Frequency of Junior Homonyms

[John D. Oswald]

An example of the frequency of junior homonyms

Insect superorder Neuropterida (orders Neuroptera, Megaloptera and
Raphidioptera)

ca. 6850 valid species (extant and fossil)
985 valid genera (extant and fossil)

1471 available genus-group names [2 names dating back to Linnaeus 1758, as
an indicator of the age of the taxon...]
65 junior homonym genus-group names

genus-group junior homonyms represent 4.4% of all available genus-group
names -- a small, but still surprisingly large percentage -- almost 1 of
every 20 names proposed

John Oswald

At 03:54 PM 5/13/2003 -0400, you wrote:
>Just how common are homonyms and does this list pertain only to valid
>names?
>
>The name Echidna (genus) , for example, appears within the synonymy
>listings of
>Wilson and Reeder Mammalia
>Echmeyers Fishes
>EMBL reptiles of the world
>
>Is this considered a homonym set?

Dr. John D. Oswald
Associate Professor and Curator
Department of Entomology
Texas A&M University
College Station, TX   77843-2475
USA
Office phone: (979) 862-3507
Fax: (979) 845-6305
e-mail: j-oswald at tamu.edu

8th International Symposium on Neuropterology
    (http://entowww.tamu.edu/research/neuropterida/isn8/index.html)
Bibliography of the Neuropterida
    (http://entowww.tamu.edu/research/neuropterida/neur_bibliography/bibhome.html)
Neuropterists Directory
    (http://entowww.tamu.edu/research/neuropterida/ndi-home.html)
NeuroWeb
    (http://entowww.tamu.edu/research/neuropterida/neuroweb.html)