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[Taxacom] Ornamental flourishes

Geoff Read gread at actrix.gen.nz
Mon May 21 21:00:12 CDT 2012


Do taxacomers approve of paper titles which preface the nitty-gritty of
the descriptive part with an adaption of a cliche phrase such as those
below?

At the bottom of the deep blue sea: a new wood-boring bivalve (Mollusca,
Pholadidae, Xylophaga) from the Cape Verde Abyssal Plain (subtropical
Atlantic)

Between a whale bone and the deep blue sea: the provenance of dwarf males
in whale bone‐eating tubeworms

These two aren't bad actually, having some wit & relevance, but is this
'lightening up' with embellishments a phenomenon to be encouraged? It
seems to be getting more common. I suppose it can make a paper more
memorable if original.

Here's another ocean-related one.

Descending into the abyss: Bathymetric patterns of diversity in decapod
crustaceans shift with taxonomic level and life strategies.

Geoff






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