[Taxacom] Type localities (was: Bionomina 13 published)

Thu Dec 27 09:31:37 CST 2018

Hi Stephen,
       Well that is why I said that reason was just a "bit more important".  But if a type locality of a species or subspecies has something unusual in its environment, then it might not really be a separate taxon worthy of recognition.  For instance, something in the soil might affect the coloration of the local population that might not be known to someone comparing specimens in a museum (probably more important in the past, but less so today if you can do molecular testing). Or if a reviser of subspecies sees that the type localities of two subspecies are fairly close together (rather than in more distant areas of their distributions), that might be an indication that more collecting is necessary to see if they should probably be merged into a single subspecies.  But this would only be marginally important and probably just to that reviser.
         But that is just a minor quibble.  Type localities are much more important (and to more researchers) when it comes to conservation or attempts to rediscover rare species.
                            -------------------Ken
________________________________
From: Stephen Thorpe <stephen_thorpe at yahoo.co.nz>
Sent: Wednesday, December 26, 2018 9:12 PM
To: taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu; Kenneth Kinman
Subject: Re: [Taxacom] Type localities (was: Bionomina 13 published)

Hi Ken,
Surely your reason why type localities may be important for variable species is actually only a reason why distributions are important? The type locality itself just doesn't seem to me to be very useful, except if the description is inadequate and then only if there is one and only one candidate species present at the type locality (i.e. then we can link the name with a species, but not with certainty due to the theoretical possibility of sympatry of equal candidates).
Cheers,
Stephen

--------------------------------------------
On Thu, 27/12/18, Kenneth Kinman <kinman at hotmail.com> wrote:

 Subject: [Taxacom] Type localities (was: Bionomina 13 published)
 To: "taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu" <taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu>
 Received: Thursday, 27 December, 2018, 3:36 PM

 Hi Stephen,

    I agree that some of this jargon is getting out of hand
 (and not particularly useful).  Anyway, to answer your
 question, I wouldn't think type localities would be of
 much importance at all for a common, widespread uniform
 species.  The type locality of the monarch butterfly was
 just "America septentrionali".  The type locality
 of the neotype is Kendall, New York, but who really cares
 (except perhaps a reviser looking at all the synonyms)?
        Type localities are bit more
 important for variable species (with lots of named
 subspecies).  And even more so for very uncommon or rare
 species with restricted ranges.  Not only for the
 conservation of endangered species, but for the rediscovery
 of species so rare that they have been considered extinct.
 However, in certain cases, publishing an exact type locality
 might be counter-productive, especially if specimens could
 be monetized (such as some rare vertebrates or dinosaur
 bones).  In those cases, an exact type locality should
 probably be on a "need to know" basis for
 qualified collectors or conservationist scientists.  In any
 case, I doubt that jargon like onymotopes, much less
 lectonymotopes, is very useful (and more likely to just
 cause confusion or consternation).

             --------------------Ken
 P.S.  A type locality was perhaps (?) of some
 help in the rediscovery of Cicindela floridana:  https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1692&context=insectamundi

 ________________________________
 From: Taxacom <taxacom-bounces at mailman.nhm.ku.edu>
 on behalf of Stephen Thorpe <stephen_thorpe at yahoo.co.nz>
 Sent: Wednesday, December 26, 2018 3:34 PM
 To: taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu;
 Alain Dubois
 Subject: Re: [Taxacom]
 Bionomina 13 published

 "Onymotopes in zoological nomenclature:
 some additional terms, with fixation of a lectonymotope for
 Xenopus petersii Bocage, 1895 (Amphibia, Anura)"

 The jargon is getting out of
 hand! The utility of type localities
 ("Onymotopes") only goes so far (and not very
 far)! A type locality is just a place where you can go to
 find typical specimens of a taxon (if they haven't
 subsequently gone extinct there!) It may help to establish
 the identity of a poorly described species, but it may not
 if there are sympatric congeners at the locality, all of
 which more or less agree with the description. The
 possibility of mislabelling means that stated type
 localities may be incorrect, and there may not be any way to
 discover the mislabelling.

 Granted that I haven't read the paper (it
 is paywalled, and I don't have access right now), but
 can someone please explain why type localities are
 important?

 Stephen

 --------------------------------------------
 On Thu, 27/12/18, Alain Dubois <adbionomina at gmail.com>
 wrote:

  Subject: [Taxacom]
 Bionomina 13 published
  To: taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu
  Received: Thursday, 27 December, 2018, 7:51
 AM

  taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu

  Dear Colleagues,

  This is to inform you of
 the
  publication of volume 13 of Bionomina
 by
  Magnolia Press. Here is the table of
  contents of this issue:

  1–27
  Familial nomina in
 harvestmen
  (Arachnida, Opiliones)
  Adriano B. KURY

  28–36
  Reflections on the
 growing use of
  sounds in systematics and
 synecology:
  why an acoustic signal cannot
 become an
  onomatophore

 Laure DESUTTER-GRANDCOLAS, Sylvain
  HUGEL,
 Sandra GOUTTE & Tony
  ROBILLARD

  37–50

 Onymotopes in zoological nomenclature:
  some
 additional terms, with fixation
  of a
 lectonymotope for Xenopus petersii
  Bocage,
 1895 (Amphibia,
  Anura)

 Thierry FRÉTEY, Maël DEWYNTER &

 Annemarie OHLER

  51–64
  The Relictus case: it is high time that
  taxonomists follow the Code’s
  requirements for nomenclatural
  availability and validity of new zoological
  nomina
  Alain DUBOIS, Thierry
 FRÉTEY &
  Annemarie OHLER

  65–68
  If
 you choose not to decide you still
  have
 made a choice
  Pedro H. PINNA, Daniel S.
 FERNANDES
  & Paulo PASSOS

  69–73

 Natural history collecting and the

 arrogance of the modern Ark researcher

 Spartaco GIPPOLITI

  Best
 wishes and Season's Greetings,

  Alain

 ____________________________________

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

  Adresses e-mail: <sapo421 at gmail.com>,
  <adbionomina at gmail.com>,
  <
  adpeerj at gmail.com>,
  <adubois at mnhn.fr>

  Blogs personnels:
  Sur Overblog: <lherbu.com>
  Sur Mediapart: <https://blogs.mediapart.fr/alaindubois-0/blog>

  President, Linz Zoocode
 Committee
  <zoologos22 at gmail.com>

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

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

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

  Website of the journal
 Alytes
  <https://www.alytes-journal.org>

  Website of the journal
 Dumerilia
  <http://dumerilia.wifeo.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
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  problèmes. C’est l’habitude du
  doute, le discernement dans la méfiance,
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 raison;
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 dogmatismes
  officiels mais sans profit pour
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  charlatans, c’est révérer le
 génie
  mais sans en faire une idole,
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  toujours préférer ce qui est à
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  qu’on préférerait qui fût.”
  (Jean Rostand, Le droit d’être
  naturaliste, 1963).

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 Nurturing Nuance while
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 _______________________________________________
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 Nurturing Nuance while
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