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

Geoff Read gread at actrix.gen.nz
Thu Dec 27 17:51:48 CST 2018


A point type locality is the geographic data point where it is absolutely
certain a species occurs (or did occur). As such you can "do things with
it", say in a biogeographic analysis of a genus, whereas other records
will probably include misleading misidentifications. It's not
nomenclatural, or not just nomenclatural or taxonomic.

Geoff

On Fri, December 28, 2018 8:58 am, Stephen Thorpe wrote:
> "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>
>
>    ____________________________________
>
>   
>
>    “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).
>
>   
>
>   ____________________________________
>
>   
>
>   _______________________________________________
>
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>    Nurturing Nuance while
>
>   Assaulting
>
>    Ambiguity for 31 Some Years,
>
>   1987-2018.
>
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--
Geoffrey B. Read, Ph.D.
Wellington, NEW ZEALAND
gread at actrix.gen.nz



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