[Taxacom] Higher taxa nomenclatural rules

[Alain Dubois]

Dear Colleagues,

This is to inform you that the following paper was just published:

Dubois, A. (2015) The Duplostensional Nomenclatural System for higher
zoological nomenclature.
Dumerilia, 5: 1-108.

Abstract
The almost complete absence in the Code of Rules for the
nomenclature of higher zoological taxa is a severe nuisance for
scientific communication about biodiversity and should urgently be
remedied for. After a brief survey of previous proposals in this
respect, a new system of class-series nomenclature is presented: the
Duplostensional Nomenclatural System (DONS). Being ostensional
and not intensional as some recently proposed alternative
nomenclatural systems, DONS is compatible with the system of the
Code for the nomina of taxa from the rank subspecies to the rank
superfamily, although it differs from it in several respects,
particularly in being monosemic and in not using the Principle of
Coordination. This system proposes precise, automatic, universal
and stringent Criteria for the nomenclatural availability of nomina,
their nominal-series assignment, their taxonomic allocation, and
their nomenclatural validity and correctness. It has several
advantages over the other systems of higher nomenclature so far
proposed, including three previous Ostensional Nomenclatural
Systems (ONS). One of its particularities is that it uses two different
systems of taxonomic allocation of nomina, one for well-known
nomina and one for more obscure ones. This allows to maintain as
valid the few really well-known higher zoological nomina (such as
AVES, COLEOPTERA or MOLLUSCA), even when they were not the
first ones to have been proposed for the taxa to which they apply or
when these taxa are modified through the inclusion of more basal,
often fossil, taxa. The other nomina follow simpler Criteria and
require less work for their allocation and validation. Adoption by
the international community of taxonomists of this system, with or
without incorporation of these Criteria into the Code, would allow
higher zoological nomenclature to abandon its current nonscientific
practices based on arbitrariness, subjectivity and
lobbying, and to be at last based on a clear, explicit, repeatable
methodology that would allow non-ambiguous international
communication about taxa. The use of the proposed Criteria is
exemplified through a detailed analysis of the steps allowing to
establish under DONS the valid nomina of the higher nomina of
recent amphibians (frogs, salamanders and cecilians).

Key words
Biodiversity, scientific communication, taxonomy, nomenclature, higher
taxa, Code, ostensional nomenclatural systems, Criteria, Principle of
Coordination, monosemy, polysemy, availability, assignment, allocation,
validity, priority, usage, homonymy, synonymy, correctness, amphibians


This paper can be obtained through the website: http://dumerilia.wifeo.com/

Merry Christmas and best wishes,

Alain Dubois


____________________________________

Professeur Alain Dubois
Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle
Institut Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB) - UMR 7205
Reptiles & Amphibiens
CP 30
25 rue Cuvier
75005 Paris
France

emails: <adbionomina at gmail.com>, <adpeerj at gmail.com>, <adubois at mnhn.fr>

Chief Editor, Bionomina
<http://www.mapress.com/bionomina>

Nomenclature Editor, Zootaxa
<http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/>

Academic Editor, PeerJ
<https://peerj.com>
____________________________________

“La culture ce n’est pas avoir le cerveau farci de dates, de noms ou de
chiffres, c’est la qualité du jugement, l’exigence logique, l’appétit de la
preuve, la notion de la complexité des choses et de l’arduité des
problèmes. C’est l’habitude du doute, le discernement dans la méfiance, la
modestie d’opinion, la patience d’ignorer, la certitude qu’on n’a jamais
tout le vrai en partage; c’est avoir l’esprit ferme sans l’avoir rigide,
c’est être armé contre le flou et aussi contre la fausse précision, c’est
refuser tous les fanatismes et jusqu’à ceux qui s’autorisent de la raison;
c’est suspecter les dogmatismes officiels mais sans profit pour les
charlatans, c’est révérer le génie mais sans en faire une idole, c’est
toujours préférer ce qui est à ce qu’on préférerait qui fût.”
(Jean Rostand, Le droit d’être naturaliste, 1963).
____________________________________