[Taxacom] Paper on taxonomic standards in herpetology

[Wolfgang Wuster]

On 15/05/2013 00:08, Stephen Thorpe wrote:
> Well, I'm not a big fan of LANs, but at least they are, strictly speaking, Code compliant, since the Code allows for them. The Code does not permit ignoring available names (except by virtue of a LAN), nor should it, because this would be a slippery slope to nomenclatural chaos! What I don't quite understand about LANs is how they apply to new names proposed  after the LAN is published? Can they predetermine that, say, Hoser's next new name is unavailable? How often would it have to be updated and revisited to deal with a constant stream of newly published problematic names??

I think that hits the nail on the head, together with Doug's comments 
about the time involved. This is an ongoing problem in herpetology, 
those creating the plethora of names are still very much alive and 
middle-aged rather than old, so the flood of new names is not likely to 
abate. Indeed, the main response to any criticism has been a slew of new 
names - Hoser has already just published another 100-odd new names in 
response to the Kaiser et al. paper, within the space of approx 6 weeks! 
LANs are simply not designed to deal with ongoing situations (quite 
apart from the fact that most of us would rather be describing 
biodiversity rather than cleaning up someone else's mess).

Stephen is right, strictly speaking, in saying that the "glory" lies in 
the science, not the naming. However, as Stephen Jay Gould often pointed 
out, science is a human endeavour, carried out by humans with human 
passions, ambitions, desires, hunches etc. Denying the human angle is 
failing to recognise how science really works.

While the scientific merit may be the same, "Redescription of taxon X" 
simply does not have the same appeal as "A new species/genus/whatever of 
X", won't attract the same media coverage or gain the same recognition 
from the wider world, including funders. It is of course something we 
quite rightly have to deal with as a matter of course where historic 
names exist, but that is a very different situation from being forced to 
accept the ongoing creation of new names on an industrial scale for the 
sole purpose of self-glorification by a few individuals.

I appreciate that those may not be issues of scientific merit, but they 
do matter in the real world of humans, of which taxonomists are part.

Cheers,

Wolfgang

-- 
Dr. Wolfgang W?ster  -  Senior Lecturer
School of Biological Sciences    Bangor University
Environment Centre Wales
Bangor LL57  2UW                 Wales, UK
Tel: +44 1248 382301  Fax: +44 1248 382569
E-mail: w.wuster at bangor.ac.uk
http://pages.bangor.ac.uk/~bss166/




-- 
Rhif Elusen Gofrestredig / Registered Charity No. 1141565

Gall y neges e-bost hon, ac unrhyw atodiadau a anfonwyd gyda hi,
gynnwys deunydd cyfrinachol ac wedi eu bwriadu i'w defnyddio'n unig
gan y sawl y cawsant eu cyfeirio ato (atynt). Os ydych wedi derbyn y
neges e-bost hon trwy gamgymeriad, rhowch wybod i'r anfonwr ar
unwaith a dil?wch y neges. Os na fwriadwyd anfon y neges atoch chi,
rhaid i chi beidio ? defnyddio, cadw neu ddatgelu unrhyw wybodaeth a
gynhwysir ynddi. Mae unrhyw farn neu safbwynt yn eiddo i'r sawl a'i
hanfonodd yn unig  ac nid yw o anghenraid yn cynrychioli barn
Prifysgol Bangor. Nid yw Prifysgol Bangor yn gwarantu
bod y neges e-bost hon neu unrhyw atodiadau yn rhydd rhag firysau neu
100% yn ddiogel. Oni bai fod hyn wedi ei ddatgan yn uniongyrchol yn
nhestun yr e-bost, nid bwriad y neges e-bost hon yw ffurfio contract
rhwymol - mae rhestr o lofnodwyr awdurdodedig ar gael o Swyddfa
Cyllid Prifysgol Bangor.  www.bangor.ac.uk

This email and any attachments may contain confidential material and
is solely for the use of the intended recipient(s).  If you have
received this email in error, please notify the sender immediately
and delete this email.  If you are not the intended recipient(s), you
must not use, retain or disclose any information contained in this
email.  Any views or opinions are solely those of the sender and do
not necessarily represent those of Bangor University.
Bangor University does not guarantee that this email or
any attachments are free from viruses or 100% secure.  Unless
expressly stated in the body of the text of the email, this email is
not intended to form a binding contract - a list of authorised
signatories is available from the Bangor University Finance
Office.  www.bangor.ac.uk