[Taxacom] A little more on Species Entities

[Peter DeVries]

The species entities can have many scientific names. These names are not
concepts just the literal string.

Don't assume that a given name can't be linked to several different species
entities.

The names list just says, *what are the various legitimate names that this
species entity has had overtime.*

It makes no assumptions that other species entities have not legitimately
used that same name string.

Here is a very hypothetical (incorrect) example:

http://lod.taxonconcept.org/ses/v6n7p now called *Puma concolor (Linnaeus,
1771))*
         => http://lod.taxonconcept.org/scinames/v6n7p_1001 => gni:505310
         => http://lod.taxonconcept.org/scinames/v6n7p_1002 => gni:12104361

http://lod.taxonconcept.org/ses/kKOIv now called *Panthera leo* (Linnaeus,
1758)
         => http://lod.taxonconcept.org/scinames/kKOIv_1001 => gni:20753654
         => http://lod.taxonconcept.org/scinames/kKOIv_1002 => gni:12104361

This would be the case where at one time it was thought that all large cats
were one species called Felis concolor

What this hypothetical example shows is that at one time these two different
species were known by the
same literal name *Felis concolor* Linnaeus, 1771 (gni:12104361)

Demonstrating the difference between a change in how these two species were
seen vs. a simple mislabeling or misidentification.

An old specimen might be labeled Felis concolor, but someone "Joe" may
choose to tag it in their own database as

Label name "Felis concolor" interpreted by JoeSchmoe to be an instance
of *Panthera
leo* se:kKOIv

What if someone decides that the Lion really should be in its own genus
(Leothera), but believes that all the specimens of Panthera leo are still
one species?

Then *Panthera leo* se:kKOIv  => *Leothera leo* se:kKOIv

Now the idea "this is a species"  is cleanly separated from the idea that
"this is a species in a particular genus".

In my opinion, this is how it should have been done in the first place.

1) This is a species
2) This species has this particular position in the tree of life

Clearly two separate issues.

Also:

Need to know what the characters, definitive specimens, DNA barcodes etc,
are for a given species entity?

Puma concolor se:v6n7p <http://lod.taxonconcept.org/ses/v6n7p.xhtml>
*
*
Then click on namespaced version of the species entity URI in the line
above.

- Pete