Taxacom: demystifying gender agreement ( was Re: Removals ofoffending scientific names)

[Douglas Yanega]

On 6/26/23 2:53 AM, Geoff Read via Taxacom wrote:
> As a database editor I can have great difficulty in ascertaining the gender of a genus, because it isn't stated, and the derivation of the name is obscure and unresolvable.
> Sometimes the view of the gender assignment oscillates between masculine and feminine with successive authors over the decades. Who is right?
> The other unnecessary problem is that authors don't think it necessary to explain themselves when they suddenly change the gender endings within a genus. It's beneath them to help out in that way.
> So, lacking the explanation, we try to find the evidence for ourselves.  This is a terrific waste of my time.

I agree, it IS a waste of your time.

If there was a single list to consult that told you *instantly and 
definitively* what gender any given genus is, and another list that told 
you whether or not an epithet is subject to changes in spelling (and 
what those changes are), do you think that this would resolve this 
particular issue?

Don't give in to the Dark Side.

Peace,

-- 
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)
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