference to
an illustration or description, THE SPECIMEN ILLUSTRATED or described and
NOT THE ILLUSTRATION or the description." [my emphasis.]

Thomas Pape


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Thomas Pape
Department of Entomology
Swedish Museum of Natural History       Voice: +46 8666 4094
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