NATURE to save taxonomy!

[B.J.Tindall]

At 10:54 6.6.2002 -0700, Doug Yanega wrote:

>
>(1) Do you, personally, believe in allowing people to self-publish
>new taxa, virtually all of them synonyms, solely for purposes of
>self-aggrandizement? The Codes allow it. Do you really find this
>satisfactory?

If you mean that the author is knowingly creating a synonym because he
knows that the species has already been described under another name then
perhaps the Bacteriological Code can help: Rule 55b (2) Illegitimate names:

"If the author did not adopt for a binary or ternary combination the
earliest legitimate generic name, specific epithet, or subspecific epithet
available for the taxon with its particular circunscription, position, and
rank."

Of course if neither the author nor the reviewer is aware that the species
has already been described then that shows that the "practicing taxonomist"
needs better access to the literature/data.
Brian


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