[Taxacom] monotypic or monobasic

[Stephen Thorpe]

I expect that these terms don't have very precise definitions and that there may be a fair amount of variation in exact usage. My feeling is that "monobasic" isn't used much any more. It presumably means "with a single basis", i.e. "based on a single species". Monotypic presumably means "based on a single type", though "type" should, I think, be interpreted in the general sense, not as types in the nomenclatural sense (i.e. type species or type specimens), which is a possible source of confusion. So, a genus with just one species regarded as valid would be monotypic, even if the single species had synonyms (and therefore more than one type specimen included). All nominal genera obviously have only one type species, whether or not the genus is monotypic! Monotypy is the act of basing a new genus on a single species. I have never seen or heard the term "monobasy"! I also don't think that these terms apply to species, i.e. basing a new species on a single specimen doesn't make the species mono-anything!
Stephen

--------------------------------------------
On Thu, 14/12/17, John Grehan <calabar.john at gmail.com> wrote:

 Subject: [Taxacom] monotypic or monobasic
 To: "taxacom" <taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu>
 Received: Thursday, 14 December, 2017, 6:07 PM
 
 Dear colleagues,
 
 I have seen the terms 'monotypic' and
 'monobasic' applied to genera with a
 single species. I am curious to know if
 there is a technically correct
 choice for the use of these terms for
 such genera. If anyone may be able to
 enlighten me as to the rules, if any,
 governing how these terms are
 properly used I would be most
 grateful.
 
 John Grehan
 _______________________________________________
 Taxacom Mailing List
 Taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu,
 http://mailman.nhm.ku.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/taxacom
 The Taxacom Archive back to 1992 may be
 searched at: http://taxacom.markmail.org
 
 Send Taxacom mailing list submissions
 to taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu
 To subscribe or unsubscribe via the
 Web, visit: http://mailman.nhm.ku.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/taxacom
 You can reach the person managing the
 list at: taxacom-owner at mailman.nhm.ku.edu
 
 Nurturing Nuance while Assaulting
 Ambiguity for 30 Some Years, 1987-2017.