[Taxacom] New lizard species

[Stephen Thorpe]

Geoff, you have some very sensible opinions, but you express them in inappropriate contexts! Of course it is very sensible to find more than one character to differentiate a taxon, for all the reasons you mention! But it is irrelevant to the present argument, for the Code does not have a mandate to judge what is or isn't sensible in taxonomy! The Code is concerned with the regulation of names for taxa, period! That is why it would be absurd FOR THE ICZN to insist on more than one character. It is also the reason why the ICZN cannot delimit the nature or kind of characters used. These issues are for taxonomists to decide, and they impact only on the VALIDITY of proposed names, not their AVAILABILITY ...

Stephen




________________________________
From: Geoffrey Read <gread at actrix.gen.nz>
To: Stephen Thorpe <stephen_thorpe at yahoo.co.nz>
Cc: taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu
Sent: Tue, 8 June, 2010 7:02:37 PM
Subject: Re: [Taxacom] New lizard species

Well, I don't think so Stephen. It is very sensible to find more than one
character that differentiates a taxon.  Fewer mistakes will be made if you
do. Say you find this unusual beetle, just one, but it must be a new
species, right? It's so distinctive with that funny horn thingy.  However,
as you must know, a single character might be an abnormality, or a result
of hybridisation, or just present in one sex. So take the Code literally,
find more than one character difference, and you will be safer from
potential later ridicule, and your species won't be so readily sunk.

“Amidst the millions of births in the animal creation there is scarcely
any conceivable malformation, excess, or defect of parts, that has not at
some time or other occurred …” (Frederick Edward Hulme, 1895)

Hulme was correct. And such occurrences don't qualify to be named as
separate species.

Geoff

On Tue, June 8, 2010 2:07 pm, Stephen Thorpe wrote:

> [...] as for your fixation on the use of the plural, it would clearly be
absurd
> to require more than one character to define a taxon, so we can safely
> interpret it as 'character(s)', or 'character or characters'. Some things
> can be safely interpreted, others not ...
>  
> Stephen
>
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: Geoffrey Read <gread at actrix.gen.nz>
> To: taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu
> Sent: Tue, 8 June, 2010 1:50:06 PM
> Subject: Re: [Taxacom] New lizard species
>
> If we are going to dice and slice the word meanings in 13.1.1 then how
> about 'characters that are'. Gosh, that's a plural. If one character alone
> sufficed for availability different wording would undoubtedly have been
> used in the ICZN Article. Ergo, logically the code requires more than one
> character to be present in the diagnosis. Otherwise the name is
> unavailable.  See also recommendation 13A on differentiating which wants
> "a *summary* of the characters".
>
> I see no characters, but how many Thorpian-defined characters can you see
> in this diagnosis Stephen?
>
> "Diagnosis. This species includes all populations that cluster with those
> from the southern portion of the Congolian rainforest included in this
> study (southern Cameroon, Gabon and Congo), with strong support in the
> Bayesian species delimitation model"
>
>
> Geoff
>
>>>> On 7/06/2010 at 11:49 a.m., Stephen Thorpe
> <stephen_thorpe at yahoo.co.nz> wrote:
>
>
>> Once again:
>>
>> 13.1.1. be accompanied by a description or definition that states in
>> words
>> characters that are purported to differentiate the taxon, or
>>
>> character, n.
>> Any attribute of organisms used for recognizing, differentiating, or
>> classifying taxa (ICZN Glossary)
>>
>
>
>
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--
Geoffrey B. Read, Ph.D.
8 Zaida Way, Maupuia
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gread at actrix.gen.nz