[Tcs-lc] concepts of Higher taxa

[Paul Kirk]

It's difficult to dissect the paragraph below because it's a fair mix of nomenclature and taxonomy but here are a few comments. The first sentence here is what prompted my question (perhaps off list) last week which was how do nomenclators decide which parent (genus) a species belongs to when generic homonym are involved; the protologue of the species may contain this information but I suspect that it has not always been captured. So, there may be multiple concepts for two reasons - nomenclature and taxonomy. The Code cannot be changed to require the latter be defined for this is taxonomy and outside the Code, and it may not be necessary to change it for the former reason as there are no nomenclatural consequences, IMO, of this uncertainty. I think the 'specific act of inclusion' referred to is answered in the previous sentence - use of the binomial system - for the act of publishing a binomial must either change the existing generic concept or, if we all accept that concepts when published (do we have an unambiguous definition of the word published? - not lifted from the Code I hope!) immutable, create a new one.
 
Paul
 
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To my understanding at the moment it is not necessary to identify the specific concept of the genus one is using when publishing a new species. Therefore when there exist mulitple concepts of a genus it is not possible to determine which genus concept is being expanded by the publication of the new species. This could be a case for requesting a change in the codes such that the specific concept being used must be identified when publishing a new name. However, as it stands at the moment, the publication of a species within a genus is a purely nomenclatural exercise required to satisfy the demands of the binomial naming system and has no influence whatsoever on any existing concepts of the genus. In order for a new species to be incorporated into a generic concept a specific act of inclusion must be performed at which point a new generic concept is created. 
 
Martin

Dr. Martin Pullan

The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

Web site: http://www.rbge.org.uk

Phone: (+44) 0131 248 2908

Fax: (+44) 0131 248 2901

 

	-----Original Message-----
	From: tcs-lc-bounces at ecoinformatics.org [mailto:tcs-lc-bounces at ecoinformatics.org] On Behalf Of Paul Kirk
	Sent: 31 March 2005 07:32
	To: tcs-lc at ecoinformatics.org
	Subject: Re: [Tcs-lc] concepts of Higher taxa
	
	
	I disagree; publication of a new species always changes the circumscription of the genus! Since at least one components which define the genus when the new species is described (the new species) have changed
	 
	Consider these hypothetical examples:
	 
	Genus Aus Smith SEC. [everyone up to now] has species with flowers that are red or yellow; a new species by Jones has blue flowers thus genus Aus Smith SEC. Jones has a new circumscription.
	 
	Genus Aus Smith SEC. [everyone up to now] has sequence data represented by GenBank acc. numbers 1234, 1238, 1239 ...; a new species by Jones have sequence data represented by GenBank acc number 2375 thus genus Aus Smith SEC. Jones has a new circumscription.
	 
	I am not sure how anyone can say the cicumscription of the genus has not changed, unless we are using different definitions (concepts) of the words we use to communicate - often a problem as we all know too well ;-)
	 
	pAUL
	 
	> 2) I also believe that it is erroneous to consider that the pubication 
	> of new species constitutes an expansion of of the existing concepts of 
	> the higher taxon to which they are stated to belong. 

	In my view, it may or may not.  Whether or not the publication of a new species within a genus expands the genus concept in which it was placed (relative, e.g., to the concept intended by the original creation of the genus name) depends on subjective judgement. In most cases, I suspect that it does not (should not) alter the genus circumscription.

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