[Taxacom] DNA only descriptions

[Bob Mesibov]

Hi, Rich.

That's not what I was asking. IMO your 'not easy for us to find or collect specimens in nature' dark matter consists largely of things which can be studied, described, named and classified without sequencing, and sequencing isn't *required* to do their taxonomy.

I say that because I disagree that 'The 1.x million species we already know about are, almost by definition, the *easiest* species on the planet to discover, examine, and diagnose.' That would only be true if the discovering and examining effort of the past 250 years had been equitably spread around the globe, with taxonomists not only working everywhere, but with taxonomist numbers 'proportional' to local diversity. The effort hasn't been equitable, and that explains (for example) why I can walk out even here, in temperate, long-settled Tasmania and name/describe 73 (so far) new millipede species in 7 years, and know of another 100 or so to be worked up.

I agree 100% with you about prokaryotic life, which is why I said 'flora and fauna'. It's great that Brian Tindall is so patient with zoologists and botanists here on Taxacom. Eucaryotes are interesting but not really relevant to what Life is *really* all about on this planet. As for genetics as revealing evolutionary history, read the 2 August 2010 entry on ARMANs in 'Small Things Considered': http://schaechter.asmblog.org/schaechter/
-- 
Dr Robert Mesibov
Honorary Research Associate
Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery, and
School of Zoology, University of Tasmania
Home contact: PO Box 101, Penguin, Tasmania, Australia 7316
03 64371195; 61 3 64371195
Webpage: http://www.qvmag.tas.gov.au/?articleID=570


-- 
Dr Robert Mesibov
Honorary Research Associate
Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery, and
School of Zoology, University of Tasmania
Home contact: PO Box 101, Penguin, Tasmania, Australia 7316
03 64371195; 61 3 64371195
Webpage: http://www.qvmag.tas.gov.au/?articleID=570