[Taxacom] Catalogue of Life (CoL) management classification draft document

[dipteryx at freeler.nl]

Van: taxacom-bounces at mailman.nhm.ku.edu namens Tony.Rees at csiro.au
Verzonden: wo 22-7-2009 2:28

[...] Take home message #1: familiar reference points are good.
[...] message #3 (ranks are good) ...

It looks to me that these two premises allow for a different conclusion: 
that is, keep the familiar ranks for the familiar groups and come up 
with something new for the new, unfamilar groups. The fact that no Code 
of nomenclature has anything like firm rules on names for ranks at these 
elevated levels (in the botanical Code the highest rank mentioned is 
"kingdom" and the highest rank with a prescribed termination is phylum)
should be an indication that it is unwise to try fitting square pegs 
into round holes. Why think about assigning existing ranks to such groups
at all: what purpose would this serve? Just use appropriate names (fitted 
to these particular groups): when outside the box, think outside the box.

Paul van Rijckevorsel