[Taxacom] Names, phylogenies and classifications for newbies

[Stephen Thorpe]

An important quote from Pauly et al. (2009):
'Authors and editors should be aware that no requirement exists (in the Code or anywhere else) that the most recent taxonomic proposals be followed'

in the case of the gecko names, it is anyone's choice to treat them as valid or else as subjective synonyms, and the consensus view here would seem to favour the latter

it is NOT anyone's choice to treat them as unavailable names! This is a nomenclatural ("legalistic") matter independent of any taxonomic considerations. The problem though is that the Code is not entirely clear, and people have their own interpretations. However, I think it a "slippery slope" to choose the interpretation that fits one's agenda, so I would give the gecko names the benefit of the doubt (re availability) and urge others to do so...

Stephen



________________________________
From: Bob Mesibov <mesibov at southcom.com.au>
To: TAXACOM <taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu>
Sent: Mon, 7 June, 2010 1:59:36 PM
Subject: [Taxacom] Names, phylogenies and classifications for newbies

Because many of the discussions we've had on these topics are um... venerable, it's worth directing newcomers to this list to some recent overviews of the core issues. Two excellent introductions of this sort are open access, and both come from herpetology (thanks to Stephen Thorpe for a tip to the first):

Georges, A. and Thomson, S. 2010. Diversity of Australasian freshwater turtles, with an annotated synonymy and keys to species. Zootaxa 2496: 1–37. [Esp the first 9 pages]
http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2010/f/zt02496p037.pdf

Pauly, G.B., Hillis, D.M. and Cannatella, D.C. 2009. Taxonomic freedom and the role of official lists of species names. Herpetologica 65(2): 115-128.
http://www.hljournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-document&doi=10.1655%2F08-031R1.1 [Watch out for URL truncation]
-- 
Dr Robert Mesibov
Honorary Research Associate
Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery, and
School of Zoology, University of Tasmania
Home contact: PO Box 101, Penguin, Tasmania, Australia 7316
03 64371195; 61 3 64371195
Webpage: http://www.qvmag.tas.gov.au/mesibov.html

_______________________________________________

Taxacom Mailing List
Taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu
http://mailman.nhm.ku.edu/mailman/listinfo/taxacom

The Taxacom archive going back to 1992 may be searched with either of these methods:

(1) http://taxacom.markmail.org

Or (2) a Google search specified as:  site:mailman.nhm.ku.edu/pipermail/taxacom  your search terms here