[Taxacom] Land plant taxon has been renamed

[Paul van Rijckevorsel]

As a descriptive name "may be used unchanged at different ranks",
I would much prefer "Embryophyta" over "Embryopsida", as
Embryophyta
1) is much closer to the well-known English word "Embryophytes"
than is Embryopsida.
2) surely makes more sense, linguistically.
3) using the ending -opsida here rather suggests that this is
a hybrid between an automatically typified name and a
descriptive name and this name would look extra odd when used
at a rank different than class.

I cannot tell if Embryophyta is a validly published name?

Paul

From: "John McNeill" <johnm at rom.on.ca>
Sent: Tuesday, October 23, 2012 11:12 AM

Yes, Jim, Embryopsida is Code compliant -- the relevant provisions are:

 11.10.  The principle of priority does not apply above the rank of family
(but see Rec. 16A).

[Recommendation16A
16A.1.  In choosing among typified names for a taxon above the rank of
family, authors should generally follow theprinciple of priority.]

and:

16.1.  The name of a taxon above therank of family is treated as a noun in
the plural and is written with aninitial capital letter. Such names may be
either (a) automaticallytypified names ....; or (b) descriptive names, not
so
formed, which may be used unchanged at different ranks.

Embryopsida is a descriptive name.

Unfortunately there are a number of other situations in which such a
sensible approach has not been achieved -- as in the need to use the family
name Plantaginaceae  evocative of the temperate weedy plantains for Veronica
and other former members of the Scrophulariaceae

Cheers,  John

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