choosing lectotype

[Barry Roth]

Thomas Lammers <lammers at VAXA.CIS.UWOSH.EDU> wrote:At 12:42 PM 7/11/03 +0200, you wrote:
>(2) if two syntypes are equally close to the original description, is
>the argument of current usage more or less important than the fact that
>Mueller wrote a name on one of the sheets

Maintaing current usage is always preferred.

 Other things being equal, I would agree with this sentiment, but another criterion would be the information content of the specimen.  A lectotype that shows more characters will allow more confident judgments that other specimens are conspecific with it (in other words, identifications) than a lectotype that shows fewer characters.  Diagnostic characters, anyway.

Barry Roth


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