Taxacom: Mandatory ending correction after 226 years of wrong usage - the Dasytes case

[Francisco Welter-Schultes]

Dear Paul,
do you know why under the botanical Code changing the ending of epithets 
is avoided, by conserving traditionally applied genders for generic names?

Cheers
Francisco

Am 02.02.2025 um 11:43 schrieb Paul van Rijckevorsel via Taxacom:
> 
> On 29/01/2025 23:44, Douglas Yanega via Taxacom wrote:
>>
>> [...] Second, you seem to be using a different definition of
>> stability than what the Code uses. [...] Instability is *when 
>> taxonomists disagree* on what name/spelling/variant to use. The Code's 
>> concept of stability/instability is more akin to the dichotomy between 
>> consensus and dispute, and not the sense of "never changing". Names 
>> can change a LOT without creating instability, as long as all 
>> taxonomists adopt the changes.
> ***
> If the zoological /Code/ were to mean this by "instability" this
> would represent an extremely unfortunate choice of words,
> quite unnecessary because there is no lack of words which
> would avoid this ambiguity.
> 
> Also, it would be quite counter to the spirit of a /Code/ of
> nomenclature, in general. The purpose of a /Code/ is to govern
> names (directly), and thereby promote consensus among users
> (that is, indirectly). Not the other way round.
> 
> It is also contradicted by Principle 4: "... would be destructive
> of stability or universality ..." which clearly accepts stability
> and universality as two separate concepts.
> 
> FWIW, under the 'botanical' Code, it is not at all uncommon
> to conserve generic names with a particular gender, so as to
> avoid changes in endings of epithets.
> 
> Paul
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