nomenclatorial "bickering"

[Richard L. Brown]

For a couple of weeks I have both learned and become bored with the
discussion concerning kingdoms, paraphyly, and men from mars.  But there's
room (or trash can) for everything. Few people, myself included, get into
the legalistic aspects of our nomenclature. However, its unfortunate the
code doesn't regulate names above family level to promote stability and
universality with ordinal names, e.g, Phasmatodea vs Phasmida, Blattaria vs
Blattodea (and who's to deny Blattoptera), etc.

>Geoff,
>     I am so glad you made the following post, because it illustrates how
>past "bickering" has left us with an increasingly complex and legalistic
>code of nomenclature.  Mind you that I am not accusing you of "bickering"
>(in my comments below), but just using it to point out how time-consuming
>and confusing nomenclature has become.
>
>
>     I thought the Zoological Code was complex back in 1980 when I had to
>use it, but it seems to be getting worse.  Thanks heavens names above family
>level are not regulated by the Codes.

Richard L. Brown
Mississippi Entomological Museum
Box 9775
Mississippi State, MS 39762
phone: (662) 325-2085
fax: (662) 325-8837
e-mail: moth at ra.msstate.edu