[Taxacom] Important note Re: two names online published - one new species

Stephen Thorpe stephen_thorpe at yahoo.co.nz
Sun Jan 24 15:11:02 CST 2016


Frank,

Zootaxa is very relevant to this whole thread and wider discussion.

Fact (1): there are significant problems with the electronic amendment (no, the sky isn't falling down, people aren't running for the hills in droves, etc., but in the context of zoological nomenclature there are significant problems), none of which affect the Zootaxa publishing model.

Fact (2): the owner of Zootaxa is a prominent member of the ICZN who had a significant part to play in the development of the electronic amendment.

Now, you can claim, if you really want to, that facts (1) and (2) are independent, coincidence, or whatever, but to me it looks like a classic case of a COI. The best interests of zoological nomenclature as a whole are not necessarily the best interests of Zootaxa in particular. You make yourself look foolish if you refuse to acknowledge the problem here. You might claim that the COI is outweighed by other more important factors (like, maybe, keeping the ICZN viable and running), but it is really self-evident that the electronic amendment was optimised for the Zootaxa publishing model and to hell with any other alternative. There is no room for doubt regarding the Code compliance of Zootaxa articles, but articles from many other publishers are very much in the "how liberal do you feel" bucket, and it isn't going to be long before taxonomists start renaming taxa already named by others in these dubiously valid publications (just like Scott Thomson renames taxa from Australasian Journal of Herpetology). All this is not good! It isn't a corrupt conspiracy, or anything of the sort. It is just not good for zoological nomenclature, not good for taxonomy, and not good for science.

Stephen

--------------------------------------------
On Mon, 25/1/16, Frank T. Krell <Frank.Krell at dmns.org> wrote:

 Subject: RE: [Taxacom] Important note Re: two names online published - one	new species
 To: "Stephen Thorpe" <stephen_thorpe at yahoo.co.nz>, "deepreef at bishopmuseum.org" <deepreef at bishopmuseum.org>, "taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu" <taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu>, "'Doug Yanega'" <dyanega at ucr.edu>
 Cc: "'engel'" <msengel at ku.edu>
 Received: Monday, 25 January, 2016, 9:40 AM
 
 As expected.
 Still being pragmatic.
 And
 Zootaxa again, out of context, but in your mind all the
 time.
 
 Frank
 
 -----Original Message-----
 From: Stephen Thorpe [mailto:stephen_thorpe at yahoo.co.nz]
 
 Sent: Sunday, January 24, 2016 1:37 PM
 To: deepreef at bishopmuseum.org;
 'Stephen Thorpe' <stephen_thorpe at yahoo.co.nz>;
 taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu;
 'Doug Yanega' <dyanega at ucr.edu>;
 Frank T. Krell <Frank.Krell at dmns.org>
 Cc: 'engel' <msengel at ku.edu>
 Subject: RE: [Taxacom] Important note Re: two
 names online published - one new species
 
 Frank,
 
 That is
 a pretty darn liberal reinterpretation of:
 
 8.5.3.1. The entry in the
 Official Register of Zoological Nomenclature must give the
 name and Internet address of an organization other than the
 publisher that is intended to permanently archive the work
 in a manner that preserves the content and layout, and is
 capable of doing so. This information is not required to
 appear in the work itself.
 
 If we allow such dizzying levels of liberality,
 then it is pretty much "anything goes"! Besides,
 publishing with a publisher that still prints hard copies
 effectively IS archiving, but the Code is clearly not
 concerned with "effectively", and it just opens up
 a huge scope for everyone to disagree on the interpretation
 of the Code, thereby causing instability and nomenclatural
 chaos (none of which affects Zootaxa...)
 
 Cheers,
 
 Stephen
 
 --------------------------------------------
 On Mon, 25/1/16, Frank T. Krell <Frank.Krell at dmns.org>
 wrote:
 
  Subject: RE:
 [Taxacom] Important note Re: two names online published -
 one    new species
  To: "deepreef at bishopmuseum.org"
 <deepreef at bishopmuseum.org>,
 "'Stephen Thorpe'" <stephen_thorpe at yahoo.co.nz>,
 "taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu"
 <taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu>,
 "'Doug Yanega'" <dyanega at ucr.edu>
  Cc: "'engel'" <msengel at ku.edu>
  Received: Monday, 25 January, 2016, 9:31 AM
  
  I would see the criteria
  for availability more liberally. Publishing
 with a publisher  that archives all its publications anyway
 is an intention to  archive.
  Being
 pragmatic.
  
  Frank
  
  
  Dr Frank
 T. Krell
  Curator of Entomology
  Commissioner, International Commission on 
 Zoological Nomenclature  Chair, ICZN ZooBank  Committee 
 Department of Zoology  Denver Museum of Nature &
 Science
  2001 Colorado Boulevard
  Denver, CO 80205-5798 USA
  Frank.Krell at dmns.org
  
  Phone: (+1) (303)
 370-8244
  Fax: (+1) (303) 331-6492
  http://www.dmns.org/science/museum-scientists/frank-krell
  lab page: http://www.dmns.org/krell-lab
  
  Test your powers of
  observation in The International Exhibition of
 Sherlock  Holmes, open until January 31. And prepare your
 palate for
  Chocolate: The Exhibition,
 opening February 12.
  
  The
 Denver Museum of Nature
  & Science
 salutes the citizens of metro Denver for  helping fund
 arts, culture and science through their support  of the
 Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD).
  
  
  
  
  -----Original
 Message-----
  From: Taxacom [mailto:taxacom-bounces at mailman.nhm.ku.edu]
  On Behalf Of Richard Pyle
 
 Sent: Sunday,
  January 24, 2016 12:42 PM
  To: 'Stephen
  Thorpe'
 <stephen_thorpe at yahoo.co.nz>;
  taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu;
  'Doug Yanega' <dyanega at ucr.edu>
  Cc: 'engel' <msengel at ku.edu>
  Subject: Re: [Taxacom] Important note Re:
 two  names online published - one new species
  
  I can confirm that the
 Archive was added to  this record at 2016-01-23
 12:21:46.330 UTC, by the same  login account that created
 the original registration.  Following the principle that
 the work becomes available when  all requirements are
 fulfilled (see my previous email reply  to Laurent on this
 list), and assuming all other  requirements for publication
 are met, my interpretation  would be that the date of
 publication for purposes of  priority should be 23 January
 2016. If numerous copies of  the paper edition were
 simultaneously obtainable prior to  this date, and if the
 paper edition is in compliance with  the Code for published
 works printed on paper, then the date  of publication for
 purposes of priority should be  interpreted as the date on
 which numerous copies of the  printed edition were
 simultaneously obtainable (see Art.
 
 21.9).
  
  What is, or is
 not
  visible through the ZooBank website is
 irrelevant. The Code  makes reference to content in the
 Official Register of  Zoological Nomenclature, only a
 subset of which is visible  on the website itself.  Future
 versions of the ZooBank  website (pending development
 support) will include more  robust and publicly visible
 documentation of when specific  items were added or
 amended.
  
  Aloha,
  Rich
  
  >
 -----Original Message-----
  > From:
 Stephen Thorpe [mailto:stephen_thorpe at yahoo.co.nz]
  > Sent: Sunday, January 24, 2016 9:25 AM 
 > To: taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu; 
 Doug Yanega  > Cc: deepreef at bishopmuseum.org; 
 engel  > Subject: Re: [Taxacom] Important  note Re: two
 names online published -  >  one new species  > 
 >  Doug,  >  > I'm not  sure that this was
 at all helpful! The addition of the  archive  > info
 isn't date stamped  (at least not for public view). Now
 the record  > misleadingly looks like valid online
 first  publication on 4 January 2016:
  >
 http://zoobank.org/References/07554C01-DEC3-4080-A337-B1F46BC9070F
  >
  > As far as I
 know,
  the print edition may not be
 published yet (all we  > know is that it is the January
 2016 print  issue, which could be  > published in 
 February for all we know). So there may be no way to  >
 determine the true date of availability  for the new names.
 Even if we  > can get  a definitive date on the hard
 copy, this doesn't help  much, unless it is on or
 before 4 January 2016.
  >
  > Stephen
  >
  >
 
 --------------------------------------------
  > On Sun, 24/1/16, Doug Yanega <dyanega at ucr.edu>
  wrote:
  >
 
 >  Subject:
  [Taxacom] Important note
 Re: two names online published -
  
  > one new species
  >
  To: taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu,
  "engel" <msengel at ku.edu>
  >  Received: Sunday, 24 January, 2016,
 7:34  PM  >  >  I sent a  note to the authors of
 the  >  Kinzelbachilla paper (who had not  >  been
 CCed before as Mike Engel had), and they said they  have 
 fixed  > the ZooBank record so it  now includes the
 archive. Accordingly,  for  > the  public record, if
 we follow the  guideline as Rich suggested,  all  >
 of  the  criteria for availability have now been fulfilled
 for  the  name in their  work.
  >
  >  Most interesting of all, however, if 
 that they disagree  regarding  > these  two papers
 describing the same taxon, despite both being  from  >
 essentially the same type of  amber deposit:
  >
  >
 
 "By the way, it is not the same thing, the eyes, for 
 instance, are  > strikingly  different."
  >
  >  In other words,
 this may not be a matter  of competing for  priority, 
 > after  all, as Hans had originally supposed.
  >
  
  > 
 Peace,
  >
  >  --
  >  Doug Yanega
     
 Dept. of Entomology
  >
 
    Entomology Research Museum
  > 
 Univ. of California, Riverside, CA
 
 92521-0314
  >     skype:
  dyanega
  >  phone: (951)
 827-4315
  (disclaimer: opinions are mine,
 not
  >
  UCR's)
  >                http://cache.ucr.edu/~heraty/yanega.html
  >     "There are some
  enterprises in which a  careful
 disorderliness  >           is the true 
 method" -  >  Herman Melville, Moby  Dick, Chap.
 82  >  > 
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