[Taxacom] New lizard species
Francisco Welter-Schultes
fwelter at gwdg.de
Mon Jun 7 05:22:23 CDT 2010
It seems to be necessary to add an explicite explanation in the
Code's Glossary and in Art. 13.1.1 that descriptions solely based on
differential DNA are not recognized.
As always in such situations (when the English text seems to allow
various interpretations), the next step is to consult the French Code
and look for eventual specifications there.
Art. 13.1.1: être accompagné d'une description ou d'une définition
qui énonce les caractères permettant de différencier le taxon,
caractère, s. m. Élément descriptif d'organismes utilisé pour
décrire, classifier ou différencier des taxons.
So in the French Code the debatable term "attribute" is avoided, and
the idea that the character must be a descriptive element of the
organism itself is expressed even more clearly than in the English
Code. "Colour different from species B" or "DNA different from
species B" are not descriptive elements. In cases of doubts, you
can regard the French Code as decisive.
Francisco
University of Goettingen, Germany
www.animalbase.org
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