[SEEK-Taxon] RE: relationship types

[franz@nceas.ucsb.edu]

One more time... Nico

Quoting Richard Pyle <deepreef at bishopmuseum.org>:

> O.K., again, that's a reflection of my ICZN-bias, where this scenario is
> not
> a Code-relevant issue.  But even in the context of the Botany code, I still
> see two separate statements here:

Quoting ICZN:

34.2. Species-group names. The ending of a Latin or latinized adjectival or
participial species-group name must agree in gender with the generic name with
which it is at any time combined [Art. 31.2]; if the gender ending is incorrect
it must be changed accordingly (the author and date of the name remain unchanged
[Art. 50.3.2]).

Article 48. Change of generic assignment. An available species-group name, with
change in gender ending if required [Art. 34.2], becomes part of another
combination whenever it is combined with a different generic name.

etc.

   Genus-species name combinations involve judgments about the similarity of
multiple types and must comply with currently accepted taxonomic thinking.
Anything named Curculio spp. is more closely related to each other than "it" is
to anything named Derelomus spp. Am I misunderstanding here?

> "Jones was the first author to combine the name 'bus' (basionym=Aus bus
> Smith) with the genus name Xus Jones."
>
>  - and -
>
> "Jones placed the species Xus bus (Smith) Jones SEC Jones within the parent
> taxon Xus Jones SEC Jones."

   Sure, the "move" to read the first phrase in a strict legalistic sense is
possible, as is the recording of name relationships while paying minimal
attention to their varying and evolving taxonomic implications.

   Of course for us the latter is the objective, the sooner the better. We need
to assure now that the LC designers understand these relationships in such a way
that a later "filling-in" of actual taxonomic meanings is possible. If we are
willing to understand how narrowly a name change can be interpreted, we might
rightly expect that one also makes room for a broad and more biologically
relevant reading. As far as I understand the Codes, genus-species combinations
permit both kinds of readings. In that case, choosing a system that can handle
both seems favorable.

-------------------------------------------------
This mail sent through IMP: http://horde.org/imp/