[Taxacom] Type specimen

[Adam Cotton]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "John Grehan" <calabar.john at gmail.com>
To: "Francisco Welter-Schultes" <fwelter at gwdg.de>
Cc: "taxacom" <taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu>
Sent: Saturday, May 18, 2013 11:20 PM
Subject: Re: [Taxacom] Type specimen


Interesting! I will have to dig into my files for where I developed a
different impression. Accessibility to other researchers would seem to be a
prime requisite because without such access types no longer operate or
exist as scientific objects.

John Grehan
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This provision in the Code is only a recommendation rather than a binding 
article. Types are recommended to be deposited in institutional 
repositories, but there is no requirement that this should be the case.

It is only in the current Code that there is a requirement (article 16.4.1) 
for types to be designated, whether syntypes or a holotype and paratypes, 
and (article 16.4.2) "where the holotype or syntypes are extant specimens, 
by a statement of intent that they will be (or are) deposited in a 
collection and a statement indicating the name and location of that 
collection", but this can actually be any collection, private or public.

Recommendation 16C states:
"Recognizing that name -bearing types are international standards of 
reference (see Article 72.10) authors should deposit type specimens in an 
institution that maintains a research collection, with proper facilities for 
preserving them
and making them accessible for study (i.e. one which meets the criteria in 
Recommendation 72F)."

As you can see there is no mandatory clause stating that types MUST be 
placed in scientifically accessible collections.

Adam.