PhyloCode prefix/suffix?

[Richard Pyle]

This is in response to an earlier post from Phil, the original copy of which
I missed....

> I also voiced the more important argument that there would be
> widespread concern that having two codes operating simultaneously
> would result in confusion, and that, even if one doesn't think that
> this concern is well founded, having distinguishable names will
> hasten acceptance of the PhyloCode.  I don't recall for sure why this
> argument was rejected, but I think one of the responses was that we
> shouldn't base long-term decision about the form of PhyloCode names
> on speculations about the initial reactions of the systematics
> community, since we couldn't predict with certainty what those
> reactions would be.  Now that I have some evidence to back up my
> speculation, I may be in a better position to revisit this argument.

I thought about the "long-term" issues of the PhyloCode qualifier as well.
The issue being that if, say, a few decades from now, the majority of
taxonomists have shifted to PhyloCode, and the Linnaean system has fallen
into disuse, then the qualifier would appear as an archaic hold-over from a
past era -- a burdensome legacy that has outlived its purpose.  It seems to
me that, at such time, a revised PhyloCode could take effect that would
eliminate the requirement for the qualifier, and even, perhaps, discourage
its use for publications appearing after 1 January 20xx (in much the same
way that IZ_N codes are periodically ammended with different rules that
apply to different blocks of historical time).  I doubt this would be a
difficult transition at the time; but I wager that taxonomists of that era
who review the "old" literature of the early 2000's will be grateful that
the distinction existed during the period when both systems overlapped.

Aloha,
Rich

Richard L. Pyle
Ichthyology, Bishop Museum
1525 Bernice St., Honolulu, HI 96817
Ph: (808)848-4115, Fax: (808)847-8252
email: deepreef at bishopmuseum.org
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