[Taxacom] Integrative taxonomy

[Wolfgang Wuster]

On 01/08/2010 05:07, Stephen Thorpe wrote:
> to recap slightly, I am wholly in favour of a properly integrated single system
> of taxonomy/nomenclature, which takes into account DNA and whatever else
> evidence, though I think it will be a "challenge" to keep all the elements
> balanced appropriately. I am mainly diagreeing with the "candidate species"
> proposal, as I don't think it solves anything, but just adds a new level of
> complexity. I suspect you are thinking of these "candidate species" from your
> perspective as a balanced taxonomist, so you are thinking that you can ignore
> the names created by the gel-jockeys, and all will be well. However, what I can
> foresee happening is this: the DNA crew will ignore your names, and use only
> their names (based on DNA only), and since they are the teachers pets of
> managers and funders, their names will grow in perceived importance at the
> expense of yours ... the tentative names will become THE names ...
>    

In herpetology at least, that would not be a problem for long. Publish a 
"candidate species" today, and find it named in a vaguely  
Code-compliant manner, complete with an imaginary diagnosis and a name 
honouring yet again one of the family members, associates or pets of the 
author, by a certain group of individuals in self-published "journals" 
of questionable availability, and read all about *their* scientific 
triumph and breakthrough forever after on their seizure-inducing websites.

If you really are just a gel jockey who hates proper taxonomy, that may 
be a problem solved. On the other hand, if you are a genuinely 
integrative taxonomist with an interest in the naming and description of 
species (and at least in herpetology, even those often derided as "gel 
jockeys" do have a more genuine interest in the animals, carry  out 
fieldwork, etc., than they are given credit for), then the concept of 
flagging candidate species will be dead in the water until and unless 
the Code is modified to cease giving carte blanche to taxonomic vandals.

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