[Taxacom] Felsenstein lecture

[John Grehan]

> From: taxacom-bounces at mailman.nhm.ku.edu [mailto:taxacom-
> bounces at mailman.nhm.ku.edu] On Behalf Of Karl Magnacca

he doesn't care about higher-level
> classification, and it isn't important for phylogenetics, therefore it
> isn't important at all.

In that context I'm inclined to agree. But classifications comprise labels that can sometimes have powerful propaganda value. I've seen this in the way that popular adoption of taxonomic categories has been used for the large bodied hominoids (great apes and humans) - sometimes in support of a particular agenda (yes well all have agendas - admitted up front). 

A classic example was the push to subordinate chimpanzees under Homo. This proposal ignored the fact that all the fossil hominids would also have to be similarity subordinated. It was a bit too much even for the chimpanzee supporters to swallow, but now they came up with the next best thing by distinguishing humans and chimpanzees under the same subfamily or tribe so one cannot (under this scheme) talk any longer about hominids for humans and their nearest relatives after splitting from a common ancestor with the nearest living ape. 

Presuming our cladistic study of hominids gets accepted for publication in the near future, there will be two explicit phylogenetic alternatives with the following possible taxonomic renditions.

Chimpanzee theory (living taxa only since it is based on DNA similarities)
Superfamily Hominoidea					
Family Hylobatidae						
	Hylobates Illiger, 1811						 
	Symphalangus Gloger, 1841					

Family Hominidae
	Subfamily Ponginae
			Pongo
	Subfamily Homininae
		Tribe Gorillini
			Gorilla
		Tribe Hominini
			Pan
			Homo
	
Orangutan theory (includes fossil taxa based on morphology)
Superfamily Hominoidea					
Family Hylobatidae						
	Hylobates Illiger, 1811					 
	Symphalangus Gloger, 1841				
Family Panidae						
	Pan			
	Gorilla									
Family Pongidae							
	Pongo Lacépède, 1799						
	†Ankarapithecus								
	†Gigantopithecus von Koenigswald, 1935				
	†Hispanopithecus							
	†Koratpithecus								
	†Lufengpithecus
	†Sivapithecus Pilgrim, 1910

Family Hominidae 
	Homo Linnaeus, 1758
	†Kenyanthropus
	†Orrorin
	†Australopithecus Dart, 1925

John Grehan