[Taxacom] Taxonomy of removing subspecies

[Stephen Thorpe]

Actually John, the meaning of your original suggestion, i.e. subspecies listed as 'n. syn.' is perfectly clear, which is really the only important consideration. The fact that they are already technically synonyms at the species level is pure pedantry, particularly in the context of what commonly gets published and causes me to sigh out loud. In other words, don't worry about it, you are "fiddling while Rome burns"...
Cheers,
Stephen

--------------------------------------------
On Sat, 12/5/18, John Grehan <calabar.john at gmail.com> wrote:

 Subject: Re: [Taxacom] Taxonomy of removing subspecies
 To: "Doug Yanega" <dyanega at ucr.edu>
 Cc: "taxacom" <taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu>
 Received: Saturday, 12 May, 2018, 5:18 AM
 
 Doug,
 
 Yes that makes perfect sense and corresponds to
 what I was attempting to
 articulate. Many
 thanks to you and others for helpful clarification.
 
 John Grehan
 
 On Fri, May 11, 2018 at 1:07
 PM, Doug Yanega <dyanega at ucr.edu>
 wrote:
 
 > On 5/11/18 9:45
 AM, John Grehan wrote:
 >
 >>   Francisco and Barry,
 >>
 >> Thanks for
 the feedback To be sure I understand correctly, the
 subspecies
 >> names are already junior
 synonyms so of one eliminates (or no longer
 >> recognizes) the subspecies entities,
 then they are not new synonyms
 >>
 because
 >> they are already junior
 synonyms. Sorry to belabor the point, just want to
 >> be sure I get that right!
 >>
 >> The relevant
 Code Article is 61.3.1:
 >
 > "61.3.1. If nominal taxa with
 different name-bearing types are referred to
 > a single taxonomic taxon, their names are
 subjective synonyms at the rank
 > of that
 taxon (but need not be synonyms at a subordinate rank).
 >
 > Example. The
 different name-bearing types of Psittacus elegans Gmelin,
 > 1788 and Platycercus flaveolus Gould, 1837
 are considered to belong to a
 > single
 taxonomic species of rosella parrot of which Platycercus
 elegans
 > (Gmelin, 1788) is the valid
 name. Although the names are subjective
 >
 synonyms at the rank of species, they are not synonyms at
 the subordinate
 > rank of subspecies of
 Platycercus elegans, for which the valid names are
 > Pl. e. elegans (Gmelin, 1788) and Pl. e.
 flaveolus Gould, 1837."
 >
 > As such, the names you refer to were
 already synonyms at the species rank
 >
 (so their status as synonyms at the species rank is not
 new), but they also
 > continue to be
 valid at the subspecies rank, for any taxonomist who
 accepts
 > subspecies. Deciding not to
 accept subspecies is a *taxonomic* decision,
 > not a nomenclatural act. The exception
 would be if the author formally
 >
 synonymized some (but not all) of the existing subspecies
 with the nominate
 > subspecies.
 >
 > Hope that makes
 sense,
 >
 > --
 > 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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 while Assaulting Ambiguity for 31 Some Years, 1987-2018.
 >
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 Assaulting Ambiguity for 31 Some Years, 1987-2018.