scholarly journals A modularity analysis helps improving the structure of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature

PeerJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. e10815
Author(s):  
Evangelos Vlachos
Keyword(s):  
A Priori ◽  
Species Group ◽  
Zoological Nomenclature ◽  
International Code ◽  
Current Structure ◽  
Continuous Body ◽  
Modularity Analysis ◽  
Reader Experience ◽  
True Structure ◽  
Entire Network

Background In a recent work I transformed a complex and integrated text like the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature into a network of interconnected parts of text. This new approach allowed understanding that a continuous body of text cannot accurately reflect the true structure of the Code, and provided a scientific methodology to identify a priori parts that could be affected by future revisions. In this next step, I investigate further the structure of the Code, seeking to use the network in order to identify the various conceptual communities grouping the various articles and other text items of the Code. Methods Using the first version of the network of the Code, I perform a comprehensive modularity analysis in two rounds: the first round aims to identify the fewest and largest communities or modules for the entire network, whereas the second round identifies the sub-modules within each larger module. The potential conflicts between the current structure of the Code and the module composition are evaluated with a parcellation analysis. Results The optimal modularity search identified 10 different modules in the entire network of varying size (ranging from 75 to 200 nodes). Each module can be further divided into smaller modules, that all-together allow describing the 65 conceptual groups of text items in the Code. Parcellation analysis revealed that two-thirds of the current chapters of the Code are in excellent or good accordance with the recovered conceptual modules, whereas the current composition of six chapters is in serious conflict with the conceptual structure of the Code. Discussion Judging only the composition and not the order of appearance of the Articles in the Chapters of the Code, I show that in many cases the current structure of the Code is found to correspond quite well to the concepts presented therein. The most important conflict is found on the provisions related to the various groups of names governed by the Code: family-, genus-, and species-group names. Currently, these provisions are spread out in different Articles in different Chapters, along the entire length of the Code. The modularity analysis suggests that re-organizing the Code in chapters that will deal with all aspects related to a given group (e.g., chapters including information on name formation, availability, typification, and validity for a given group), could potentially improve reader experience and, consequently, the applicability of the Code.

On the availability of the name Poecilia kempkesi Poeser 2013 (Cyprinodontiformes: Poeciliidae)

Zootaxa ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 4927 (2) ◽  
pp. 294-296
Author(s):  
PEDRO H. N. BRAGANÇA ◽  
FELIPE P. OTTONI
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Type Species ◽  
Poecilia Reticulata ◽  
Species Group ◽  
Zoological Nomenclature ◽  
International Code ◽  
Fourth Species

The poeciliid species, Poecilia kempkesi Poeser, 2013, was the fourth species of the subgenus Acanthophacelus Eigenmann, 1907 to be described, based on individuals from a single urban anthropized locality close to Paramaribo, Suriname (Poeser, 2013). The description itself lacked any section clearly distinguishing the new species from the remaining species of Poecilia Bloch & Schneider 1801, and in particular from the species of the subgenus Acanthophacelus, type species Poecilia reticulata Peters, 1859. According to Article 13 of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN, 1999) the criteria of availability for a species-group name are: 

The Réunion Fody and Sonnerat’s Shrew and the validity of scientifically naming animals described without physical types

Zootaxa ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 4382 (3) ◽  
pp. 592
Author(s):  
ANTHONY S. CHEKE ◽  
JULIAN P. HUME
Keyword(s):  
Species Group ◽  
Southern India ◽  
Zoological Nomenclature ◽  
International Code ◽  
Reunion Island ◽  
Essential Requirement ◽  
Logical Paradox ◽  
Réunion Island

An essential requirement of the current edition of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN 1999) is to designate a holotype or syntypes for a species or subspecies newly described after 1999. Where specimens exist this makes sense (and is indeed essential), but is meaningless when describing a species-group taxon from an old illustration or written account in which specimens were not preserved or even necessarily taken at all. The naming of two species which one or both of us described post-1999 from old accounts without designating types has been singled out as invalid on this basis. As the revisers of the ICZN apparently did not anticipate further naming of taxa from old accounts, and thus allowed a logical paradox to arise, we strongly recommend that, in respect of descriptions from old accounts with no specimens, this rule be waived by a retrospective amendment, as it is likely that other similar cases exist, and it serves no-ones’ interest to strike down otherwise properly described names on a pointless technicality. Prior to our proposed change in the Code, in this note Foudia delloni Cheke & Hume sp. nov. (Aves: Passeriformes: Ploceidae), from Réunion Island, and Diplomesodon sonnerati Cheke sp. nov. (Mammalia: Soricomorpha: Soricidae), from southern India, are named anew using the same names and the original diagnoses. 

Solving a nomenclatural conundrum: Cernosvitovia crainensis (Mršić, 1989) and Aporrectodea macvensis Šapkarev in Mršić, 1991 (Lumbricidae)

Zootaxa ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 4496 (1) ◽  
pp. 156
Author(s):  
DAVID NICOLSON ◽  
CSABA CSUZDI
Keyword(s):  
Species Group ◽  
Zoological Nomenclature ◽  
International Code ◽  
The Balkans ◽  
History Of

This contribution deals with the names and authorship of two lumbricid taxa endemic to the Balkans (see Stojanović et al., this volume). Although their validity has never been questioned, it has been unclear up to now which publication has made these two species-group names available according to the rules of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (Articles in "the Code," ICZN 1999). In the following, we review the somewhat intricate history of these names and explain why the correct citation and spelling of these names are "Cernosvitovia crainensis (Mršić, 1989)" and "Aporrectodea macvensis Šapkarev in Mršić, 1991," respectively. 

scholarly journals Towards a List of Available Names in Zoology, partim Phylum Rotifera

Zootaxa ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 3179 (1) ◽  
pp. 61 ◽  
Author(s):  
HENDRIK SEGERS ◽  
WILLEM H. DE SMET ◽  
CLAUS FISCHER ◽  
DIEGO FONTANETO ◽  
EVANGELIA MICHALOUDI ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Animal Species ◽  
Species Group ◽  
Zoological Nomenclature ◽  
International Code ◽  
Candidate List ◽  
Molecular Approaches ◽  
International Body ◽  
Biodiversity Information ◽  
The Web ◽  
Standard List

Many, mostly older, names of animal species are nomenclaturally problematic, either because their orthography is unstable, orthey cannot be linked reliably to a taxonomic identity, due to the lack of recognisable descriptions and/or types. Yet, they repre-sent available (sensu International Code of Zoological Nomenclature) names and must be taken into account in zoologicalworks. This situation, with available senior, yet dubious names confounding nomenclature, is undesirable. It creates uncertain-ties at a time when molecular approaches are revolutionizing our concepts of species diversity, and fails us when the currentextinction crisis calls for efficient, accurate, and constructive approaches to document, monitor, and conserve biodiversity.The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (The Code) provides a means to address this issue by restricting avail-ability, application and orthography of names to those included in the List of Available Names in Zoology (LAN). The Code(Art. 79) allows an international body of zoologists in consultation with the Commission to propose a candidate part of theLAN for a major taxonomic field. We explore this possibility for 3570 species-group names of Phylum Rotifera (of which 665are problematic), by presenting such a candidate Rotifera part of the LAN. The web site of the International Commission onZoological Nomenclature (http://www.iczn.org) will hold both the candidate list and a forum to facilitate consultation on thecandidate list, while the list itself also can already be freely downloaded from three other Internet sites: http://fada.biodiver-sity.be, http://rotifer.ansp.org/LAN, and www.hausdernatur.at/rotifera. We give here an overview of the general approach andprocedures applied in preparation of the candidate list, and anticipate that our effort will promote the process as well as result in a standard list of names for use in taxonomy, the Global Names Architecture and other biodiversity information initiatives.

 New replacement name for a homonym in Lepeophtheirus (Crustacea: Copepoda: Caligidae)

Zootaxa ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 4852 (1) ◽  
pp. 143-144
Author(s):  
KEIICHI KAKUI ◽  
DAISUKE UYENO
Keyword(s):  
Species Group ◽  
International Commission ◽  
Zoological Nomenclature ◽  
International Code ◽  
Feminine Gender ◽  
Platichthys Stellatus ◽  
The Feminine ◽  
Masculine Gender

Markevich (1940) established Pseudolepeophtheirus Markevich, 1940 for Pseudolepeophtheirus longicauda Markevich, 1940 based on copepods collected from the pleuronectid fish Platichthys stellatus (Pallas, 1787). Dojiri & Ho (2013) synonymized the genus and the species with Lepeophtheirus Nordmann, 1832 and Lepeophtheirus parvicruris Fraser, 1920, respectively. Later, Homma et al. (2020) resurrected Markevich’s species as a member of Lepeophtheirus, i.e., as L. longicauda (Markevich, 1940). The last component of the names of both genera is ‘phtheirus’ (transliterated from the Greek φθειρ; Nordmann 1832: 30), a masculine noun, and thus under Article 30.1.2 of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (hereinafter, Code; International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature 1999), both generic names are also masculine. The species-group name longicauda might be regarded as either a noun in apposition or as an adjective in the feminine gender, and Markevich (1940) did not specify his intention in this regard. Bearing in mind that ‘cauda’, meaning ‘tail’, actually is a feminine Latin noun and that Markevich did not change the final ‘-a’ to ‘-us’ to match the masculine gender of the genus, we deem that longicauda Markevich, 1940 is a noun in apposition, a position supported by Article 31.2.2 of the Code. 

Emarginula poppeorum and Acteon fasuloi: replacement names for the reoccupied taxa Emarginula gigantea Poppe, 2008 and Acteon elongatus Castellanos, Rolán & Bartolotta, 1987 (Mollusca: Gastropoda)

Zootaxa ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 4300 (1) ◽  
pp. 149
Author(s):  
LUIGI ROMANI ◽  
EMILIO ROLÁN ◽  
LUIZ R. L. SIMONE ◽  
FABIO CROCETTA
Keyword(s):  
Species Group ◽  
Zoological Nomenclature ◽  
International Code

According to the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN, 2012: art 57.2), identical species-group names established for different nominal taxa, when originally combined with the same generic name, are primary homonyms. The junior name becomes therefore permanently invalid, except in few selected cases, which however are not met in the two species we will deal with below. The Principle of Priority requires that if a name in use for a taxon is found to be unavailable or invalid, it must be replaced by the next oldest available name from among its synonyms, including the names of the contained taxa of the same group (e.g., subgenera within genera), if that name is not itself invalid. If the rejected name has no potentially valid synonym a new substitute name must be established in its place (ICZN, 2012: art 23.3.5, art. 60). This is the case of two recently described extant molluscan taxa, whose specific names are preoccupied by homonymous fossil taxa. 

The genitive of species-group scientific names formed from personal names

Zootaxa ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 1541 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
DOUGLAS BRANDON-JONES ◽  
J. W. DUCKWORTH ◽  
PAULINA D. JENKINS ◽  
ANTHONY B. RYLANDS ◽  
ESTEBAN E. SARMIENTO
Keyword(s):  
Species Group ◽  
Zoological Nomenclature ◽  
International Code ◽  
Proper Noun ◽  
Personal Names ◽  
Selection Of ◽  
Genitive Case

To avoid confusion with citations of a generic name and its author, the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature encourages specific names based on personal names to be instigated in the genitive case. The Latin genitive suffix also indicates the gender and singular or plural state of the modified proper noun. Some zoologists have interpreted Article 31 as stipulating that these latter should always correspond with the gender and singular or plural state of the person or persons commemorated. They believe the original spelling is justifiably emended if, in their view, the author or authors have employed the incorrect suffix. We contend that the gender and singular or plural state of a noun so employed is part of its etymology and unregulated by the Code. The author's selection of suffix should be respected and the original spelling preserved. We offer a rewording of Article 31 to remedy this ambiguity.

THE TACHINID TAXA OF LOUIS P. MESNIL, WITH NOTES ON NOMENCLATURE (INSECTA: DIPTERA)

1996 ◽  
Vol 128 (1) ◽  
pp. 115-165 ◽  
Author(s):  
James E. O’Hara
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
New Genus ◽  
Species Group ◽  
Zoological Nomenclature ◽  
International Code

AbstractLouis Paul Mesnil (1904–1986) wrote more than 90 published articles on the Tachinidae between 1936 and 1980. He proposed, in those works, a total of 172 new genus-group names and 838 new species-group names. These genus-group and species-group names are listed here along with annotations and a complete record of Mesnil’s publications on the Tachinidae. Certain nomenclatural problems concerning the taxa of Mesnil are addressed, namely difficulties arising from the fascicle format of the series “Die Fliegen der palaearktischen Region”, determination of the type status of primary types (syntypes vs. holotypes), improperly labeled types in collections, taxa described in cryptic fashion, type depositories not slated or since changed, and manuscript names in collections. The rules of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature are followed to standardize usage of Mesnil’s names.

scholarly journals Introducing a new tool to navigate, understand and use International Codes of Nomenclature

PeerJ ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. e8127
Author(s):  
Evangelos Vlachos
Keyword(s):  
A Priori ◽  
Mathematical Structure ◽  
Zoological Nomenclature ◽  
International Code ◽  
Entire System ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Standard Sets ◽  
Linear Text ◽  
And Linguistics

Background In order to designate the various concepts of taxa in biology, evolution and paleontology, scientists have developed various rules on how to create unique names for taxa. Different Codes of Nomenclature have been developed for animals, plants, fungi, bacteria etc., with standard sets of Rules that govern the formation, publication and application of the nomina of extant and extinct species. These Codes are the result of decades of discussions, workshops, publications and revisions. The structure and complexity of these Codes have been criticized many times by zoologists. This project aims, using the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature as a case study, to show that the structure of these Codes is better reflected and understood as networks. Methods The majority of the text of the Code has been divided into hundreds of Nodes of different types, connected to each other with different types of Edges to form a network. The various mathematical descriptors of the entire system, as well as for the elements of the network, have been conceptually framed to help describing and understanding the Code as a network. Results The network of the Code comprises 1,379 Nodes, which are connected with 11,276 Edges. The structure of the Code can be accurately described as a network, a mathematical structure that is better suited than any kind of linear text publication to reflect its structure. Discussion Thinking of the Code as a network allows a better, in-depth understanding of the Code itself, as the user can navigate in a more efficient way, as well as to depict and analyze all the implied connections between the various parts of the Code that are not visible immediately. The network of the Code is an open access tool that could also help teaching, using and disseminating the Code. More importantly, this network is a powerful tool that allows identifying a priori the parts of the Code that could be potentially affected by upcoming amendment and revisions. This kind of analysis is not limited to nomenclature, as it could be applied to other fields that use complex textbooks with long editing history, such as Law, Medicine and Linguistics.

Validation of Stenus (Hypostenus) primivenatus and Stenus (Hypostenus) yiae (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Steninae) 

Zootaxa ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 4881 (3) ◽  
pp. 591-592
Author(s):  
CAI-YUN ZHAO ◽  
HONG-ZHANG ZHOU
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Species Group ◽  
Zoological Nomenclature ◽  
International Code ◽  
Fourth Edition ◽  
Important Message

Holotype depository was not indicated for the new species, Stenus (Hypostenus) primivenatus and Stenus (Hypostenus) yiae, described as new in the publication Zhao & Zhou (2008). Missing this important message made these two species-group names unavailable according to the fourth edition of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (the Code, ICZN, 1999: Article 16.4). This problem was first denoted by Schülke, M. & Smetana, A. (2015).

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document