[Taxacom] GBIF: perpetuating probably defunct unpublished names

[Geoff Read]

 I looked Ken, and the authorships complained of as incorrect appear to be
produced in the electronic catalogue of weevil names referred to. I can't
see that GBIF and their source, Catalogue of Life, are at fault here are
they? They have apparently copied the data as offered. The
error-correction request should go to the WTaxa people.

Search for Scolytus species in the genus box at WTaxa.

http://wtaxa.csic.es/search/resultsAdvancedHP.aspx


Geoff


>>> On 23/05/2010 at 10:24 p.m., "Walker, Ken" <kwalker at museum.vic.gov.au>
wrote:
>> ‑ The data published through GBIF are not qualitatively transformed
> from the collections where they originate.
>
> But they do.
>
> Look at the authorship of Scolytus scolytus ‑
>
> In GBIF, EOL and Catalogue of Life 2007 the authorship is incorrectly
listed
> a Wood and Bright 1992:
>
> GBIF:  http://data.gbif.org/species/14616352/
>
> EOL: http://www.eol.org/pages/691357
>
> Catalogue of Life 2007:
> http://www.catalogueoflife.org/annual‑checklist/2007/show_species_details.ph
> p?record_id=4242138
>
> However, in ITIS the authorship is corrected listed as (Fabricius, 1775).
>
> The problem began when a mash up was made from the Electronic Catalogue of
> Curculionoidea website.
>
> It correctly listed the authorship of Scolytus scolytus and cited the
> publication of Wood and Bright 1992 as the source.  Somehow, the mash up
> dropped the authorship name and replaced it with the citation name. Then it
> spread ....
>
> Now, almost every weevil that occurs in North America and was listed in the
> Wood and Bright 1992 publication has Wood and Bright as the author of the
> those species: Here is the EOL Scoltyus species list.  Run your eye down
the
> list to see how many species have Wood and Bright 1992 as their authorship:
> http://www.eol.org/pages/49702
>
> I sent emails to GBIF and EOL without receiving a reply and so like hitting
> your head against a brick wall ‑‑ I felt better when I stopped.
>
> I am beginning to wonder whether discrete taxon treatment websites are
> indeed better than those that attempt to do all.
>
> Ken
>
> Ken Walker
> Museum Victoria
> Australia