Paraphyly and names

[Pierre Deleporte]

At 13:31 18/01/2002 -1000, Richard Pyle wrote:

>(...) In certain cases, a particular well-defined
>paraphyletic clade within an otherwise well-defined monophyletic clade has
>diverged in form and function so profoundly that many biologists feel that
>overall communication is enhanced by acknowledging such divergence via the
>Linnaean-based ranked nomenclatural system.


Sorry but this is puzzling... how can a paraphyletic group "diverge in form
and function" as a whole? Unless through parallell evolution in its
different monophyletic components, which is likely not what you suggest...
Don't you mean, rather, that the "complementary" monophyletic clade
diverged, as indicated by its synapomorpies?
Only apomorphies "diverge".

Pierre