[Taxacom] Discovering insect species based on photographs only

[Thomas Pape]

Dear John,

In short, zoological species [nominal taxa of the species-group] are based on one or more specimens, but they can be named without an extant (or existing) physical name-bearing type:
https://www.nature.com/articles/537307b

Our Codes of Nomenclature have to cover a wide range of situations, and as always the Devil is in the detail. 

Example:
The Egyptian entomologist H.H. Salem described a number of species of flies based on material from the Natural History Museum in London. He gave their correct depository, but they are not there. These flies were published in 1946, and my guess is that they disappeared during their shipping to London. Thus, they most likely did not exist when the publication appeared. Perhaps even before Salem submitted his manuscript. Does it matter -- not under the zoological Code

At this very moment I am working on a manuscript for a revisionary paper describing several species for which the entire material (holotype + paratypes) disappeared in the fire when the Museu Nacional in Rio burned down in 2018. We have exquisite morphological documentation (descriptions, photos, and high-quality illustrations of the male genitalia). We can decide to publish these data without any new names, or we can propose formal names. Pros and cons can be put forward for both procedures, but the zoological Code does not rule against their naming.

The issue of Nessie has come up several times, and if you have a photo (good or bad makes no difference) of what you honestly think is Nessie, you can publish a formal description and give it a scientific name (which actually has already been done). The name-bearing type will be whatever specimen(s) the photo shows.

/Thomas


-----Original Message-----
From: Taxacom <taxacom-bounces at mailman.nhm.ku.edu> On Behalf Of John Grehan via Taxacom
Sent: 15. december 2021 19:21
To: Dilrukshan Wijesinghe <dpwijesinghe at yahoo.com>
Cc: Taxacom <taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu>
Subject: Re: [Taxacom] Discovering insect species based on photographs only

Could someone briefly remind me of whether photo only species naming is accepted under the current rules of nomenclature? I am sure I have a good photo of Nesse here somewhere.

John Grehan

On Wed, Dec 15, 2021 at 7:30 AM Dilrukshan Wijesinghe via Taxacom < taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu> wrote:

> Discovering insect species based on photographs only: The case of a 
> nameless species of the genus Scaria (Orthoptera: Tetrigidae) expand 
> article infoNiko Kasalo, Maks Deranja, Karmela Adžić, Roberto Sindaco, 
> Josip Skejo.
> Journal of Orthoptera Research 30(2): 173-184. (14 Dec 2021)
> doi.org/10.3897/jor.30.65885
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> Discovering insect species based on photographs only: The case of a name...
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> Niko Kasalo, Maks Deranja, Karmela Adžić, Roberto Sindaco, Josip Skejo
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> A heated debate on whether a new species should be described without a 
> physical specimen, i.e., by designating a...
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> Priyantha
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> D. P. Wijesinghe
> dpwijesinghe at yahoo.com
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