[Taxacom] Reptilia (was: New lizard species)

[Kenneth Kinman]

Hi Stephen and Kim,
      I have to agree with Stephen on this one.  The whole Drosophila
issue was like being between a rock and a hard place.  The Commission
had to decide between two worse case scenarios on that one.  It is thus
easy to criticize them no matter which way they decided that one.  
      But I find that there is no good excuse for abandoning the ICZN in
favor of PhyloCode.  Your use of the word "militant" in increasing
favoring strict cladism (and in its most extreme manifestation
PhyloCode) over ICZN is something that I have witnessed repeatedly over
the last couple of decades.  It basically boils down to a "militant" war
of strict cladism against more moderate viewpoints (like those of Ernst
Mayr and Peter Ashlock, both unfortunately deceased).  I have repeatedly
heard sentiments, from PhyloCodists in particular, that things will get
better when such advocates of moderation (and even advocating limited
numbers of particularly useful paraphyletic taxa) die off and stop
criticizing those who dive head long into the "new toy syndrome" that is
virtually a holocaust against any paraphyletic taxa whatsoever.  
        In view of that Commission ruling, I have supported your efforts
to do what is best in that very difficult case.  However, I really hope
you will reconsider using that to attack ICZN over PhyloCode.  The
Drosophila case is not really typical (being between a rock and a hard
place is usually more extreme than typical).  I don't think it is a good
reason to adopt "militant" attitudes over a more middle of the road
approach.
      ------------Ken            
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Stephen Thorpe wrote: 
Kim: 
"new toy syndrome" = initially, when given a new piece of technology,
people tend to get overenthusiastic about it instead of maintaining
correct balance In the present context it happened first with
cladistics, now with molecular taxonomy, both of which are good and
important, but in their place, and their place is not to trash Linnean
taxonomy but to work with it ... 
the Drosophila issue had little or nothing to do with any of this. Since
D. melanogaster was never the type species of the genus, it was always
on the cards that it might be put into another genus, whether by
traditional taxonomic revision, or cladistics, or molecular ... 
Stephen 
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