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

Thu Dec 27 13:58:52 CST 2018

"Type localities are much more important (and to more researchers) when it comes to conservation or attempts to rediscover rare species"

No, a nomenclatural concept like type locality is irrelevant to conservation or attempts to rediscover rare species. All you need for that are localities, not type localities per se. The only function of a type locality is to establish a link between name and species in cases where the holotype specimen and original description are both inadequate for that purpose, but it only works when there is one and only one candidate species present at the type locality. So, most of the time, type localities are irrelevant.

Stephen

--------------------------------------------
On Fri, 28/12/18, Kenneth Kinman <kinman at hotmail.com> wrote:

 Subject: Re: [Taxacom] Type localities (was: Bionomina 13 published)
 To: "taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu" <taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu>, "Stephen Thorpe" <stephen_thorpe at yahoo.co.nz>
 Received: Friday, 28 December, 2018, 4:31 AM

 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>

   ____________________________________

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  avoir le

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  de

   chiffres, c’est la qualité du

   jugement, l’exigence logique, l’appétit

  de la

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  raison;

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  dogmatismes

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   charlatans, c’est révérer le

  génie

   mais sans en faire une idole,

  c’est

   toujours préférer ce qui est à

  ce

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   (Jean Rostand, Le droit d’être

   naturaliste, 1963).

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