[Taxacom] Reptilia (and Hominidae)

[Kenneth Kinman]

Julian,
      The thing is that we can increasingly reflect actual history
(phylogeny) without being paraphylophobic about it.  Truncating clades
at strategic points along the Tree of Life yields classifications that
reflect not only phylogeny, but divergence as well (i.e., they are MORE
informative than strict cladifications).  
      All you have to do is add in {{exgroups}} markers to show where
this has been done.  And I am not the only one to do this.  Look at some
of Michael Benton's recent classifications.  If strict cladifications
tend to be more destabilizing and sometimes even less informative, why
continue doing it just because of some arbitrary rule against
paraphyletic taxa?
         --------Ken Kinman
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>Then Hennig's "cladifications" came along, and >paraphylophobia 
>unfortunately became increasingly "fashionable".  >Classifications have 
>become increasingly unstable ever since. 
>                --------Ken Kinman 
And increasing reflective of actual history as best determined by the
evidence.  To mash up an old quote "Stability at the expense of
(evolutionary) history is hardly a bargain". 
Julian Humphries 
Digimorph.org 
Department of Geological Sciences 
University of Texas, Austin, 78712