Taxacom: Removals of offending scientific names

[Douglas Yanega]

As a follow-up to a comment made earlier in the thread:

It is not true that the ICZN Commissioners do not care about offensive 
names. We do not endorse offensive names, and the Code has long 
contained wording asking that taxonomists refrain from coining names 
that are foreseeably offensive. However, we also do not endorse the 
EXTERNAL imposition of any form of censorship. I specify "external" 
because taxonomists are always capable of making their own decisions, 
and they can - *and sometimes do* - engage in self-censorship. If the 
global community of carabid researchers decided, by consensus, that they 
wished to replace the name of a certain infamous blind cave beetle 
species, *then they are free to do so* - but it must be THEIR decision, 
and not something forced upon them by people outside their discipline. 
The choice of what names to use for organisms resides *strictly* within 
the community affected *directly* by any such choice. Ornithologists can 
decide what names to use for birds; ichthyologists can decide what names 
to use for fish; herpetologists can decide what names to use for 
reptiles; lepidopterists can decide what names to use for butterflies 
and moths, and so forth. Often these decisions violate the Code, but 
there is a mechanism by which such decisions CAN be made compliant, so 
the Commission CAN support such efforts, but *only when there is 
consensus among the affected community*.

The bottom line: please do not accuse the Commission of turning a blind 
eye to the issue. There are certain decisions that are not ours to make, 
but we *are* prepared to support them, under the right circumstances. 
The implication that the Commission could either unilaterally engage in 
suppressing names, or prevent others from suppressing names, 
*misrepresents* what the Commission's mandate is, or how we exercise our 
mandate.

On 6/22/23 3:42 AM, Stephen Thorpe via Taxacom wrote:
>   Here is a 2023 example of just how ridiculous zoological nomenclature is becoming:
> Abba new genus

The implication that zoological nomenclature has only recently become 
"ridiculous" ignores essentially all of nomenclatural history, *starting 
with Linnaeus himself*, who provided us with a number of "ridiculous" 
and "offensive" scientific names, for both plants and animals.

The list is staggering, and I've done my best to document the long and 
glorious history here:

https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ffaculty.ucr.edu%2F~heraty%2Fyanega.html%23Curious%2520Scientific%2520Names&data=05%7C01%7Ctaxacom%40lists.ku.edu%7Cf022a088ae94446e8afd08db7343dbb7%7C3c176536afe643f5b96636feabbe3c1a%7C0%7C0%7C638230507512316327%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=gl79ji1m%2FCbNSg8q2uVtRopvRZ4Pl2fR7SGMbK8cHMc%3D&reserved=0

The point remains that nomenclature has *never*, since its inception, 
been devoid of attempts at humor (some in poor taste), attempts at 
flattery or gestures of respect (again, sometimes reflecting poorly on 
the author), or just plain nonsense (Kearfott's moth names being a prime 
example). If you experience surprise, disdain, or indignation at 
"ridiculous" names, then best to simply close your eyes and walk away 
from scientific nomenclature altogether.

Sincerely,

-- 
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)
              https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ffaculty.ucr.edu%2F~heraty%2Fyanega.html&data=05%7C01%7Ctaxacom%40lists.ku.edu%7Cf022a088ae94446e8afd08db7343dbb7%7C3c176536afe643f5b96636feabbe3c1a%7C0%7C0%7C638230507512316327%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=aYNFqEYU7JxhbrkzSum%2BsreDizpXKF1gWZryC1WgVCI%3D&reserved=0
   "There are some enterprises in which a careful disorderliness
         is the true method" - Herman Melville, Moby Dick, Chap. 82