[Taxacom] globalnames?

[Stephen Thorpe]

Well, call me "El Thicko", but I don't understand this bit:

>Referring to a publication, not necessarily the protologue, is one way to define it. Citing a list of included/excluded synonyms is another way.  Offering a comprehensive (or even diagnostic) description is another, as is listing a bunch of discriminating attributes.  And offering a list of specimens you chose to include as part of the concept is yet another

All these are one and the same, in the sense that lists of included/excluded synonyms, comprehensive (or even diagnostic) descriptions, and lists of specimens you chose to include as part of the concept, are all givens in any taxonomic publication on the taxon, so you only need to cite the publication! As to what names mean as used in secondary/grey/faunistic/ecological ... literature, which don't cite taxonomic references, that is another matter ...

Stephen

________________________________________
From: Jim Croft [jim.croft at gmail.com]
Sent: Monday, 28 September 2009 9:13 p.m.
To: Stephen Thorpe
Cc: David Remsen (GBIF); Peter DeVries; taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu
Subject: Re: [Taxacom] globalnames?

On Mon, Sep 28, 2009 at 5:10 PM, Stephen Thorpe <s.thorpe at auckland.ac.nz> wrote:
> In order to make taxonomic names meaningful, they need to be linked to the relevant literature.

This is almost a given. It is the only way a name of an entity/concept
is anchored and referred.

> Literature is a commodity that I understand, but "taxon concepts" just seem hopelessly wishy-washy to me.

Yes, it is quite wishy washy.  Until you define it.  Referring to a
publication, not necessarily the protologue, is one way to define it.
Citing a list of included/excluded synonyms is another way.  Offering
a comprehensive (or even diagnostic) description is another, as is
listing a bunch of discriminating attributes.  And offering a list of
specimens you chose to include as part of the concept is yet another.

As soon as you utter or write these down, in isolation or in
combination, the concept can be anchored, discussed and challenged.
It might be ambiguous, it might even be wrong, but it is no longer
'wishy washy'.

jim

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