Fwd: PhyloCode prefix/suffix?

[Philip Cantino]

Sean Edwards wrote:


>Is there any mileage in a non-pronounced symbol, for which there must
>be several candidates from the keyboard: '|' (bar), '#' '&', slashes,
>angle-brackets, etc.? For computer searching/sorting the symbol could
>be easily applied to either end (or macroed from one end to the other
>without disturbing the name itself), allowing phylonames to be
>integrated into a sorted list or to be separated into a separate
>list, as desired. In speech there should be little confusion from the
>context, or it could be verbalized as Phylo-* or whatever (or heaven
>forbid a Victor Borge phoenetic punctation sound .....).
>

This is exactly the approach that I favor.  The following passage is
copied from my October 22 posting:

My own preferred approach would have been to require a standard
symbol at the beginning or end of PhyloCode names--for example a
slash at the beginning of the name, as used by David Baum and
coworkers.  Thus, /Lamiaceae would be a clade name governed by the
PhyloCode, whereas Lamiaceae would be a family name governed by the
ICBN.  In many cases, the name would refer to the same set of species
under both codes, but in some cases it would not.  For example, not
all circumscriptions of Lamiaceae under the current system are
monophyletic.  I have pushed for this sort of solution to the problem
that Tom and Finn point out, but the majority of the PhyloCode
advisory group disagreed.  Recommendation 6.1B was a compromise.

Phil


Philip D. Cantino
Professor and Chair
Department of Environmental and Plant Biology
Ohio University
Athens, OH 45701-2979
U.S.A.

Phone: (740) 593-1128; 593-1126
Fax: (740) 593-1130
e-mail: cantino at ohio.edu