[Taxacom] Exemplars, loci

[Richard Pyle]

> The real point is: how are species determined, defined and 
> identified in the first place. It used to be by morphology 
> for a long time, and then they were refined or altered by 
> cytology and the rest you know.

It's almost as if species are what a competent taxonomist (or community of
taxonomists) says they are. 
Almost as if they were classes, rather than individuals.  
Almost as if they were artifical constructs, existing only in human minds,
to allow us to communicate with each other more efficiently and effectively.

Almost.

Aloha,
Rich

P.S. Not directed at you, Bernard -- it's just my final (I hope) salvo in
the thread I abandonded weeks ago....

Richard L. Pyle, PhD
Database Coordinator for Natural Sciences
  and Associate Zoologist in Ichthyology
Department of Natural Sciences, Bishop Museum
1525 Bernice St., Honolulu, HI 96817
Ph: (808)848-4115, Fax: (808)847-8252
email: deepreef at bishopmuseum.org
http://hbs.bishopmuseum.org/staff/pylerichard.html