[Taxacom] Use of parentheses
Bob Mesibov
mesibov at southcom.com.au
Wed May 3 05:26:30 CDT 2006
Thanks to Denis Brothers for the very clear and persuasive explanation of
sec. 51.3.2. It certainly applies to the case where Smith (1900) described
a new species, xus, and put it into the _existing_ subgenus Bus of genus
Aus, thus
Aus (Bus) xus Smith, 1900 becomes Bus xus (Smith, 1900)
when Bus is elevated to genus.
However, in the case(s) I've been dealing with, Smith erected the subgenus
Bus for the new species xus. According to sec. 43.1 of the Code,
'A name established for a taxon at either rank in the genus group is deemed
to have been simultaneously established by the same author for a nominal
taxon at the other rank in the group; both nominal taxa have the same type
species, whether it was fixed originally or subsequently.'
The species xus is therefore the type of both Bus as a subgenus and Bus as a
genus. This is why it seems to me (and at least 2 other TAXACOMers) that
Bus xus Smith, 1900
is more logical, since xus was originally placed by Smith in Bus.
Bus xus (Smith, 1900)
suggests that xus was originally placed elsewhere, and according to sec 43.1
that isn't so.
Comment welcome.
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Dr Robert Mesibov
Honorary Research Associate, Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery
and School of Zoology, University of Tasmania
Home contact: PO Box 101, Penguin, Tasmania, Australia 7316
(03) 64371195; 61 3 64371195
Tasmanian Multipedes
http://www.qvmag.tas.gov.au/zoology/multipedes/mulintro.html
Spatial data basics for Tasmania
http://www.geog.utas.edu.au/censis/locations/index.html
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