[Tcs-lc] concepts of Higher taxa

[Richard Pyle]

> My point re homonym is that nomenclators have not always
> captured data to indicate which one of two or more homonyms
> an author intended the new species to belong to - perhaps
> an imperfection of previous indexing services.

Right!  Agreed.  One can often derive which homonym from the family
placement of the name as presented by the nomenclator, but intra-familial
genus homonyms certainly do exist.

But, as you say, I think this is an imperfection of the nomenclators, which
will soon be resolved.  Not really a critical issue for TCS (or is it?)

> Agreed. I see only further confusion if we further muddy
> the waters between taxonomy and nomenclature. In any case
> such a proposal to change the ICBN would fail.

Likewise with ICZN.

> For me one of the primary elements in defining a "genus
> concept" is the included species so I fail to see how
> the description of a new species cannot change (if genus
> concepts are mutable) or create (if genus concepts are
> immutable) a genus concept.

To me, the number of species epithets within a genus name is a purely
nomenclatural consideration.  In my view, the concept circumscription of a
genus (or any other higher- or lower-rank name) is the set of *organisms* it
contains (species epithets being implied proxies for subsets of organisms).
In the two examples you provided, it seems clear to me that the scope of
individual organisms (living, recently dead, and yet-to-be-born) contained
within the genus expaneded with the discovery/description of the new
species.  In the example I gave, the number of names increased, but the
scope of individual organisms did not change. Hence, the the two genus
concept circumscriptions (of organisms) -- before and after the new species
description -- were, in my example, congruent. In such cases, it seems to me
that you have the option of defining two TCS TaxonConcept instances and
mapping the relationship between them as "congruent"; or you define only the
earlier of the two, and refer to it when defining the new species
TaxonConcept instance.

Rich